would leaving Michigan be a bad idea?

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>I currently live in Michigan, and it seems that many respect the University of Michigan from across the nation. I never knew how exactly strong the university was until I came across forums of desperate people wanting to come here. To me, it does not stand out, probably because it's been my "state" school for my entire life. I plan to major in Aerospace Engineering, and of course UofM has a great program and obviously it would be cheaper to go here...</p>

<p>Would it be a bad idea to let go of this opportunity and possibly apply to a different school such as Stanford or Caltech? Right now, I am reviewing colleges mostly in California, in fact, all of them except the University of Colorado - Boulder. Does anybody have suggestions? Maybe, I just want to get out of my home state and be independent, of course I do. But do you think this is an immature and unnecessary viewpoint to believe in when I have such a prestigious school in my home state that also has a good program in what I want to major in?</p>

<p>I am a sophmore in a Detroit Metro high school, with a 3.9 and have not taken the ACT yet. I am not looking for my chance at schools like Caltech, Stanford, or UofM. That is a whole different idea. I just want to have an idea of where I'd like to go and apply, out of state or in state. </p>

<p>Thanks for your time.</p>

2

<p>Well, you should apply. Keep it as an option. Chances are you wont get into Stanford since it is such a tough school to get into, so try to open as many doors for yourself as you can and apply to a wide variety of schools. You will be let down if you only apply to extremely cometitive schools (go look at the Admissions forum right now, and see how many people didn’t get accepted anywhere because they only applied to really selective schools) or schools that are all similar. I applied to schools all over the country, east coast, California, midwest, big, small, competitive, safe. Try to cover a lot of ground, you will give yourself more choices. </p>

<p>Now back to your question, yes you should apply to Michigan.</p>

3

<p>Nothing wrong with aiming high at schools like Stanford and Caltech Kevin. If you can get in and can afford not to go into huge debt, than I would suggest you attend there. However, if your total cost is astronomical, then it is silly to go to a school that really isn’t ranked any higher in your chosenmajor than Michigan. The grass is not always greener elsewhere. Well then again, there is no green grass in Michigan in the winter. ;-)</p>

4

<p>It is always good to have options. Apply to schools and worry about making a decision when you know where you’ve been accepted.</p>

5

<p>Why would it be a bad idea? Stanford is amazing. It is one of the few schools that is actually better than Michigan. Caltech is not such a great place to get the overall undergraduate experience, but if it is a good fit, again, it is one of the few schools worth considering over Michigan . MIT and Princeton are also great. For those schools (and no others for Engineers), it would be worth leaving the state of Michigan, even at a slightly higher cost. There aren’t many other universities around the country worth leaving the state for. Harvard and Yale are obviously awesome, but their Engineering programs aren’t that good. The other Ivies and some private elites are not better than Michigan and are generally significantly more expensive, unless you come from a lower income or lower middle income home. </p>

<p>Of course, if your folks are well off and paying an extra $100,000 to attend Caltech, MIT, Princeton or Stanford would be not more than an insignificant burden to them, you can definitely go for it. </p>

<p>Also, if you come from a lower income or lower middle income home, those four schools listed above will all meet 100% of your demonstrated need and then some, so attending them shouldnot cost more than attending Michigan.</p>

<p>Where it gets tricky is for upper middle income families, where their financial situation will probably not qualify them for much (if any) financial aid but at the same time, where $100,000 extra on cost of attendance is a significant burden. </p>

<p>At any rate, you don’t need to worry about this for another year. For now, I will tell you this; do not take Michigan for granted. It is the one of the most well rounded universities on Earth. Very few school (fewer than a dozen) come close, regardless of what people say. Ann Arbor is special. Campus life and school spirit are unbeatable. The alumni network is ridiculously loyal, successful and influencial. Of course, the academics are hard to match, let alone beat. If you are going toleave the state, make sure it is for a school that is at least better than Michigan. That list is very short indeed. For Engineers, there are only 3-5 schools that make the list. Stanford and MIT are the definite ones. Cal is slightly better than Michigan in Engineering and overall, but probably not by enough of a margin to justify the added cost. Caltech is not better, but it is TOTALLY different and to those who like it, there is no substitute. Last but not least, Princeton. Michigan is slightly better in Engineering, but Princeton is slightly better overall…so if it fits better, again, go for it.</p>

6

<p>thank you for all of the informative replies! Many of you justified that I should at least apply to UofM, which I agree is a safe choice to make. My main question or point was if it would be worth it to go out of state for supposedly a higher ranked school. It is up for debate to me because I already know UofM is higkly ranked, especially in engineering. Yet, it is not number one overall or for Aerospace Engineering. </p>

<p>Would it make sense to leave such a highly ranked school for another school such as the ones Alexandre named that are equally or higher ranked than Michigan by a small margin? I believe I fall in upper middle income or middle class so the issue that Alexandre brought up about financial aid is an issue too, I might not receive any. Is the extra money to go elsewhere worth a couple jumps to number one on the lists of engineering and/or aerospace engineering?</p>