University of Michigan - my opinion

<p>Weenie, mine's at "Summer Discovery." Good but expensive program that introduces students to college life, offers SAT prep and academic enrichment courses (son's taking Intro Psychology), and takes them on some fun trips on weekends. They do this at several campuses; he chose UM 'cause we think of it as a possible reach and because we hoped it would be a few degrees cooler there!!</p>

<p>Rutgers Engineering is at the main campus in beautiful New Brunswick- Actually across the river in a suburban location on the Busch campus.</p>

<p><a href="http://coewww.rutgers.edu/pro_stu.php?current=pro_stu%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://coewww.rutgers.edu/pro_stu.php?current=pro_stu&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I told this story before. One friend got her MS from UMich. She paid out-of-state tuition. But one of the class only taught students how to use AutoCAD, and she might be better than the teacher:)</p>

<p>Not sure if the teacher was a TA. But I can testify most of the TAs are brilliant graduate students, because I knew a lot of them, and some are becoming successful professors at other schools.</p>

<p>Rutgers is in New Brunswick, not Newark.</p>

<p>With all due respect to Lehigh, a great school, New Brunswick would probably hold its own on town considerations. </p>

<p>If you had to compare to Newark, I agree that Bethlehem wins.</p>

<p>THe point of this was relative eduational value for the dollar.</p>

<p>Dadx - I understand your point....I was just saying personally, I'd prefer the PA area...that's the Mom in me... ;) </p>

<p>Rutgers is a fine university and a good value. I wish we had that here in our state system.</p>

<p>Rutgers has 3 campus locations:
Camden (across from Philly)
New Brunswick
Newark (which has over 30,000 grad. and undergrad. students)</p>

<p>I'm one of the students mentioned as a generalization of being "put off" by high tuition costs at UM. I live less than 1.5 miles south of an invisible border which doubles the cost of UM. Although I was accepted to two more prestigous schools, UM would certainly been a contender for my final choice, given that it was conveniently close to home (I could have perhaps commuted at some point if I so desired). However, their joke of a financial "aid" package, and complete unwillingness to cooperate or even consider reevaluating my aid package, left a very sour taste in my mouth. My experiences made me come to realize that UM cares only about three classifications of students: the in-staters, the wealthy, and athletes. Even Notre Dame, whose aid package was not enough to justify me going there, cooperated to the fullest extent and tried to work with us, even if sometimes their contacts with us were spotty. I used to be the truest of true-blue Michigan fans, but their handling of the situation, general attitude, and comparative friendliness of, and scholarship assistance from Ohio State has now made me neutral on the subject. Although I still recognize UM for the great academic institution that it is, I have lost all respect for their administration and pandering to "special" groups. In any case, I will soon begin attending Dartmouth, and will be proud to send my tuition dollars, and later alumni donations there. In all modesty, Michigan lost an Ivy-level student due to their inflexibility, and I'm sure I will be neither the first nor the last.</p>

<p>Just some friendly advice for what it's worth:</p>

<p>Their primary mission is to serve the people of Michigan, which doesn't include you. If they admitted you and offered you at least some aid, I wouldn't get too upset.</p>

<p>EVERYONE panders to athletes and the wealthy. That's just life.</p>

<p>I had a hard time deciding between University of Michigan honors program (top 10% of the freshman class)(out of state) and university of Virginia NON-ECHOLS(in-state); I eventually decided to attend UVa, though. My parents are happy coz they dont need to pay much....(15,000 a year maybe...)</p>

<p>Wise move.</p>

<p>Chris, </p>

<p>Of course you're not the first or last. </p>

<p>U-M is a state school, with the vast bulk of its aid dollars (and scholarships) oriented towards instate students. The border you live so close to may be invisible, but it's real, and your state institutions probably find that border just as meaningful as UM does when it comes to deciding who pays resident tuition.</p>

<p>I'm sorry you had a negative experience re: aid. Between you and me, I am well aware that one's experience with financial aid office can vary wildly (I worked with them over several years as an aid recipient, and I had some bad experiences and good). I feel that's a shortcoming here. But my experiences here also tell me that the aid office does not reflect the quality, ethics, values, and priorities of "the entire administration" of U-M. There are fine people who work here. </p>

<p>It's grievous when U-M loses a desirable student like you to an ivy, or to a school which can offer better aid (or a lower tuition bill). But it's something U-M also has to be realistic about (and is). At this stage, it simply cannot afford to offer many out of state students a full aid package or a scholarship. Not can it match the better aid offers its competitors come up with. So it does what it can, and loses a lot of admits to competitors, some of them even going away angry. It's the reality of being a state school, sadly.</p>

<p>i'm a student at umich, i don't agree with the idea that some of you seem to have, a lot of you seem to think that "oh public school is inferior to privates and should cost less". this maybe true at some public schools, but for schools like Michigan, UVA and Berkeley, the education should cost 30 k a year.</p>

<p>2005 - 2006 tuition - from The Michigan Daily</p>

<p>"Students can expect to pay about $1000 more this year for tuition in light of the University Board of Regents' approval of a 12.3-percent hike for in-state undergraduates and a 6.9-percent raise for out-of-state students last Thursday."</p>

<p>Also, contrary to what someone inferred - my son loves both U of M and Ann Arbor - however he is not the one paying the tuition, although he contributes to his living expenses. Also, since he is now in the business school the classes are all taught be professors.</p>

<p>** Well, looks like The Daily got it WRONG.**</p>

<p>Not confirmed by that source, unfortunately. Sorry that they are misinforming people. The Daily otherwise was (miraculously) understanding of the tuition increase--but they got the number wrong for nonresidents. </p>

<p>I missed the Regents meeting because I had a meeting with admissions, but believe me, everyone else in my office was there, in the room, when they voted on it. It's 6%. Try the U-M News service, they got it correct.</p>

<p>I did the exact math for you on Upper Division Business School tuition & fees, down to the penny (it can vary a bit across the University)-- it works out to be a 6.04315% increase.</p>

<p>So Chris, let me get this straight.... after a lifetime of you neither living in nor paying taxes to the State of Michigan, they're supposed to feel guilty that they've forced you to go to Dartmouth? The good people of Michigan should deny one of their own a college education to give you more in financial aid than their system indicates you deserve? They should ignore geography and several hundred years of history and re-district Toledo into Michigan just to save you money?</p>

<p>I hope you plan to take a high school civics class before you head off to New Hampshire. It will stand you in good stead.</p>

<p>
[quote]
They should ignore geography and several hundred years of history and re-district Toledo into Michigan

[/quote]
</p>

<p>We actually fought a war over Toledo once. In the end, Ohio got to have it, and Michigan got the UP. I agree, it would be wrong to renege on that deal. :)</p>

<p>WOW, i never knew hoedown worked at Umichigan. holy crap. </p>

<p>"It's grievous when U-M loses a desirable student like you to an ivy, or to a school which can offer better aid (or a lower tuition bill). But it's something U-M also has to be realistic about (and is). At this stage, it simply cannot afford to offer many out of state students a full aid package or a scholarship. Not can it match the better aid offers its competitors come up with. So it does what it can, and loses a lot of admits to competitors, some of them even going away angry. It's the reality of being a state school, sadly"</p>

<p>I think UVa loses more students b/c of financial aid problems. UVa's financial aid SUCKS. (i didn't need it though)</p>

<p>Well jeeze, why should any o-o-s- student be angry about UM's fees or financial aid package. Seriously, we are o-o-s for Michigan, decided that the $37000 was not worth it, and moved on. Get over it, and go to your own State Uni., if it's good enough. I just think that some State Unis. are very expensive, and many people could possible decide to go private at that tuition gap. Anyway, if you do not live in, and pay taxes, to a State, why expect the priveleges.</p>

<p>My D could go for free to our State Uni, but chose not to, since she is under the delusion that we are rolling in it.</p>

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<p>Let's say that ChrisCuber's spot was given to an in-stater who would be paying in-state fees. UM could have offered Chris a "scholarship" so that he would be paying the same lower in-state fees. UM would not have been out any money. I know that the Arizona universities do this to try to snag smart California kids. </p>

<p>Unless, of course, out of state kids are seen as a revenue center. . .</p>

<p>The thing is UM doesn't need to snag OOS students--they're knocking each other over to get in. OOStaters are paying a non-subsidized tuition for a top twenty-five school, and it's less than most other schools of its caliber. I don't see any evidence that they're a revenue source. OTOH. of Michigan followed your plan, then the taxpayers would be subsiding the OOS student--that doesn't seem right.</p>