<p>Thoughts on WashU vs. UMichigan - interested in science</p>
<p>My d has the same decision to make. One thing, Michigan is much more difficult to do a 2nd major across schools - can't start it until Sophomore year. So if you want to to do science/business or something like that, WashU makes it easier.</p>
<p>northeastmom makes an excellent point</p>
<p>My oldest S attends Wash U, and we just visited Michigan with my youngest S who decided not to apply due to size (although we REALLY liked downtown Ann Arbor a lot--such a great college town). Anyways my point is that both these schools have great reputations and can get you wherever you might want to go academically, but they're very different in size and atmosphere. So that's what I would choose on. Princeton Review says Wash U = 6,601 students, Michigan = 25,422 students.</p>
<p>Both of my daughters had to make the same decision. One chose Wash U, the other Michigan. Both were very happy. Only drawback to Wash U - due to the smaller student body there are a lot less course offerings. D sometimes found it hard to find courses she wanted to take. Also there is a more limited number of majors. You might want to get a course catalogue from both schools and think ahead for four years(esp. if your child changes majors).
Loved the Wash U. campus, though at some point you probably need a car there. Most kids have them. Michigan is a college town. Sports are not popular at all at Wash U. If your kid likes football games, etc. Michigan is the place to be.
I think Wash U nurtures more than Michigan. They do a lot for the freshman class, while at a school the size of Michigan they can't do as much.
We loved both schools. If you have more specific questions, PM me</p>
<p>thanks for the comments. really helpful. appreciate you sharing your experiences.</p>
<p>D also had to make a similar choice. She loved Michigan but chose WashU for the size and attention paid to undergraduates. Michigan is a graduate school powerhouse, but undergraduates don't recieve the same attention. Lots of classes are taught by TA's and even though there are so many courses, we have heard that it is often difficult to actually get into many of them because of the sheer number of kids. I've heard that things are much better though if you are in Michigan's honor program</p>
<p>In my D's experience WashU couldn't be more supportive and caring of the undergraduates. All undergraduate courses are taught by professors with the exception of the freshman writing seminar. Students get assigned a dean for all four years who truly help and guide them. Professors are accessible and there are lots of opportunities for undergrads to do research.</p>
Now that your kids have graduated Michigan and Wash U, what is your opinion on getting a job out of those colleges? I was told that a lot of people have not heard of Wash U so it’s much harder to get a job (that’s in the NE).
My older son is a senior at Wash U (majoring in history and accepted to some great law schools) and my younger son is a freshman at Michigan (in honors, majoring in biology). You cannot go wrong, both are great schools. My younger son was accepted at Wash U and we were initially surprised that he chose Michigan but he loves sports and wanted the Michigan atmosphere. My older son did not care about that. Even Wash U has very large science classes, almost all schools do. There is a lot of individual attention at Wash U and the facilities are fabulous. But I have not really felt that my younger son lacked attention at Michigan. He frequently goes to office hours and knows most of his professors. It can be annoying that people have not heard of Wash U, but I do think it is well known in the NE AND everyone who needs to know (other schools, employers) know that it is a great and very selective school. Lots of people also lump Michigan with all state schools so it isn’t that different. My son did not have a car at Wash U but went to lots of places on the free rail system. The honors program made Michigan a bit “smaller” for my Michigan son and that encourgaged him to go despite the size. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.
I disagree that Wash U has limits on what you can choose for a major. I believe they will allow you to design your own major if you want.
What about for engineering, specifically mechanical, but also having interest in liberal arts?
It is possible that Wash U is more flexible but I do not really now. At both Wash U and Michigan engineering is in a different school, so that may be limiting. But you will be able to take non-major courses in either case. One difference is that Wash U limits AP credits to 15, and there are special rules for each subject matter so you may not get all 15. Michigan does not have a limit I do not believe (my son got 23 AP credits). I still believe in going to college for 4 years, but AP credit does free you up at bit (can take fewer classes a semester, take a semester abroad without worrying about specific credits, etc.).