<p>So the May 1st deadline for decisions is just 2 days away, and I've managed to narrow my choices down to Washington University in St Louis and Michigan Ann Arbor. </p>
<p>Honestly, I could see myself in both places. I visited both campuses recently and I really liked both, so setting isn't a concern for me. Pay is also not a problem. </p>
<p>I'm looking to study Business and Engineering. I know at Wash it is quite easy to switch around and do whatever you want, and all of Michigan's programs are stellar in terms of their academics. When I was applying I wasn't really into either business or engineering, so I applied to LSA at Michigan. Ross Business would be more difficult to get in to, but from what I hear, Mich Engineering school can be easily transferred into from LSA.</p>
<p>So, I am just looking for a quick comparison of Washington and Michigan programs for my area of interest. </p>
<p>Thanks for any input! Greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>i got into both engineering too as a transfer and i choose wustl</p>
<p>I have a sibling at umich right now and I can honestly say that Michigan is the place to go if you want to do business. She’s at Ross and she had to choose between WUSTL and Michigan too. In the end, she talked to a professor from Washu who said that not a lot of businesses recruit at Wustl compared to Ross, which helped her with her decision. And businesses recruit at Ross like crazy because its such a great business school. Engineering at Michigan is amazing too, but its also good at WUSTL.</p>
<p>I think you should choose WashU.</p>
<p>@abc4625 Thanks for the reply. The only problem Michigan is that if you’re admitted into LSA or another school (like I am) there is no guarantee that you will be able to transfer into Ross. Its another whole application process and the acceptance rate is quite low.</p>
<p>Well if you don’t want to take the risk of not getting into Ross business school and are intent on studying business, especially with engineering, then you should choose WashU.
I have a friend from my region that is doing both engineering & business and is going to WUSTL, and one of the reasons is that double major is quite easy and flexible (though somewhat more difficult for two schools, but it can be done if your schedule is planned correctly). WashU’s business school, like you said, though is not likely to be renowned as Ross, and its engineering school may not be as strong as Michigan (I’m not familiar with Michigan). You should check whether Michigan allows the option of double majoring between business and engineering and whether it will work out for you.</p>
<p>You should also consider what type of school you want. WashU students are quite friendly and laidback, with a beautiful campus and very nice dorms and food. Your quality of life will be much higher at WashU compared to Michigan, and with a better undergrad experience due to smaller class sizes. All these should factor into your decision.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Hey, well I am also deciding between WashU and Michigan and I have some things to say. Keep in mind that I am looking for econ/business and feel free to comment. Quite frankly, you won’t have a problem getting into Ross. It’s acceptance rate is almost 50% and judging by the fact you got into WashU, you should have little problem. Second, yes washu may seem that it has a better quality of life but in reality it is what you make of it. You can find ANYONE at Michigan to hang out with and that will be great. Besides, college (undergrad) is about roughing it up a little bit and getting into the real world. Washu might be a bubble-which may or may not be good. Flexibility is alright though at both places for different reasons. At washu it is easy to do minors, but between school
majors at either school is very hard. At Michigan it will
consist of a dual degree while at WashU it will consist of just another major with less requirements. But hey, you’ll have a more solid education in the fields-no
one wants a mechanic who doesn’t know the basics!! I just feel that a big school offers EVERYTHING if you are persistent. In additon, the persistence you can show at Michigan is a lifelong skill that is not obtainable at a good, but hand holding, school like washu!</p>
<p>^ Just wanna clarify things. At WashU, you can do double major and/or dual degree. So, it gives you more flexibility. Michigan only allows dual degree.</p>
<p>Also, for undergrad in business I think WashU is a better choice. Unless you can get into Ross or willing to take the risk. Olin business school is still ranked in the top 15, and you’ll get more personalized attention. HOWEVER, if you’re planning to major in engineering… I would suggest go to Michigan. I’m a WashU student, but I think the gap is too big and you’ll better off going to Michigan. UNLESS you wanna do Biomedical Engineering.</p>
<p>One point of difference to help you consider where to go is to become familiar with their Career Services. Check out who recruits from Mich. and who recruits from WashU. Then look at their stats that explains the % of graduates getting a job in desired field within _____ months or years. Also, if you can find it, look to see what the graduates make ($$$) after college. Some schools love to tout their success, some schools like to collect and analyze the data, and some schools don’t track this. For reference, compare these schools to other (peer) colleges, like Northwestern or MIT or Wharton.</p>
<p>It’s not just what you want to study in the next four years, but what happens after college. </p>
<p>Two caveats: 1) these are just statistics and look at results of many students, not just one individual student 2) it’s always appealing to yearn for the highest reaches, but be reasonable. Where do you truthfully fit in in these numbers? It really comes down to “fit”.</p>
<p>About the fear of not getting into Ross- I know in past years the admittance rate to Ross was pretty low, but they’ve recently expanded their business school and have allowed more spots for students. I just looked up the acceptance rate, and its now 42%, which isn’t terrible. I guess if you decide to go there, work your hardest freshman year and hope for the best! But I do really believe its a great school. I once talked to a girl who graduated from Harvard last year and is now working at some consulting firm in Chicago, and she says that its amazing how many Michigan business school students are working there too, and that their business program is very well regarded.</p>
<p>On a side note, be prepared to work very very hard if you get in, because its a very difficult curriculum. I know in a recent survey by Business Week or Forbes, Ross students were ranked as one of the hardest working, even after Wharton.</p>
<p>I’m not going into engineering so I can’t say for sure, But my mom who was an engineer says that Michigan’s engineering department is much better then wash U’s. Good Luck with your decision</p>
<p>Are you in Honors at Michigan? If so, I think Michigan offers a lot more opportunities, just my opinion.</p>
<p>Also, the two campuses are so different. Ann Arbor is a real college town, while Wash U is a bit more isolated. Again, just depends what you’re looking for.</p>