<p>I have to choose between attending either the University of Michigan, Central Michigan University and Michigan State University. I have been accepted into all three. I would like to go into either engineering or finance or economics or possibly a double major or a major-minor in two of the subjects. I will be taking in 25 credits already, so I feel that a double major would be attainable. I would prefer to attend U of M, but funding is an issue for my family. My efc is 7720, so I am waiting to see if I receive any financial aid. I have received the Centralis Scholar award to CMU which covers 100 percent of your expenses, that is tuition, room and board and books (it's hard to turn down!). However, I really don't want to go to CMU as I live in Mt. Pleasant now. If anyone could help me compare these three schools and offer me some guidance as to where I should attend that would be great.</p>
<p>My ACT is 32, GPA 4.0 U/W, rank 1/300, good extra curriculars, white male.</p>
<p>Well, it's obvious that UMich is by FAR the strongest of the three. I would defintely put MSU out of the picture, considering it costs 14k, while UMich costs 18k, yet it has a much stronger engineering/finace/econ/basically everything. </p>
<p>Personally, I would suggest going to UMich if you get a good/decent FA package. However, if money is a extremely large concern, then I'd suggest CMU, as it costs nothing to go there. Keep in mind, CMU's academics aren't even comparable to UMich's academics. I believe CMU is a tier two or three school, while UMich is ranked 24th nationally (according to USNWR, and many scholars believe that UMich should be ranked even higher, around the level of schools like Northwestern, Cornell, etc.)</p>
<p>A free ride is hard to turn down, although I understand how much more appealing it would be if it didn't mean going to school in your hometown. If you go to CMU, wil you be in an honors program where you can take some classes with other highly-motivated students? Every college attracts some great, well-prepared, ambitious students, and it would be great to be able to connect with them readily. </p>
<p>As for money... every dollar counts if money is tight, but the difference between MSU and UM runs about $2600, not $4000 as suggested earlier. For what that is worth. The tuition & fee rates have less than $1000 difference. Room and Board is more expensive in Ann Arbor, however.</p>
<p>My suggestion is wait & see. That is- you should decide after you see actual UM’s aid package. If the real out of pocket expense (i.e. COA – Finaid) is less than 10K/year, I’d go to UM and incur 40K debt. Remember, you can knock down ~5K/yr by working during summer & school yr and reduce your total debt close to 20K, which is the national average for undergrads.</p>
<p>Sometimes, you gotta suck it up and go for what you really want. As evidenced by your great academic achievements, you are an exceptional student and I hate to see a star valedictorian student go to a lesser college because of money. Remember, UM is in a totally different level than CMU.</p>
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As for money... every dollar counts if money is tight, but the difference between MSU and UM runs about $2600, not $4000 as suggested earlier. For what that is worth. The tuition & fee rates have less than $1000 difference. Room and Board is more expensive in Ann Arbor, however.
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<p>I combined room + board with tution for both schools, thus coming out to a difference in about 4000 dollars total</p>
<p>Are you leaving out required fees? I get $8806 in tuition + fees from MSU's website, while U-M is $9723. Add $6094 room and board at MSU and $7808 at U-M. That puts U-M at $17531 and MSU and $14900.</p>
<p>I would Pick U Of M. I got in to MSU and mayby will attend there. but if i would choose between the two and the offers u got, I would lean towards U of M.
U of M: better in academics, however as for campus goes, its from what i hear very urban and little grassy areas.
MSU: has more of a traditional, historical looking campus. From what I hear. I visit in late March.</p>
<p>Both are good schools. They are both in the Public Ivy League. u can look at the list in wikipedia by searching Public Ivy League universitities.
If u want business, both schools are in the top 20. U of M is slightly better though.</p>
<p>^ Why are you assuming that MSU doesn't have good academics? UM and MSU are both big research universities. Don't knock down MSU, if you know nothing about the academics here. I used to think the same way about MSU, until I got here. UM is not better than MSU in every concentration. Listen to me, if you are deciding between UM and MSU, do not go solely by prestige or else you are missing out on a lot of opportunities here. </p>
<p>We have a very good Study Abroad program here, James Madison College (for poli sci majors), and Lyman Briggs (health profession). Also, a new arts and humanities residential college will be opening in the Fall of next year. </p>
<p>Please do not use Wiki as a source for your college search. Ask someone who has/is attended/ing the prospective school.</p>
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U of M: as for campus goes, its from what i hear very urban and little grassy areas.
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<p>I've got a small army of robust squirrels that say otherwise.</p>
<p>Seriously, you should visit if you get a chance (it wasn't clear to me if you were just planning to visit MSU). We don't have MSU's bucolic atmosphere, but we do have grass.</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong, in deference to my friends at MSU, I confess it's entirely possible that MSU squirrels could deliver a solid Spartan beatdown to any U-M squirrels. U-M squirrels are amazing in their bravery and general girth, but Spartan squirrels have a lot more territory to work with and probably a heck of a good nut supply with all those trees. And we have no black squirrels, which is a source of disappointment to me.</p>
<p>I'm just saying we're not all cement over here in little ol' Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>Is Michigan offering a scholarship of any type? I would say you would be doing yourself a disservice by going anywhere other than Michigan. You might want to look into scholarships at UM or other national scholarships as well as student loans, etc. After 5 or so years, you will probably have made more money, even after paying the student loan back then just going to CMU for free.</p>
<p>Michigan offered me a puny 1500 dollar regants scholarship. Is this all that I will get from Umich, how do I find out? If I haven't paid my deposit yet will they offer me a financial aid package. I filled out my fafsa and my efc was 7720. My act is 32 with 4.0 U/w gpa, lots of transfer credit from CMU(20-30 credits).</p>
<p>Hey, I'm from Michigan too, and am also looking into engineering, finance, and so on, but mostly engineering.</p>
<p>I asked my teachers on advice for the best schools in engineering and she who is a big Go To Central! and Go To State! fan, says that do NOT go to CMU for engineering. I guess their program is small and limited and doesn't offer many options. I can see how the full ride is enticing though, but I think college is only once in a lifetime thing.</p>
<p>Obviously the best is U of M, but State isn't a bad option either. I would wait until FA packages came out from each of them, and then compared. It might be best to go to U of M, according to rankings, but you wouldn't screw yourself over by going to State either, because they're pretty good in engineering and finance. </p>
<p>Overall, I don't think any choice is that bad, but good luck with the decision.</p>