University of Michigan vs UCLA (engineering, business)

College Search & Selection
1

I know this probably comes up a lot…but i’m having trouble deciding between these two

I got into engineering for both of them, and I know umich is way better in engineering than ucla, but after visiting both campuses I feel like umich is too big. i don’t know if im the type of person who enjoys being in a town with college buildings spread so wide apart that i have to take the bus to get to my classes… i’m also favoring the people at ucla because im asain and ucla seems to have more minority and diversity in the student body

however work internship is also one of the factors i’m considering…people tell me umich and ucla both have wonderful job placements-ucla due to the fact that its close to silicon valley and umich due to the mass production of motors, etc

BUT i don’t want to work for a car company–my type of interest in engineering lies in the “non-traditional” disiciplines…like geological, environmental, industrial, agricultural, marine engineering, instead of electrical and mechanical

i LOVE uc BERKELEY but the results don’t come out until later this week (and honestly with the 8% international acceptance rate im losing hope lol)

regarding my career plans, i hope to actually work as an engineer in california (west coast) for a few years and create a business that builds sustainable structures to cope with earthquakes. Then i want to move to the east coast and pursue an international development career to help developing countries alleviate their environmental problems, and hopefully become a United Nations ambassador.

So i’m not sure which school to attend at this point anymore–i believe UC berkeley is the perfect option for me but if I don’t get accepted I feel that it’s gonna be the end of the world. And aside from that i already got rejected by Harvey Mudd ED2 and Northwestern. Right now the schools that accepted me are UIUC, UC San Diego, University of Washington Seattle, University of Michigan and UCLA. Out of those, the only schools I’m so far considering are UMIch and UCLA that I think are worth the money for a Canadian applicant to pay to go over Waterloo and U of T. I’m still waiting for an liberal arts college and a couple of other schools that release on April Fools (in addition to UC Berkeley), but right now, I can’t even make up my mind between UCLA and UMich

WHat do you guys think? Any comment on real-world industry, or future reputation (since umich is fallling these two years)of these two would also be greatly appreciated!! thanks

2

The days when Michigan Engineering sent most of its graduates to the auto industry is long past. Almost all Michigan programs are rated in the top 10-12 nationally (including marine) . The big advantage is that no matter which program you choose it will be very, very good. Michigan has a very entrepreneurial culture with incubators and assistance right on campus.

What rankings are you referring to? A shift of a few places up or down means next to nothing, often times that is noise or tweaks in the selection methodology. Sometimes colleges rise because they become more selective.

If you are thinking about working on the west coast UCLA does make a lot more sense. Have you considered work permits/ green card issues? Most companies will not sponsor an engineer with only a bachelor’s degree. As a Canadian that might make UW-S better with the proximity to Vancouver.

3

Why do you think the engineering programs at Michigan are “way better” than at UCLA? UCLA has very good engineering.

4

“way better”? says who?

since you already have this figured out, go to UCLA where you have more opportunities for internships and industry contacts that can help you do this