<p>Fist time poster here. First time with a child heading off to college. Would really appreciate some input regarding the differences between these two schools' History and Poly Sci Programs. </p>
<p>1) My son wants to be an attorney some day. Is UofM or UVA thought of more highly by law school admission advisors? Is one school known to have a stronger LSA program?</p>
<p>2) Michigan is big. Does the Honors Program really make it a smaller learning community? Do students have better access to professors and internships and research opportunities? Are Honors activities optional or required?</p>
<p>3) UVA is southern. My son tends to an independent thinker. Would this be a good fit? </p>
<p>4) Waitlisted at Northwestern, his first choice and the solution to smaller and more midwestern (his roots), however riding the waitlist train does not seem wise given the large app #s this year.... Any thoughts on NW?</p>
<p>All the schools are fantastic. Just trying to find the right fit.</p>
<p>I know this is way past due, so this post is for parents with similar questions. Now there is a ranking of public university honors programs in A Review of Fifty Public University Honors Programs, an ebook with about 50-some charts comparing not only Michigan and UVA but all of the leading honors programs in the best publics. </p>
<p>Michigan has the higher academic rankings for history and political science, and, though UVA law school is tied for 7th, Michigan is right behind. Though in the South, UVA has students from all over, and is not the kind of atmosphere that would stifle a young student. In fact, the Echols Scholars program gives students almost total freedom in what they study.</p>
<p>In the book mentioned above, Michigan LSA Honors ranks number 1 in Overall Excellence, and UVA ranks number 2. I think the Michigan program has about 2k students, and the UVA Echols program about 1200.</p>