<p>Overal which is stronger? Which is more prestigious, more regarded?</p>
<p>Pros and Cons.</p>
<p>Posting on behalf of a friend. All thoughts welcomed.</p>
<p>Both great, but they are very different schools. U of M is huge with around 28,000 undergraduate students, versus Vanderbilt’s 6000. That difference alone makes for a very different atmosphere. For example, while Vanderbilt has 34 fraternities and sororites with 42% of undergrads participating, U of M has almost 70 fraternities and sororites with only 18% of the undergrads participating. U of M’s size means that it can offer a greater diversity of degree programs, but it also means that some classes will be much larger than similar classes offered at Vandy. Also, because of size, U of M certainly has a larger alumni base, but, because it’s a state school, those alumni are more likely to be in the Michigan area (about half the enrolled students are from Michigan). Vanderbilt attracts students from all over the country and all over the world, with only a slight skew toward admissions from the south (33% from the south, 37% from the middle and midwestern states, 17% from the southwest and west, 7% from New England, and 6% international). Michigan also has about 6% international. Michigan has great college sports–certainly better than Vandy’s. But, Vandy also has good football, basketball, and baseball, and students can go to the games for free. Both are prestigious. Where does your friend want to live in the long run? If it’s Michigan, I would definitely choose UM. Many other places would favor Vandy. Also, what does your friend want to study? Each school has strengths in certain programs. But for me, weather would be the deciding factor. Ann Arbor is a great college town (I lived there), but it’s really brutal in the winter. Nashville is a great, vibrant city with wonderful, temperate weather–it gives you a change of seasons without beating you down.</p>
<p>I personally feel that the time to ponder the question of which of these schools is more prestigious and a better fit for a student’s needs is after you gain admission to them both. Vanderbilt is a very difficult school re gaining admission. Your trajectory after you graduate from either U Mich or Vandy has a great deal to do with what you studied and with your personal work ethic. Michigan’s engineering tracks might be much broader ditto some of its IT or business tracks re specific longer options for undergrad work.</p>
<p>Cost is a major contrast. Vandy might be more expensive but it also might be more generous on a need calculation. One school might have more berths for international students needing aid than another.</p>
<p>Oh, my … these are two very different schools! I live in Michigan and am very familiar with UM, and my D graduated from Vanderbilt. She had NO interest in UM … in fact, all of her friends went there & she didn’t even bother to apply. She visited her friends there a few times, and she didn’t feel like she had missed out on anything. As far as academics go, Vandy is nice in that the classes are smaller, the profs more approachable, the classes one “needs” easier to schedule. None of this may matter to your friend, though - some people are fine anywhere, so they are more concerned with what will happen AFTER school. I would say that some of it depends on what the student wants to do. For business, Ross is pretty darn good. For pre-med, D has friends from both schools who got into good med schools. For music, I would give Vandy the edge. For engineering, Vandy is good but so is UM. For other majors, I don’t know. I like the fact that students can get to know their profs at Vandy, which does help when it comes to getting recommendations. And research positions as a student may be easier to get at Vandy — my D did a summer social science research project at Vandy, with a nice-sized stipend. Really, both are good …</p>
<p>“For music, I would give Vandy the edge. For engineering, Vandy is good but so is UM.”</p>
<p>Michigan is considered a conservatory level music program, among the very best in the country. For engineering it isn’t even close, with Michigan substantially better.</p>
<p>Overal academics: comparable but Umich slightly stronger.
Reputation/prestige: Comparable but Vandy slightly stronger.
Class strength: Vandy bests Umich by a long shot.</p>
<p>Vandy is going to be smaller and allow for more personal interaction with professors. Umichigan has the huge sports scene and is more liberal. </p>
<p>I agree with kelsmom as far as music is concerned there’s no where better to be than at Vandy and in Nashville, arguably the music capital of the country. I agree with rjk that Umich has stronger engineering than Vandy, though Vandy’s engineering is good too.</p>
<p>It’s a matter of preference more than anything else. Do you want a big school or a small school? Can you deal with cold weather? Private elite or top public?</p>
<p>Both are great universities with excellent reputations. It comes down to fit and feel. If you want a large, top state flagship and want to live in Ann Arbor go to UM. If you want a mid-size, top private university and want to live in Nashville go to Vandy. Visit both and you will see which best fits your needs. Go where you will be happy. Happy students make good students.</p>
<p>I would question jakey54’s statement that UMich has slightly stronger academics. On all the statistics Vanderbilt’s admissions are more selective: 37% admit rate at UM vs. 14% at VU; median ACT 28-32 at UM vs. 31-34 at VU, similar for SATs. (Stats from Collegeboard.org)</p>
<p>At a large state flagship your cohorts will be some of the best and brightest high school students from the state of Michigan, at Vanderbilt the students you interact with in class and socially will be some of the best and brightest kids from across the country–approximately 2/3 of the students at University of Michigan are from the state of Michigan while less than 1/5 of the students at Vanderbilt are from Tennessee.</p>
<p>Finally, consider the atmosphere on a campus where approx. 60% of the upperclassmen live off campus in contrast to a primarily residential campus like Vanderbilt has where almost 90% of the students live in campus housing.</p>
<p>There is no doubt that University of Michigan is an outstanding school (and an especially good deal if you live in state) but it is very different than Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>We live 45 minutes from Ann Arbor and my husband is a U Mich grad. I agree with other posters that both schools, while highly regarded, are extremely different. Our son is pre-med, and both U Mich and Vanderbilt are ranked in the top pre-med schools in the country. He knew he would receive a great education at either school, but he preferred the undergraduate focus, the sense of community, and the unique culture he found at Vanderbilt. He chose Vandy over the U Mich Honors Program, and his experience as a freshman this year has exceeded every expectation. He is very happy with his decision</p>