So I’ve been very fortunate to have been accepted to U of M and also have won a full tuition scholarship to central Michigan. I really enjoy biology and Spanish, and as of right now I hope to do something with biology, probably in the medical field. I’m thinking physical therapy, speech therapy, or optometry. Central will give me study abroad opportunities for free basically, priority registration for classes, research opportunities, and basically an overall honors college experience. Also I will be at the top of my class. But it’s mount pleasant, which is nothing like Ann Arbor. Also CMU is way behind umich in academics. I know at Michigan it will be very competitive but everyone there will be very talented and smart, which is an exciting environment to be in. I got into the college of LSA, which doesn’t offer an exercise science major however, and that would be an ideal major for pt school. That’s in the school of kinesiology, and from what I’ve read it’s quite difficult to transfer schools within umich. Does anyone know if this is true??But then again I don’t know if I will go to pt school. Studying abroad will cost money here, on top of tuition. Either way I go, luckily the money situation is covered because my parents said they’d pay for my undergrad or grad school if I choose, but not both completely. So if I go to central my grad studies will be completely covered, and if I go to Michigan I will have to come up with the money with maybe some help from my parents.If I choose graduate school, will I have about the same chances of getting in with an undergrad from central at the top of my class and study abroad and research experiences or umich with all the prestige and strong academics, research experience, but possibly a little lower gpa because of the competitiveness? Does anyone know how the Spanish program at either school is? Anyone else ever had a similar decision to make? Any advice? I appreciate it, thank you!
I’m not a huge fan of research universities but in this case if you can at all swing the $$ the hands down winner is UM for so many reasons. The in state tuition is really a bargain for the resources and the greater experience. Do some of your own research and visit both places deeply. Best wishes.
UofM hands down. Seriously?
Another vote for UMich assuming that you’re in-state in MI.
And I doubt Kinesiology is difficult to transfer in to.
Assuming you’re in-state, another vote for UMichigan. Not even close.
I’ll contradict other repliers and say that it’s not “Michigan hands-down.” There’s a real consideration here. Your ambitions are relatively modest which would usually encourage one to attend a cheaper school, but I don’t know any field specifics to say whether there is only opportunity from top schools or if school is completely unimportant or what. Do you know any professionals in professions you’re considering who you could ask?
I think the reputation of Kines school is that it’s very easy to get into, but I have absolutely no idea of whether or not that’s true or what the real story is. Why didn’t you apply to the kines school if you wanted to go there?
Op, I don’t think you can go wrong in either scenario. Full ride is tempting. My son had a similar situation where another Michigan Unversity would have virtually paid him to attend. He chose Umich, but in his case, the program was nationally recognized and a talent-based admit, so for him, it was a no-brainier.
He loved Umch, and would probably tell you to go there, not strictly for the obvious and compelling academic reasons, but for the friendships and networks forged with peers all over the country. A friend of his attended the other university, and just didn’t have the same kind of experience…but he was a different guy – perhaps my son was the type to have a good experience wherever he went.
The general rule of thumb is to attend the best, most rigorous school you can afford and that feels like a fit. If Michigan feels like a fit for you and you don’t mind being challenged, I suspect it may be a better fit for you. While the rigor is important, your network, access to like-minded peers and the opportunities to engage can form an important foundation for the rest of your life too if that makes sense. In fact in some ways, it can be more important in the long term.
At the same time, having your folks pay for grad school if you take the free ride is worth serious consideration, especially if you end up deciding to go to med school. So like the other poster said, visit deeply 
And in either case, congratulations. You have a wonderful choice to make!
School of Kines is not easy to get into. You have to apply directly to Kines and they have limited space. Also not easy to go LSA route (easier acceptance than Kines) with hopes to transfer over.
You’re asking on the “University of Michigan” forum so of course most people will say “U of M”
How much debt are you willing to take on and how much are your parents willing to pay per year ?
I’d recommend asking people on the Parents Forum as they’d be less biased.
Well, it all depends on how much you need that money…