<p>Currently a junior in highschool with interest in both of these schools. How similar is University of Michigan- Ann Arbor and Michigan State University. Differences? Your preference?</p>
<p>Every single person I know who got into UMich also got into MSU (if he or she applied to both schools). UMich offers a better education, plain and simple. As for the Lansing vs. Ann Arbor factor, I don't really have a preference for environment, so I can't offer any information on location. I choose UMich over MSU 99.9% of the time.</p>
<p>I know quite a few people going to both schools, UMich tends to be more "serious" and has more out of state recognition, but the folks I know there say that it's more pretentious and cliquey than MSU, but like it nonetheless. MSU is a more "chill" environment and has less competitive (w/ each other) students and is mostly Michigan people. Outside of specific programs at MSU (education, residential colleges, honors college, supply chain management lol) UMich has higher ranked programs (but it's prestige is mostly derived from grad school, like most big schools)</p>
<p>I will probably end up going to MSU barring financial problems (from out of state) because of the James Madison College even though I have a solid shot at getting into Michigan, as UMich doesn't offer International Relations and their poli-sci program isn't any better than what MSU offers with Madison.</p>
<p>As for which one you should go to, only you can figure that out - HARR is right that if you can get into Michigan you can get into MSU, and UMich does have significantly more national prestige. If you want to get a job outside of Michigan with just a Bachelors, go with UMich. If you want to go to grad/med school, visit both and familiarize yourself with the programs then pick the one you prefer. If you want to go to law school, it doesn't matter much because it's all numbers based, so go with the environment you like more.</p>
<p>mephist0 covered it well</p>
<p>also, strictly opinion and from personal experience, but i find that msu has a stronger music program, particularly in jazz. </p>
<p>it just depends on what you want... $$ can be a huge deciding factor for some</p>
<p>I am not sure I agree with all mephist0 says, but most of his points are well made. A couple of corrections however:</p>
<p>1) Political Science. MSU has a very strong Political Science department, but it does not match Michigan. Comparing MSU to Michigan in Political Science would be like comparing Purdue to Stanford or Cal in Engineering. Yes, all three are ranked very high, but there are clear distinctions. It isn't so much that MSU isn't good, but rather, that Michigan is mind-blowingly good...where Political Science is concerned.</p>
<p>2) Law School placement. Actually, unlike Medical School admissions, law school admissions does factor in undergraduate institution. It is not as important as it is for MBA programs, but it is still rather important.Last year for example, close to 20 Michigan students and alums enrolled into Harvard, Stanford and Yale Law Schools. Another 100 or so enrolled into other "National 14" law schools, such as Cal, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Michigan, NYU, Northwestern, Penn and UVa. I doubt MSU comes close, despite being 30% larger than Michigan.</p>
<p>3) "Cliquey and pretentious" environment. Actually, I heard that MSU is more cliquey than Michigan, with a great deal more likeleyhood of students at MSU attending college with more high school friends than students at Michigan. And the word "pretentious" is relative and highly subjective. What some consider intellectual and cultured would be considered "pretentious" to others. I agree that MSU students are more "chill", but Michigan students aren't exactly what I would call uptight or cutthroat.</p>
<p>um, i don't know about jazz, but for symphony band, orchestra, and voice, michigan has the better music school.. coming from my teachers and my friends (all the ones who got into UM music chose it over MSU music). which is not to say that MSU is bad at all.. just that UM is really, really, really good at music.</p>
<p>Michigan is more prestigious/academic and is stronger in nearly all subject areas. However, from what I heard, State kids seem to be less pretentious -- but that doesn't mean all Michigan kids fit that stereotype.</p>
<p>Nobody can easily dismiss the prestige factor of Michigan over MSU. With the terrible economy in this state, the worst in the country, many students will be looking to relocate after graduation. The U-M pedigree is more recognized everywhere you go.</p>
<p>Meh the comment about being pretentious just comes from the observations of a few friends, same with that about MSU being more "chill". As for law school admissions, You're right in the sense that UMich places far more people in the prestegious "top 14" than MSU, but I would like to see the statistics on the MSU honors and James Madison colleges.
What I was trying to say about poli-sci is not that MSU is better or more prestegious than UMich, as it will definitely be better received nationwide, but the environment that a MSU's residential college offers is one that I'd take over UMich personally (not to mention it offers IR), not to say that it's better or more prestegious. </p>
<p>I'd definitely agree that UMich has the better music program than MSU also</p>
<p>The cost differences (at least, for tuition) have really narrowed in recent years, except that MSU doesn't have course fees--that's a hidden cost that can add up if you're majoring in something like art at U-M.</p>
<p>Hoedown, my daughter is going to the Art School next year, I thought that the fees were all included in the tuition! Can you point me to someplace where I can see what the additional course fees would be for Art? I'm already reeling from the $4,000 computer/supplies package that is required; how much more is it going to cost me?</p>
<p>I'd say that MSU is just as cliquey. I love going up to State, it's always a "riot." I probably have near a hundred kids from my graduating class at MSU, and the high school cliques graduated right up to MSU.</p>
<p>I guess I'm not really one to talk, since I lived with 6 kids from my high school last year, and two different kids from my high school this year, but the kids I hang out with the most here didn't go to high school with me.</p>
<p>I guess you can say that at State, you might have a big group of 30 kids from a high school who spend every waking moment together...at Michigan you might have 2 or 3 and then other friends.</p>
<p>Thanks, more comments are welcome.</p>
<p>haha last year 43 kids out of 180ish from my school went to michigan.</p>
<p>Additional fees for courses are listed here. They tend to be for lab equipment and supplies--or, in the case of art, the School of Art & Design can get things like clay and metals at a discount if they buy for everyone, so it makes sense (and saves students money) for them to buy those supplies instead of students buying supplies individually.</p>
<p>Um-ann arbor hands down!!</p>
<p>Isnt umich wayyyyy harder to get into? from what i have read msu is much much easier to get into...i mean umich is so much higher in the rankings and everything and the stats are also much harder...i would think umich would be the better school....i was going to apply but i didnt even bother becasue i thought i had no chance so i applied to msu instead...are you saying that was a mistake? is it too late to apply to umich now if i can get in? btw 3.81 weighted gpa 1330/1600 sats..my gpa is kinda low i mean its 3.81 WEIGHTED...</p>
<p>3.8 weighted isn't bad, although if your unweighted is like a 3.2 then yeah... thats a hudge difference.</p>
<p>I dunno...I got into UMich and State, but im having trouble deciding which one i should go to. i mean..state is more of a party school and i think umich is more focused on academics and the students are way more competitive. i want kind of a balance between the two...but i cant really decide. i guess ill just see what each college offers me since money is a pretty big factor.</p>
<p>...but what about dorms? does one of the college have better/bigger dorms?</p>
<p>Unless State has a program that interests you that you can't get at U-M, I would definitely recommend you go to Michigan.</p>