Which college, Umich or UIllinois ?

[suffian]

I'm a senior in high school right now and I have to decide between going to University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. Right now I'm leaning toward UofI, but which would you chose? Anybody been to either university? (going for math and physics btw)

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Well Champaign is a leading technology school, but Michigan is a great big ten school. I wish I was in your position. Contact the advisors and professors, visit the schools.

 

[eNtRopY]

The University of Michigan is the leading school in traditional solid state electronics. They have one of the best educational clean rooms out of all the universities in the world, but as an undergraduate that probably wouldn't affect you at all.

I don't know about their physics or math undergraduate programs, but I do know that their Applied Physics graduate program is right up there with those of Columbia, Stanford and Cal-Tech.

eNtRopY

 

[damgo]

I've visted Ann Arbor a few times. If you're math/phys, go there -- it's significantly better than UIUC for those, IMO. Plus, Ann Arbor is a heckuva nicer place the Urbana-cornfield-Champagne.

 

[spacemanspiff]

are the two a huge different academically speaking?

I think the location is one of the big things.I hear much better things about UMich than UI in terms of the city it is located in.

 

[Mike H]

I am presuming you've visited both schools. At what school did you get the better vibes from? You're going to live there for four years (give or take) - I hope you're planning on enjoying those years. I presume you wish to have a social life and not just study all the time. Prestige of the program doesn't matter so much as an undergraduate as it does for graduate studies.

Both schools have honors programs (as I recall) where you can actually get a good educational experience if you so desire it. If you're plotting on doing graduate work, get some research experience with a faculty member or two so they can write you glowing letters of recommendation. When a professor at UIUC or UMich says "You're among the top five undergrads I've seen," that really says something as they've seen a whole lot of undergrads in their time there.

Personally, I'd head to UMich, but be warned, Ann Arbor is kind of yuppie-ish. But I'm rather used to that kind of environment.

o O (Now, if they'll only have a bunch of faculty openings in about 6 years when it's time for me to go onto the job market...)