<p>Last time I went, it didn't take that long to get in to the Detroit Metro, Levonia would be what, 30 minutes tops.</p>
<p>If we HAVE to compare US News rankings, we should look at the whole picture. Here are the details for the two schools (Graduate ranking in parenthesis; NR=not ranked):</p>
<p>School............Mich ..... USC
Overall Engr..... 6(6) .... 31(7)</p>
<p>Aerospace....... 3(5) .... NR(17)
Biomedical....... 8(12) ... NR(24)
Chemical........ 10(12) ... NR(43)
Civil................ 8(8) ..... NR(26)
Computer......... 6(6) .... 19(15)
Electrical......... 5(6) ..... 16(13)
Environ............ 2(8) ..... NR(38)
Industrial......... 2(2) ..... NR(14)
Materials.......... 3(8) ..... NR(41)
Mechanical....... 3(4) ..... NR(23)
Nuclear............ 4(2) ..... NR(NR)
Petroleum......... -(NR) .... -(8)</p>
<p>I wouldn't put much faith on the US News ranking. As an engineer, I know that USC has an excellent engineering program.</p>
<p>Re: tsdad
Historically, Michigan engineering is on par with Berkeley and Stanford. (That was the sentence missing from my previous post.) But you can't say that about USC ... and it's definitely not better than Caltech.</p>
<p>I don't know much about USC's architecture program. It's not on any of the rankings I've seen. My wife (the architect), however, assures me that USC has a fine architecture program. And being in LA is a definite plus (that spells jobs). Michigan's architecture is ranked anywhere between #5 and #15. It is a 4+2 program and known for its strong technology training (e.g., structure, construction, environmental technology).</p>
<p>Jenni,
I think we are all giving you the same message ... You will get a good education at either school, both inside and outside the classroom. Look beyond the academics and choose the school you want to go to the most. There are distinct differences between the two ... Ann Arbor is a college town, while USC is in a big city, etc.</p>
<p>I am an engineering student in USC.
I hate it here. The quality of education in USC is just poor.
There are quite many engr profs who can't speak good English, and doesn't seem to care about the students but only their research project. Same thing is also true for the TA's.</p>
<p>Well you can't speak good English either ^</p>
<p>auscguy,</p>
<p>You seem to think that professors with stunted English is only a USC thing...</p>
<p>-kcirsch
Well, I don't teach classes
-UCLAri
We pay15k/semester</p>
<p>auscguy,</p>
<p>So do people at other big name privates. ;-)</p>
<p>If you go into any quantitative/mathematics-heavy major expecting professors to speak the Queen's English, then you're kidding yourself. </p>
<p>Really Jenni, you can't go wrong. Both schools, at least from the students I've encountered, have a reputation of producing students who are extremely proud of their alma mater (auscguy excepted). Michigan indeed is the finer program of the two, but USC's is not too far behind. Further, I don't know what the PR people at USC-Viterbi do but it seems like they're getting naming gifts left and right (three multimillion gifts in just the past year).</p>
<p>themegastud,
That's called school spirit. The USC alum here are very proud of their school too. That's what Jenni saw at the USC booth at the college fair.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I know that University of Michigan is not in Detroit, just like Boston College is not in Boston, both schools are less then ten miles from their respective city.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I know this has been addressed before, but can I just repeat: DEAD WRONG! Are you thinking of The Dearborn branch? That's essentially a separate institution. Ann Arbor is not less than 10 miles from Detroit. </p>
<p>It's also not considered a suburb of Detroit. HUD gives it its own MLA area. There's farmland between us and the closest true Detroit suburb (which I would say is Farmington or Livonia; maybe Dearborn).</p>
<p>Yahoo Maps says Detroit and Ann Arbor are 45 miles apart from downtown to downtown</p>
<p>That's still not close enough to say that Ann Arbor and detroit are the same, or that Ann Arbor is a suburb of Detroit. Like I said, there is a good half hour drive, if not more, between Detroit's Westernmost suburbs and Ann Arbor's Easternmost suburbs.</p>
<p>There is absolutely no overlap between AA and Detroit. They are like two different worlds. Actually if you go a few miles north or west of the Detroit city limits you are in a far different world. This is a really stupid discussion.</p>
<p>OK lets stop. </p>
<p>I think that we all agree that the OP could choose either and do just fine.</p>
<p>Ann Arbor and Detroit are separated by more than just miles (close to an hour drive apart); there are farm land, lakes, suburbs and quaint little towns between them.</p>
<p>However, the most important thing said about Michigan in this thread is the following by A2wolves6:
[quote]
Michigan football games are practically silent
Hockey games are 10x better!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That's because of Michigan Stadium's design. It is very open and noise escapes it. Also, one must realize that at $50/ticket, football games at Michigan do in fact attact a high brow crowd. That crowd it unlikely to get too drunk or behave too loudly. That does not mean the atmosphere is any less special or that the fans are any less loyal or proud. </p>
<p>But you are quite right about what lies between Detroit and Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>Bigtime college hockey is one of the great little known sports. Minny, Michigan, Wisconsin, Boston College and others have great followings but you never see it in the national sports press or TV. I hope some day it becomes an official Big 10 sport.</p>
<p>Silence has not been my experience. Basketball has a problem--Crisler arena is built in such a way that noise doesn't build like it does at MSU and other arenas. But the Big House? That's noisy. </p>
<p>I agree hockey has a very high-energy crowd and they're a lot of fun. But Michigan Stadium is plenty loud.</p>
<p>Alexandre,
I bet you haven't been to a tailgate party for a while. I was at the homecoming last year. Let me assure you the 'old' guys still know how to party. And they can certainly hold their drinks ... at the frat houses and at the tailgate.</p>
<p>The only reason why the hockey games seem more spirited is because Yost is an old arena with a capacity under 7000 ... and it traps the noises inside. Yeah college hockey is fun and we get some crazy fans.</p>
<p>I sat in the student's section and I sat at the alumni section. We don't do the wave any more, but there is no lack of noises or enthuisam from the alumni side of the stadium. And when 117,000 fans roar, it is like thunder...</p>
<p>All right, to steer the discussion back to the topic at hand...</p>
<p>My spouse is an architecture grad and he'd concur with GoBlue; it excels in the technical aspects. What disappointed him a bit, was that he found it less strong in the history/theory/artistry aspects. He always said "I can't tell you much about the history of the groined arch, but I can build the heck out of a retaining wall."</p>
<p>That's not meant to be as damning as it probably sounds. LOL</p>