university of michigan or michigan state

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I've narrowed my college choice down to either the University of Michigan or Michigan State (I have already been accepted to both), but I seem to be having a really hard time deciding between the two. I know a lot of people think I'd be crazy to pick MSU over U of M, but I'm trying to decide which school would be the overall best fit for me.</p>

<p>Things I've Been Considering</p>

<p>Academics: I plan on majoring in marketing and want to go on to earn my masters. Obviously, U of M has the more prestigious name as well as better rankings, but I've also heard that U of M is more graduate focused, whereas MSU focuses more on ungrads, which is something I like.</p>

<p>Social Scene: I definitely want to focus on studying and getting good grades (I mean that IS the reason I'm going to college), but I also want to have a good social life. I like hanging out with friends and partying on the weekends. I am also strongly considering joining a sorority. I'm afraid U of M might be too competitive and grade driven, but, on the other hand, MSU might be too laid back.</p>

<p>School Spirit: Both schools seem pretty comparable in this aspect. I definitely want to attend the football games and cheer on my school.</p>

<p>Price: Since I am instate, I can technically afford both schools, however, MSU is about $2300 a year cheaper (I just calculated tuition and room and board into each cost), which can add up over 4 years. </p>

<p>Future Job Market: With Michigan's economy the way it is, I will probably end up having to go out-of-state to get a job, and U of M definitely has a more nationally recognized name. However, I haven't done much research as to how much that would really give me an "edge" when I apply for future jobs.</p>

<p>Campus: I don't particularly love either campus. MSU is absolutely huge, but U of M is spread out around the city (which would be fine if I could get housing on Central Campus, but if I can't, it could be a problem).</p>

<p>I've already taken a tour of MSU and am planning on taking a tour of U of M in the near future, but I'd really appreciate it if anyone could give me more insight into these two schools and help me decide as to which one might be a better fit for me.</p>

2

<p>My top two schools are Michigan State University and University of Michigan- Ann Arbor.
My top choice is Michigan State University for a lot of reasons. Similar reasons you've listed... better social life, large nice campus, atmosphere, school spirit etc... Negative things about the school, alot have to do with slackers being accepted, like someone who slacked off in school and put no effort accepted with a 2.4 GPA. There are other things as well.
Good news for Michigan State University today:
BREAKING</a> NEWS: MSU awarded $550M research facility | lansingstatejournal.com | Lansing State Journal</p>

3

<p>Visit both schools and go with your gut feeling. If you're looking for an intellectual campus, Michigan (not MSU) is the better place.</p>

4

<p>If you want to join a sorority, why not visit one at both schools? You'll get to know the school as well as the sorority by talking to students.</p>

5

<p>Copying this from a similar thread:</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(Of course this is only their opinion and I cannot speak for the environment at either school). 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, as I'm 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 the James Madison College(Caveat to this - UMich's poli sci program is definitely more recognized and more highly ranked, but the JMC@MSU has just as much to offer as far as faculty and has small class sizes throughout, although it focuses on public policy and IR so it isn't technically political science)</p>

<p>As for which one you should go to, only you can figure that out It's true that if you can get into UMich, you can probably also 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 (generally). If you want to go to grad school, med school, or law school visit both and familiarize yourself with the program you're interested in and go with the one you prefer, but keep in mind the name brand prestige that comes with UMich.</p>

<p>UMich does tend to be more intellectual, but this is different at the honors college or residential colleges at MSU - agree with visiting both and going w/gut feeling</p>

6

<p>Some relevant data to consider:</p>

<p>Undergrad enrollment
Michigan 26,000
MSU 36,000</p>

<p>Student/faculty ratio
Michigan 15/1
MSU 17/1</p>

<p>Percent classes with less than 20 students
Michigan 45%
MSU 25%</p>

<p>Percent classes with 50 or more students
Michigan 17.9%
MSU 22% </p>

<p>6-year graduation rate
Michigan 88.0%
MSU 74.0%</p>

<p>Average freshman retention rate
Michigan 96.0%
MSU 90.5%</p>

<p>Average HS GPA of entering class
Michigan 3.8
MSU 3.6</p>

<p>25th/75th percentile ACT
Michigan 27/31
MSU 23/27</p>

<p>Percent out-of-state
Michigan 32
MSU 8</p>

<p>Percent international
Michigan 4.85
MSU 4.52</p>

<p>I think Michigan State is a very good public university, one of the better ones in the country. But by any objective measure, Michigan is a better school, and in many areas it's not even close---better students, better faculty in almost every department and program, smaller classes, significantly higher graduation rate, and so on. And in terms of the prestige value of the degree, it's no contest, especially outside the state of Michigan; in-state, it's maybe pretty much a wash.</p>

<p>That said, I think you should go with your heart. For generations, Michigan and Michigan state have had lots of cross-admits, and many of those cross-admits choose State. (For the record, I chose Michigan and loved it; my younger brother initially chose MSU, transferred to Michigan for a year, decided he didn't like it as well as MSU, and transferred back to MSU to graduate). There are lots of reasons to do so. Some prefer the MSU campus. Some prefer the MSU social scene. Some choose one school or the other because their closest friends are going there. Some get better merit aid at MSU (though Michigan generally gives out more need-based aid). Some perceive Michigan as too "snobby" or "pretentious." Some like the Spartans sports teams better than the Wolverines (and next year MSU will probably be better in both football and basketball, as it is this year). Some like the less competitive academic environment at MSU, or calculate a high GPA from Michigan State will serve them better in law school or med school admissions than a slightly lower GPA at Michigan (though of course it doesn't always work out that way). I can't say any of these are bad reasons. In the end it's a matter of personal preference. Just remember, as a resident of Michigan you're very, very lucky to have the choice between two very good public institutions. Many states don't have a public flagship as good as either of these schools.</p>