<p>I agree Hillstreet. There are, in my opinion, 8 or 9 universities in the World that are a notch above in terms of the "wow factor". Those are the Big 5 (Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Yale) in the US, Oxford and Cambridge in England and Sorbonne in France. The potential 9th is UC Berkeley. Other than those 8-9 universities, no other university has an advantage over Michigan in terms of overall recognition in academic and professional circles. Michigan is definitely one of the top 15 in the US and one of the top 25 in the World in terms of recognition and academic excellence.</p>
<p>LSE and U Chicago definitely give Berkeley a run for its money.</p>
<p>I don't think so. LSE and Chicago are in the same league as Michigan in terms of overall recognition, but not as highly regarded as Cal. In some circles, like among Economists, I agree that Chicago and LSE are very highly regarded, but in terms of overall recognition, Chicago and LSE are roughly the same as Michigan.</p>
<p>Really? Very interesting. I spoke thinking of the economics programs of both schools and the math program at Chicago; I don't know anything about the overall programs, so I'll assume that you're correct, Alexandre.</p>
<p>Regarding the original question; I suggest that you visit the campus. The party scene isn't that much bigger than other places (think MSU ...). Believe me, the people in your classes will be serious about their work, provided you're taking rigourous coursework. Right now I'm taking a math class at U of M and a psychology class at a local college, and I assure you that the respective peer bases are completely different.</p>
<p>Again, visit campuses if possible. I had a college interview a few weeks that digressed, and the alumnus urged me to visit each prospective insitution. His daughter received a full ride at U Mich, but visited campuses and fell in love with Notre Dame. It's better to go to the place that you think will be the best for you for four years.</p>