<p>Hi there!!</p>
<p>I already posted this in the "college choice and selection" section, but I wasn't sure if that was the right place so I'm posting this here too.. </p>
<p>I'm currently trying to decide between UofR and Umich... I'm totally torn and I would LOVE some insight!!
What are the pro/con of each school? If you are/were a student at either of the schools, what was your experience like?
I'm planning on going into neurology and I heard both schools have very good neurology programs.
I live in Rochester, so for me, distance is a huge pro for UofR... but at the same time I really loved the Michigan campus...</p>
<p>any advice or insight GREATLY APPRECIATED!! Thank you so muchhh! </p>
<p>You are talking about radically different experiences. Can’t speak much about the current undergrad life but I lived in Ann Arbor, went to law school there and almost my entire family passed through UofM.</p>
<p>You can see the city differences easily. Not much to say about that. Ann Arbor is a great college town, though I think it’s become somewhat more of a food court in places. </p>
<p>The school differences are just as large. Michigan undergrad is enormous. No matter what, you will feel like a number. It’s unavoidable. You will be anonymous unless you are a star NCAA Div 1 player - and then your existence will be arranged around your sport. Classes reflect a very large difference in ability, in student interest level, in student effort … much more than at a smaller place like UR, let alone a more academically focused place like UR. </p>
<p>Living arrangements tend to be very different. You are in a big dorm, quite possibly on N. Campus, which is not really in Ann Arbor. I don’t know the state of food in the dorms but the idea generally is to get into an apartment with some roommates (or a frat/sorority). For example, while in school I lived in an apartment nearer downtown, while my brothers lived in apartments on South U and on E. William closer to their classes. Apartment living is not the same kind of college experience, though it is of course comparable to living off campus at any school, UR included. </p>
<p>If you are a good enough student, you will do well at both schools. </p>
<p>Both schools are great. University of Michigan is more internationally known, so outside US there is more appreciation of Umich. If the amount of money you are paying for both is approximately the same, it’s simple you should choose university of michigan. I am not going to bother giving a list of reasons but the main reason that I am saying this is due to the prestige of university. Trust me, when you apply for jobs it really matters nowadays (I have an elder brother who works in the HR department for citibank and he tells me this)… But yet again you want to major in Neurology so I am assuming you are going to go into medical field later on, so unlike financial sectors your university brand doesn’t really matter. But yet again I would opt you to choose Umichigan. Congratulations for getting into both universities. I was also accepted into rochester however since I cannot afford it and I got into London School of economics I am going there. (: </p>
<p>I can’t emphasize enough what lergnom said about size. If you want to get to know your profs, if you want to feel like part of the department, if you want to feel valued, Rochester is the better bet. It is a HUGE difference.</p>
<p>Point of clarification—neurology is a medical specialty; neuroscience is scientific discipline/field of study.</p>
<p>If you are planning on pursuing neurology, you must first attend & graduate from medical school then spend an additional 4 years in a neurology [medical] residency program. If you want to further specialize, then you will need an additional 1-2 years of fellowship studies.</p>
<p>Neuroscience is a academic field of study that encompasses the brain, perception, cognition and some types of behavior. Most jobs in neuroscience require a PhD.</p>
<p>D2 recently graduated in neuroscience from UR and then went to UM in neuroscience/neuropsychiatry. I think she would say UM offers greater breadth of exposure to various neuroscience subfields than does UR. UR concentrates on a just a handful of neuro areas; UM does all of them. (The lack of exposure to the full range of subfields was one her biggest complains about UR’s program. She did several competitive summer science internship programs with top students from all over the US and found many of them had broader preparation than she did.) Undergrads at both schools can find opportunities to do research. (UM takes a bit more persistence to get a spot, but there were a number of undergrads in her UM research group.) </p>
<p>If you are looking at pursuing neurology (the medical specialty) rather than neuroscience, I would strongly suggest that you attend the school which will cost you the least since medical school is breath-taking expensive. (And attending UR will not give a bump for UR SOM admissions; attending UM for undergrad will only give you a bump for UM SOM admission if you’re MI instate.)</p>
<p>The difference in living/campus experience is the difference between a small private school and huge Big 10 public. I’ve attended both kinds of colleges and there are pluses to both. If you like big-time college sports-- UM is a no-brainer. Big 10 football, hockey, basketball are great fun! And the NHL takes over the UM football stadium for a series of outdoor exhibition games each winter. </p>
<p>Ann Arbor’s campustown has better dining out options and shopping than does Rochester’s, but the traffic in AA is terrible!</p>
<p>Aahh thank you so much everyone!! I really appreciate it.
I just found out that I got accepted into the Honors Program… so would that make my classroom experiences more like those of a smaller college (like U of R)? For example, would I get more personal attention from the professors?</p>
<p>One thing that got me concerned is that greek life at Umich is so huge that if you’re not in a sorority/fraternity you won’t really be involved in the university’s social life. I don’t think I will be joining a sorority, but would that affect my social life?</p>
<p>Also, does anyone know what the student body is like at either schools?
I got very different feelings from the people on the universitys’ facebook pages, but I don’t know how accurate they are. </p>
<p>Greek Life is less than 20% at Michigan. </p>
<p>The vast majority of undergrads aren’t Greek, so I would not consider that a factor. </p>
<p>Honors makes a small difference in your educational experience at UofM. </p>
<p>Michigan has better known grad schools - including of course the school of Naval Architecture (not kidding). They are what makes the school’s reputation. You should not expect much interaction with professors or opportunities for research, though of course some people work to make that happen. UR is much different for both, the former because of size and the latter because it is such a small research university with a lot of external funding. (To be complete, Michigan grad schools are among the biggest receivers of funding. Funding is not an issue, just access to opportunity as an undergrad.) </p>
<p>I can’t evaluate how you see yourself at either school. My own observations are that you have to make your own way at UofM, both academically and socially, to a much larger extent than at UR. That’s mostly a size function: it’s easy to be in different clubs with different people with different interests at UR.</p>
<p>Don’t underestimate the sports culture thing. It’s something you either hate or love. As disclosure, I loved it growing up there but grew to hate it over time as my “tribal” identity was replaced more by interactions with <bleep> football players. But lots of people absolutely love the rituals of big time college sports and there is something wonderful in walking to Michigan Stadium with a chill in the air and the leaves swirling past you as the band marches in with each section dancing to its part of the tune.</bleep></p>
<p>I think all the points have been laid out in various posts. </p>
<p>In my mind, I think of UofM in terms of in-state tuition and fees. I assume you’re paying out-of-state $$$. That’s a somewhat different calculation in my mind because I personally wouldn’t want to spend that much money for such a large school, but that’s just me and my feelings are also rooted in family.</p>