University of Michigan

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
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Thoughts on the University of Michigan? Strengths/weaknesses

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Jim Harbaugh isn’t the miracle worker that lots of people thought he would be.

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For academics and quality of student life combined, Michigan AA is arguably the most attractive state university in America. Definitely the school to beat for a Michigan resident seeking strong liberal arts or engineering programs. It also may be a good value after financial aid for an excellent OOS student with family income up to ~$90K and assets below $50K (http://finaid.umich.edu/new-undergraduates/non-resident-students-and-financial-aid/).

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STRENGTHS:

  1. Academics at Michigan are hard to beat. Virtually every single department is ranked among the top 15 (including Chemistry, Computer Science and Economics), most departments are ranked among the top 10 (including Architecture, Earth Sciences/Geology, English, History, International Studies and Languages, Mathematics and Physics), and many are ranked among the top 5 (including Anthropology, Business, Classics, Engineering, Music, Nursing, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology).
  1. Michigan has incredible resources and facilities. Its endowment currently stands at $11 billion, which makes it one of the 10 largest university endowments in the nation. The engineering and science labs are world class and they are open to undergraduate students for research and practical experience purposes. The University of Michigan Health System (over a dozen hospitals in total) is consistently rated among the top 10 hospitals in the United States. Again, undergraduate students can secure internships there. The North Campus Research Complex (NCRC) is a 174 acre research campus comprised of 30 state of the arts buildings encompassing 2 million square feet sophisticated lab space. Michigan purchased the NCRC from Pfizer in 2009 (Pfizer was having financial difficulties as a result of the financial meltdown, so they sold it to Michigan for pennies on the dollar) when it served as its global research headquarters. The University of Michigan library system contains 14 million volumes, making it the third largest university library system in the world (only Harvard and Yale have larger library systems). Ross is arguably the most state-of-the-arts business facility in the country. It certainly was the most expensive (cost $150 million to build). The football stadium has the largest seating capacity of any stadium in the United States (110,000+), and it is full to capacity for most games.
  2. It is counterintuitive for a major research university with 28,000 undergraduate students to offer undergraduate students great instruction and individualized attention, but Michigan actually does a very good job. The prevailing opinion on CC and among the masses is that public universities cannot compare to private universities when it comes to personal attention, resources etc... That is in fact wrong, and ignorant. Michigan is often listed among the best universities for undergraduate teaching, and classes in most majors tend to be small. There are exceptions of course (CS, Econ and Psychology come to mind, although those are popular majors at most universities, and will tend to have large classes at smaller universities too), but by and large, classes tend to be comparable in size to those at smaller elite private universities. As an alumnus of Cornell and Michigan, I have noticed virtually no difference in between the two where class size and personal attention are concerned.
  3. As can be expected from a university that spends over $1.3 billion on research annually (2nd largest research output in the nation), research opportunities at Michigan are off the charts. And Michigan has programs designed for incoming freshmen to secure one on one research with faculty in their chosen field of student before they even set foot on campus. All admitted students can request an Undergraduate Research Opportunity (UROP) or a dorm room at the Michigan Research Community (MRC). The majority of freshmen requesting a spot in one of those two is granted placement. Beyond those two options, professors often advertise their need for undergraduate research assistants, so resourceful undergraduate students should easily be able to find research opportunities.
  4. The University of Michigan is home to a top 10 MBA program, a top 10 Gradual School of Engineering, a top 10 Law School and a top 10 Medical School. Each of those top 10 graduate professional programs admits anywhere from 80 to 100 Michigan undergraduate students annually. Many more are admitted in other top 10 graduate programs around the nation. In absolute terms, Michigan alumni are among the 10 most well represented research universities in top graduate programs. In relative terms, taking its size into account, Michigan is among the 20 most well represented research universities in top graduate programs. So clearly, graduate school placement is a strength.

Professional placement (particularly for students majoring in Business, Computer Science and Engineering) is also exceptional. Major companies like Amazon, Apple, Bain, BCG, Goldman Sachs, Google, JP Morgan, McKinsey, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley etc…all recruit undergraduate very heavily on campus for internships and for full time jobs. Combined, those companies list above recruit over 200 undergrads from Michigan annually. Other major companies recruit just as heavily.

  1. With 28,000 undergraduate students from all 50 states and 120 countries, Michigan is very diverse. Only 55% of them come from Michigan. Many students come from California, New York, Illinois, Texas, Asia and the EU/Mediterranean/Middle East regions. 15%-20% of undergraduate students join Greek live, and there are over 1,000 student organizations on campus, as well as several recreation centers and student hangouts.

There are always major sporting events (Basketball, Football and Hockey are always entertaining) on campus, and dignitaries/luminaries constantly visit Ann Arbor to give talks to students.

  1. Michigan's alumni network is one of the largest, most influential and most loyal. They flood campus for major events, donate hundreds of millions of dollars annually and hire Michigan graduates. According to a Time Magazine algorithm, Michigan's alumni body is the second most influential in the US, trailing only Harvard and tied at #2 with Columbia. Among its alumni/dropouts are roughly 20 billionaires (including Larry Page), 6-7 Fortune 500 CEOs, nobel laureates, etc...Michigan alumni are most prominent in Detroit, Chicago, New York City and the Bay Area.
  2. If you are into school spirit, you are not going to beat Michigan. Michigan students and alumni are rabid supporters of their university/alma matter. In fact, some find this quality of the University annoying! ;)
  3. Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan are interchangeable. You have great town and gown relations, and Ann Arbor is one of the nicest/quaintest college towns in the country. There are excellent dining options within walking distance from campus.
  4. Michigan is ideally located. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is only 20 miles away and will fly you non-stop to most major cities in the US and to several cities in Europe and Asia as well. Also, should you want to enjoy the amenities for a larger city, Detroit actually has much to offer.

WEAKNESSES:

  1. Large student body means having to elbow your way through large crowds at first, in terms of taking advantage of opportunities, getting help from faculty and making friends. It is no problem for aggressive students (there is enough for everybody), but quiet and shy students may find it a tad bit intimidating.
  1. Cold winters (similar to Chicago and slightly colder than Boston). Some people like snowy/cold winters, but for most, Michigan winters are considered a weakness.
  2. Financial aid for OOS students. If your parents are well off and you do not qualify for financial aid, Michigan is a bargain compared to peer institutions, most of which are private and cost $10-$15k/year more. Also, as tk21769 pointed out, Michigan's new FA policy for low income OOS families is also generous. But if you come from a middle income family, Michigan may be cost prohibitive.

I hope this helps. There is a permanent thread at the top of the Michigan forum called “Is Michigan weak in any way”. Go through it. There is a lot more detail there.

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i got deferred :frowning: