<p>Hey,</p>
<p>So I've got an acceptance at both, GaTech and UMich w/ Mechanical Engineering as my major. Both schools are awesome for their engineering programs and considering the fact that I'm an Int'l applicant, I've got a lot of mixed opinions wrt this. Basically, I don't know where I should enroll, rather I'm just super confused.</p>
<p>Can anyone give my any input that could help me make the right choice?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>get a coin</p>
<p>heads- U Michigan
tails- GT</p>
<p>What I’d infer from that is that they’re both equally good then?
=P</p>
<p>University of Michigan- Ann Arbor</p>
<p>Particular reason? (If Any)</p>
<p>UMichigan has a great large campus, with it’s own concert hall (and world class performers scheduled all year), a nice art museum, the beautiful arboretum for jogging, as well as a real college town feel. Many restaurants, shops, and of course bars, all in walking distance. </p>
<p>Georgia Tech is in the city of Atlanta, almost on top of a freeway, much more urban, and you would want a car. The weather is better in Atlanta however, Ann Arbor is cold from November through April, and cloudy.</p>
<p>Yeah, I visited Atlanta last summer. It was nice!
Didn’t go to Michigan though, heard it freezes. </p>
<p>Thanks though!
:)</p>
<p>Georgia Tech has the better program I think, but when both schools are great that doesn’t really matter. I would say Tech…</p>
<p>COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT EDIT: Post of the devil, #666</p>
<p>If money is not an issue, go to Michigan, way much better school in general and reputation.
But considering the weather and money go to Georgia.</p>
<p>Ann Arbor kills GT in engineering. Well…it doesn’t Kill but it UofM is known for its engineering programs.</p>
<p>I’m not too familiar with Georgia Tech, but I have heard that it’s quite good for engineering. And likewise, I’ve also heard UMich’s engineering is great, too. It really is a hard decision…I would say, if you’re not concerned about financial aid, go with UMich. Relatively speaking, I have heard more great things about UMich’s engineering. And being more prestigious in general, you may get more respect by graduating from UMich, which can potentially lead to better job opportunities. Being a pretty big school, it can be both a positive and a negative. Positive - will be able to meet many different people with different interests and may help you establish a connection that can help you in the future. Negative - perhaps too many students to get noticed without doing something extraordinary, i.e. hard to stand out and maybe more competition between the students when companies come recruiting for job positions. UMich’s prestige should be an important factor to consider, especially if you plan to work overseas (since you’re international). But it is kind of known for its rather bad financial aid for OOS/Internationals, though there are still many cases that students are awarded with good financial aid packages. One really bad thing about UMich, though, may be the weather as others have mentioned…Michigan is relatively cold…don’t know if you would like that.</p>
<p>First of all, money. Take the cheaper offer. (Also, I’d highly advocate going to GTech if you have the Presidential Scholarship . . . they practically pay you to attend).</p>
<p>@ Greens: Um. GTech is highly respected for its engineering programs. It’s an amazing school with amazing engineering programs, and I wouldn’t say anything “kills” it in engineering. Maybe you haven’t heard of it, but over here in the Southeast, it’s regarded as a pretty darn good school (with a pretty darn good campus, if I may say so myself) just a tiny step lower than MIT.</p>
<p>The student body at Tech is a bit . . . nerdy, though, as far as I can tell. It’s also a weeder school, meaning that while its acceptance rate is through the roof, many people end up dropping out of the school due to failing grades, so it’s definitely tough there.</p>
<p>Plus, can’t beat Atlanta weather. Though the lack of snow is rather discouraging . . .</p>
<p>I live in the Atlanta area and I hate it. So I would choose U of Michigan.</p>
<p>It might help to know what’s important to you besides the major. You’ve been accepted to two outstanding, nationally-renowned schools which have some qualitative differences. People love both schools, but according to Princeton Review’s student surveys, they have GT #8 in the country for “Professors Get Low Marks”, #4 for “Least Accessible Professors”, and #3 for “Class Discussions Rare.” Michigan, on the other hand is the quintessential American university experience in the quintessential American college town. GT is all technology, all the time. There is no English Department, you can’t major in Music, and the only History major available is “History of Technology.” Michigan is the full-scope of higher education, with world-class programs in the arts and humanities in addition to technology and pre-professional studies.</p>
<p>How is the community from your home country at the two schools? I think that would be a big factor for me. Can you get in touch with representatives of the student group for your country at each school?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m gonna hope that was a joke…</p>
<p>with that said, go UM to open spots for my friends that were waitlisted.</p>
<p>U of M.</p>
<p>Georgia sucks.</p>
<p>Most people at Michigan like it. Most people at GT don’t. The chances are, you will enjoy your time more at UMich, and it would be a no-brainer to me.
Also, UM has better programs across the board. If you go to GT and decide you don’t want to be an engineer (most people change their major) you will have pretty bad options compared to at Michigan. </p>
<p>It doesn’t matter which engineering school is ranked higher, you will have no problem finding a job from either school, so go to the one you would enjoy more.</p>
<p>I think this decision rests on three main factors:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Money. Personally, I would attend the school that offered more financial assistance.</p></li>
<li><p>Weather. If you do not like cold weather, stay away from Michigan. If you don’t like hot and sunny weather, stay away from Atlanta.</p></li>
<li><p>Urban v. Suburban. If you are the type of person who needs to reside in a city, Tech is definitely the way to go. Ann Arbor is very nice, but after four years I’m sure it can become somewhat small and suffocating.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
</p>
<p>Most people? Last time I checked thousands of kids graduate every year with an engineering degree from Tech (roughly 1.5k out of the total incoming class of 3k).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>How would you know? Low sample size, but the only person I knew who went to Michigan ended up transferring despite having a 4.0 due to quality of life.</p>