Need Help on College Decision

Austin is a great place to spend 4 (or 5) years.

 

There's a pretty wide gulf between the two schools in the latest US News rankings. Michigan is 22, UT-Austin is 46. Could be worth noting.

 

Not to mention EXTREMELY biased.

 

Does cost factor in at all? Are you going to be footing the bill, are your parents, are you going to be applying for loans/grants?

 

Do you plan to make a living in Texas or Michigan?

 

while michigan is top notch for a public school, i assume there's still a pretty wide gulf between the hit your wallet will take as well.



i went to UT in engineering and am now in grad school here so obviously i have no complaints. great city, great school (10th or 11th in engineering, higher in ChE), great sports teams, fairly low cost. can't get much better than that. and if you need a tiebreaker, then go with the football head to head tally: UT 1, UM 0.

 

The kind of contacts that you will make in business school will be a great benefit to you are in the same state that you plan to work in. Texas is good ol boy country and T Sips are good ol boy alums.

My wife went to UT @ Austin. The alumni network is pretty fierce for business.

 

An excellent point. If you think your career would most likely evolve in Texas, then you should give that serious consideration. If you were going to one of the top private universities, like Harvard, for example, then you would build relationships around the country that would serve you for decades. Not that you couldn't have something similar develop from UT or Michigan, but to a far greater extent. Just a thought.

 

I'd pick UT then, without question.

If you wanted to live someplace else, then I'd go with Michigan.

If you're not sure, go with the cheaper option since it sounds like you're ok with living in Texas.

 

Young is 1 dimensional and Texas is losing out all kinds of recruits. Michigan has Henne and Hart, both freshman! And Henne is gonna be amazing. So go w Michigan. Seriously though it all depends on what you want to major in, money, yada yada... Its a decision you gotta make for yourself. Austin is the most amazing city in Texas though... This coming from an aggie...

 

Have you been to Ann Arbor?

I would take February in Austin over even March in Ann Arbor any day. The winter in the upper Midwest takes a lot of getting used to if you're not from here.

Also when I visited Ann Arbor I didn't find it to be a very interesting place compared to Austin and especially to Berkeley where I ended up going for Undergrad.

 

Then I suggest Texas Tech. The women there kick ass over Michigan's and Texas'

 

if weather is an issue, pick UT.....i think Michigan is the better school (i went to neither)...not a bad choice to have

 

It its women you're looking for I would recommend San Diego State. I've seen women in bikinis going to class there and anyway with all the women, beach and partying who cares about academic reputation.

 

i went to UT and did Mechanical Engineering and interned two summers at Ford Motor Company and they put us up in housing at UM in Ann Arbor. I have lived in both cities and they are both A LOT of fun. i dunno if this will help, but here are some notes on my experiences there.

Austin-best in texas, great school, tuition is not comparable to anything else for your education, football history, great city, 6th street, on campus events, College of Engineering is great, etc. i LOVED this place. if you've read on this board, lotsa others like/d it too. definitely wouldn't go wrong.

Ann Arbor-granted, i was only their in the summers, i could still see my breath in the mornings in june and that was just absurd to me. the campus is very spread out, more green than UT and lots of history and great sports teams as well. bars/clubs are on campus so that was a plus.

Ann Arbor seemed like a miniture Austin to me set in a quaint city. Drinking is legal in Ca-na-dia at age 19 so we went there a bunch over the summer for the non 21 yr olds to drink. it's a little more than an hour away and you have to go thru customs, but just have one DD and you're set.

i remember saying that if i grew up in Michigan, I def would've gone to UM (over Michigan State in the boonies) but that is b/c in state cost is important to me as my parents forked the bill.

there is also a lot of pride in the SE Michigan area and i found that to be similar with those of us from Texas so that was neat. of course, we have more to pride on though.

i also went to the Rose Bowl game a few mths ago and as you know, Texas won but the Michigan fans were all so nice to us regardless and kept saying "good game" and all.

Engineering and Business are exceptional at both universities and quite frankly, you won't go wrong with either. There is definitely plenty to do in both cities. Check both schools out! If you don't like the cold though, I would recommend Texas. Hook'em!!

good luck!!

 

I say Michigan. I went to neither, and the point about employment is very useful, for sure. But it is generally more applicable for grad students. If you go to Michigan undergrad, you should be able to find a job anywhere, assuming you put in the effort.

That said, assuming weather and cost aren't issues, I also think it is better to get perspective on life by experiencing different things. College will be an experience regardless, but college in Michigan, and life in Michigan, is likely a lot different than Texas. If you don't like it, you always have Texas to fall back to (as a state). But you may think its great.

 

man, there's no way in the world i'd leave Texas for Michigan.