I’m an international student and just got off Wesleyan’s waitlist several days ago. I find it really difficult to decide between U-Michigan and Wesleyan University (intended major: Political Science/Government, probably double major in Economics or Statistics).
On the one hand, Michigan’s political science department is ranked 4th in the US. But it’s graduate school ranking and I’m afraid its undergraduate program is not that strong due to large number of students. Its faculty is great but I’m afraid professors will focus on their research and don’t care much about undergraduates. On the other hand, Wesleyan is a small private liberal arts college with 1:8 faculty-student ration and much more small classes. But I also fear this kind of school is too ‘elitism’ for an international student. I prefer Wesleyan due to its high-quality undergraduate education. (Although I like Wesleyan’s CSS major a lot, I probably can’t major in CSS since I’ll enter into Wesleyan as a sophomore and students need to apply for CSS at the second semester of their freshmen year.)
In the future, I’ll probably go to law school to pursue a JD or graduate school to purse a PhD in Political Science. I’m not sure whether a big public university or a tiny liberal arts college can make me better prepared for my future? Maybe being a undergraduate at Michigan makes it easier for me to get into Michigan Law School?
Maybe Wesleyan is more prestigious among YLS, HLS and NYU law school in New England?
For the tuition, I don’t have financial aid as an international students and Wesleyan’s cost of attendance is about 6000usd higher than Michigan’s annually.
I know it’s difficult to compare between a big public university and a small liberal arts college. But if possible, could anyone give some suggestions on how to chose?
Thank you so much!!!
It seems to me you have an easy decision here. Given that you expect to continue your education via a JD or PhD program it seems a waste to attend a large school like UMich for undergraduate when you are likely to find yourself in that type of environment as you pursue an advanced degree later. Moreover, remember that Wesleyan is going to give you a much more intense personal academic and intellectual experience than a large school like UMich. Every class and practically every student at Wes will be an academic superstar and be extremely politically active and interested… at a large state school like UMich you will be hard pressed to find such an intense experience and you will most likely be surrounded with greater political apathy and less consistent peer academic ability and students with greater interest in school sports, drinking and frat partying… albeit you will probably find a few more conservative voices at UMich…
@Regulus7 Thanks for your suggestions!! In terms of the party culture, Wesleyan seems more like a ‘party school’ than Michigan (according what I see on the Internet). In addition, I hear that there’re lots of hipsters in Wesleyan and I think it’s a little bit difficult for an international student to fit in this kind of culture?
If possible, could you please provide some cons of Wesleyan since it seems a tendency of deifying liberal arts college in my country. Thanks for your help!!
If you dislike hipsters then you won’t get along with hipsters;don’t think being international has anything to do with it. I’m international, visted during wesfest and had a good time. Although granted, I didn’t get much of an opportunity to party in highschool so I hope Wesleyan is the good party school it’s made out to be. But relatively speaking I don’t think it’s got any more of a reputation for partying than UMich which has a strong frat/sorority scene and therefore a strong party scene.
Regardless, I would vote for Wes as well. I figured that I’d only get one opportunity for a liberal arts college experience in my life which is why I picked wes over schools like Duke and Cornell. Large research unis will always be there for postgrad.
@RMCFRAUL7 UMich is a much bigger party school than Wesleyan. Umich is a great school academically, but they definitely have a work hard play hard mentaility. With good D1 athletics and Greek life, the social scene is heavily involved in tailgating and frat parties. If you want to experience this, UMich is definitely the way to go.
There is definitely decent parties at Wesleyan like at all schools, but it has been on decline with really weak Greek life and frats becoming co-ed.
The only cons I can think of aren’t really cons, just differences. Middletown is not your typical college town; it doesn’t revolve around Wesleyan the way Ann Arbor revolves around Michigan. The downtown area which Wesleyan encroaches is much more of a cross-section of America than Ann Arbor: a lot of blue collar families, some professionals, a lot of small business owners and a fair number of recent immigrants. I wish I could say there was more interaction between “town and gown”. as they say, but, the administration is making efforts. Along those same lines, I think because Wesleyan is so small that its different constituencies tend to stick together a little more. I don’t think there’s any special antagonism between groups, just that you will notice some athletes huddling here and some Black students huddling there in the dining hall. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the same thing probably happens at Michigan, but, it’s just a little more noticeable at Wesleyan, perhaps because there is so much diversity packed into such a small place.
@CrewDad wow, it seems Wesleyan is amazing in producing PhDs. Thanks for your information!
@Dontskipthemoose Thanks for your comparison and it seems Wesleyan is a better place to go!
@eridan2 Thanks for your suggestions! Are you Wesleyan’s freshman from China?
@circuitrider Thanks!! Personally, I think Middletown’s location is better than Ann Arbor since it’s only two hours’ drive from Boston and NYC. I hear that Wesleyan’s career service is not that good and maybe this location can get students more internship opportunities?
^Wesleyan’s career service center gets a poor rap from students who aren’t particularly interested in Wall Street even though a look at their end of the year reports reveal a variety of hires from different fields. The fact is, you can’t wait for internships to be handed to you on a plate. You have to follow up on leads on your own as well. I think being within two hours of New York and Boston does make it easier for alum to spend a day on campus recruiting and maybe for students to follow up letters of inquiry with a visit. The bottom line is, you have to try all sorts of things,
@RMCFRAUL7 I am from Australia and will begin my freshman year in August. I do want to become a US citizen someday though.
I just saw that Wesleyan is ranked high on Reefer Madness in Princeton Review and I’m quite worried about it as an international student from China. In addition, I think I’m a kind of nerdy student and I’m afraid it’s maybe difficult to fit in this quirky liberal arts school.
@eridan2 Nice to meet you!! I think almost all Chinese students have difficulty integrating into the Western style of party culture, especially for schools like Wesleyan which is featured by drugs and hipsters. Maybe I should turn to Wesleyan’s current Chinese students for advice 
@circuitrider Thanks for your suggestions! I hear that LAC will provide some funding for students doing internship during the summer vacation. Is that true?
@RMCFRAUL7 Don’t worry - you will fit in and find your niche. Wesleyan is very diverse and there are plenty of people who don’t do drugs. There are plenty of “nerds” - you’ll just need to seek them out!
@circuitrider Thanks for your information!
@smartalic34 Thanks for your advice!