Western Michigan or U of Michigan?

<p>I vote for:
Western Michigan
for EE+CS, it’s an in-demand enough job, where which school you go to will not matter much.</p>

<p>Liu, I am not sure I agree entirely with your statement. If the OP were considering two schools in the Bay area or in other region of the country with a large Technology sector nearby, I would agree with your logic. However, Michigan is not really known as a hub for EEs. Michigan, as a top 5 or 6 EE program in the nation, will attract most major Engineering firms (the vast majority of which are located in the West Coast) on campus. That is not the case with Western, which is more likely to attract almost entirely regional firms.</p>

<p>Here is a response from liu02bhs from another thread just posted today on whether he/she would attend Olin for engineering.</p>

<p>Today, 08:46 AM #2180<br>
liu02bhs
Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 456 Heck No!!! small engineering school that has no reputation, no thanks! </p>

<p>So I suppose you would attend Western Michigan over U-M because it, “will not matter much?” LOL</p>

<p>You guys are blatantly attacking another poster’s English writing skills over the internet. First of all, it’s the internet… very few people check thier posts for grammer issues so mistakes will appear. Second of all, for all we know, Coolbreeze could be an international student or someone who realizes that he/she has an weakness in English… idk, the whole barrage of attacks on his/her english writing skills seems extremely insensitive to me. </p>

<p>Back on topic… I would honestly choose U. Mich for many of the reasons other posters have outlined. In terms of reputation, it is not even close.</p>

<p>“Back on topic… I would honestly choose U. Mich for many of the reasons other posters have outlined. In terms of reputation, it is not even close.”</p>

<p>That is the point that most reasonable people made in this thread. The OP is aware of the differences in terms of reputation and prestige and is now making an informed decision.</p>

<p>“Coolbreeze could be an international student or someone who realizes that he/she has an weakness in English… idk, the whole barrage of attacks on his/her english writing skills seems extremely insensitive to me.”</p>

<p>He is not an international student. He is from the state of Michigan (Lansing area). </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/michigan-state-university/598978-pros-cons-michigan-state-university.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/michigan-state-university/598978-pros-cons-michigan-state-university.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/652780-ann-arbor-top-college-sports-town.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/652780-ann-arbor-top-college-sports-town.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/purdue-university-west-lafayette/730191-living-west-lafayette-indiana-attending-purdue-university.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/purdue-university-west-lafayette/730191-living-west-lafayette-indiana-attending-purdue-university.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Lastly, this is why we are annoyed by him – Michigan was clearly his top second choice. From his own words:

</a></p>

<p>It is obvious the U-M rejection disappointed Coolbrezze. Now, he has become extremely bitter toward the school. However, that doesn’t give him the right to trash the school and mislead other high school students.</p>

<p>

I applaud you for taking notice to the negative behavior of a few cc.</p>

<p>

I am not a international student nor have a weakness in English, as you’ve knowledgeably cited we are online and often grammer is not taken into consideration. </p>

<p>And to OP, I think staffronblue: good day.</p>

<p>

I recommend that you reread what you’ve written and make corrections when you post. I’d like to hear your positions, but when posts are near-unintelligible it can be unnecessarily difficult. I’m almost ready to stop trying altogether.</p>

<p>Just some friendly advice.</p>

<p>

The first question you should ask is if all (or most) of these companies recruit at WMU regularly. If not, how do you think you can land an internship or full-time employment from any of these companies?</p>

<p>Compare the recruiting opportunities at
WMU - [Western</a> Michigan University - Career Network](<a href=“http://www.wmich.edu/career/events/career_fairs.html]Western”>http://www.wmich.edu/career/events/career_fairs.html)
with those at
Michigan - <a href=“http://career.engin.umich.edu/annualReport/Annual_Report0809.pdfEngineeringCareerResourceCenterAnnualReport2008-2009[/url]”>http://career.engin.umich.edu/annualReport/Annual_Report0809.pdfEngineeringCareerResourceCenterAnnualReport2008-2009&lt;/a&gt; (pp 11-14)
and draw your own conclusions.</p>

<p>WMU’s engineering is not even ranked (outside the top 100). There is no comparison in terms of facilities and research opportunities.</p>

<p>

But the OP doesn’t just want to get a job. He wants to work for some of the best companies in his field.</p>

<p>

My English is great and although I do not put emphasis of my grammer online it’s also great and not near a point for you or anyone to feel you have the authority to speak negative about.
Seriously you either read my post or you don’t no ifs, ands, or buts, period.</p>

<p>I’m a graduate student at UofM, and don’t know much about other schools in Michigan, but from the little I have heard about Western Michigan, it’s been pretty negative. (I seem to hear negative things about Michigan State as well.) I believe the in-state tuition at UofM is super cheap too, at least compared to other publics like the UCs. UofM is one of the best overall universities in America (in terms of how many of its graduate programs are ranked in the top 10), and its undergrad is in the top 3 publics. Doesn’t seem like a hard choice to me, considering the cheap in-state tuition.</p>

<p>

Whoa, no need to take it personally. I was just trying to give you some advice that might help you communicate your ideas.</p>

<p>@topic: U Mich is obviously stronger from a recruitment angle, and provided that the financial strain is not too great it is the better option for your needs.</p>

<p>“My English is great and although I do not put emphasis of my grammer online it’s also great and not near a point for you or anyone to feel you have the authority to speak negative about.
Seriously you either read my post or you don’t no ifs, ands, or buts, period.”</p>

<p>Coolbrezze, there is no excuse. If you want people to understand you, improve your English writing skills.</p>

<p>“My English is great and although I do not put emphasis of my grammer online it’s also great and not near a point for you or anyone to feel you have the authority to speak negative about.
Seriously you either read my post or you don’t no ifs, ands, or buts, period.”</p>

<p>There is no need to sugarcoat it coolbrezze. Your English writing skills are simply atrocious. No ifs, ands, or buts. You are going to have your a*s handed to you on your first written exam in college. That I can sadly almost guarantee. Truly I cannot believe that you really think your writing is up to snuff. Read other posts on CC out loud and then read yours. If you cannot tell the difference, you are only fooling yourself. Sorry to be so blunt, but what’s true is true…</p>

<p>(This is mostly here to address misconceptions in this thread. SaffronBlue, I think you’re making the right decision.)</p>

<p>I graduated from a regional university in the Midwest with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. I’ve since mostly worked in the Information Technology industry. More recently, I relocated to New York City.</p>

<p>Advancing in the technology industry highly depends on what technologies you know and what skills you have. In particular, the specific technical skills in which you gain experience at your current job will be considered by potential employers for future jobs. The problem here is that graduating from WMU may well lead to getting your first job at some regional firm which doesn’t give you the experience you need to move your career forward. Because of not having good experience, the job you can get next is also some regional firm which doesn’t get you the experience you’re looking for. This can easily turn into a vicious circle where you never gain the background that top-tier technology employers are looking for.</p>

<p>Also, if you want to work in another part of the country or even want to leave the door open to the possibility of doing so, regional universities (e.g., WMU) are best avoided. It’s significantly harder to find work in a city when nobody has even heard of your university there and it has little to no alumni network there. You’re fortunate in that your state of residency has a flagship which has a truly national reputation.(*) It would be a bad move to let this advantage go to waste.</p>

<p>Coolbrezze’s example in post #13 is of limited relevance. There are always going to be people who fail despite favorable circumstances and people who succeed despite unfavorable circumstances. One data point can be, and often is, an outlier. What matters is overall tendencies in the aggregate. Also, Business schools tend to place their graduates locally, especially at the undergraduate level. It’s likely that someone who insists on finding work in other parts of the country will fail to do so. This is irrelevant to the OP, given that he plans to study EECS.</p>

<p>FWIW, during the several years I’ve lived in NYC, I’ve met large numbers of alumni of Ivy League universities and other top universities. I’ve met exactly one Western Michigan University graduate. This is an example of just how much more geographically mobile you are with a degree from a top university, e.g., Michigan, than with a degree from WMU.</p>

<p>(*) In many states, even the flagship doesn’t truly have a national reputation. In that case, deciding between the flagship and a directional school when $60K in cost savings are involved actually requires some thought. Either way, it’s going to be an uphill battle to find work in the city you hope to move to. In fact, saving $60K can help you reach that goal because it’s probably going to require moving to that city with no job lined up and paying the bills, possibly for many months, until you find work. But that’s not the case for the OP.</p>

<p>UMich all the way baby! WMU isn’t even a top 5 university in the state.</p>

<p>Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan appeal to different types of students for different reasons. Both programs will challenge you and offer you the opportunity to succeed. We graduate “job-ready” engineers who contribute to the industry from day one or who are quite capable of excelling in a graduate program. Our students get jobs, good jobs. I have had the privilege of meeting with many of our successful alums. They attribute their success to the hands-on education they received at Western.</p>

<p>If you haven’t been by our Parkview Campus, please do so prior to making your decision. Spend time with the faculty and experience first-hand what our program is about. When you do come by, stop in the Dean’s Office and say hello. We are a program that cares about your success.</p>

<p>– Dean of Engineering & Applied Sciences, WMU</p>

<p>

Your both ridiculous.

Ap English was excellent and so was my grade along with all my other previous English courses. Again you are ridiculous and suggest for you to make comments towards OP question instead of showing that you know nothing at all.</p>

<p>BroncoEngr thanks for your input on Western Michigan University perhaps this can help the OP.</p>

<p>I know that I’m not involved in this discussion at all, </p>

<p>But Coldbreeze… your writing skills… make me cringe. I think you have good points from time to time, but they’re overshadowed by the lack of coherency. </p>

<p>To comment on the OP, while I’m here, go to Michigan. Or, if it’s more financially doable, transfer into Michigan later. A degree from WMU makes you one of every other college graduate in the country (if you leave Michigan). A degree from Michigan is elite. </p>

<p>Plus, they call that place “waste-ern”. You can infer why.</p>