Child struggling to decide UVA vs UMich

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child had this choice last year and chose UVA over Michigan. UVA is half the size and that appealed to her (large but not huge). Also, Michigan is a real PITA to get to from DC as there are very few flights to Detroit and they can be really expensive if you're not buying well in advance or if you're buying on a popular weekend. My child got off the waitlist for Michigan last year in May and we literally could not visit to tour that week (before the decision was due) for under $800/person. We looked at flights from all 3 DMV airports and even considered driving to Philly or Richmond or Newark to save money but there was nothing. In contrast, UVA is a $18 Amtrak ride away (and yet feels like a different world to my DC kid).

Personally I haven't felt like class sizes are an especially big concern. Apart from the intro comparative politics class (POLSCI 140) I took, which was around 150 people, all of my Political Science classes have been 30 people or less. I have found all the professors communicative and willing to get to know students, you just need to be willing to speak to them after class or during office hours. I feel like people on this site tend to over emphasize the size of Michigan. Yes it is a large school but you often end up seeing the same people on a frequent basis as you cluster by class and major interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re politics - UVA is unique in that it offers a PPL program (politics, policy & Law) which my son took. The smaller department means small seminars and closer relations with faculty = better LOR. The career center and faculty got him an internship each summer, the last being with a Senator. UVA has Larry Summer’s Center for Politics where my son worked. It has clubs to fit any political persuasion. If interested in debate, UVA has the longest running debate society in America. All of this plus very good LSAT and GPA got him into a T 4 law school if that’s of any future interest.

I hear what you are saying about costs but is it wise? U Mich OOS is $84,382 and UVA is $40m a year. Thats a delta of $44k+ a year x 4 = $180k. Much more if you don’t have $330k saved and will pay that in after-tax dollars. If you bank the difference and let it compound you can later pay for grad school or starter home.

Good luck. Two nice choices. Go to admitted students’ day at both.

Larry Sabato. You've got Epstein on the brain, which is scary.

[Anonymous]

Leave your backyard. That would be the reason to go to UMich!!

[Anonymous]

Delta has a huge hub in Detroit and there are numerous flights from DCA to DTW each day!

[Anonymous]

UMich for STEM, UVA for humanities and especially anything that benefits from the DC proximity.

[Anonymous]

Go to accepted student days talk to students, especially ones you know that may already be at one school or the other.

Fit matters so best to “try on” each to the greatest possible extent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UMich for STEM, UVA for humanities and especially anything that benefits from the DC proximity.

As an outsider with no tie to either, this is where my head went. I do think getting out of bubble is good for growth, but a political science major would change that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UMich for STEM, UVA for humanities and especially anything that benefits from the DC proximity.

Michigan is ranked higher overall than UVA in the humanities and social sciences too. Michigan has no academic weakness. It is a top 20 school after all.

[Anonymous]

“Michigan is a real PITA to get to from DC.”

Were you looking at the Ann Arbor regional airport timetable?

[Anonymous]

“My kid is also in to both, but we are OOS, and kid prefers Michigan.”

The vast majority of OOS students will prefer Michigan.

https://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Michigan+-+Ann+Arbor&with=University+of+Virginia

[Anonymous]

I know you say you don't want finances to be the decision maker, but . . . .

Paying OOS tuition in Michigan when you can pay in state for UVA seems crazy to me. Michigan is a really really big state school. It's a great state school, but from out of state, you get state-school services at private university prices.

What does your student think? Maybe the $200K would be better put towards a graduate degree, or half an apartment, or even to a charity important to you both.

I think the prestige difference btw the two places is marginal for undergrad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child had this choice last year and chose UVA over Michigan. UVA is half the size and that appealed to her (large but not huge). Also, Michigan is a real PITA to get to from DC as there are very few flights to Detroit and they can be really expensive if you're not buying well in advance or if you're buying on a popular weekend. My child got off the waitlist for Michigan last year in May and we literally could not visit to tour that week (before the decision was due) for under $800/person. We looked at flights from all 3 DMV airports and even considered driving to Philly or Richmond or Newark to save money but there was nothing. In contrast, UVA is a $18 Amtrak ride away (and yet feels like a different world to my DC kid).

Personally I haven't felt like class sizes are an especially big concern. Apart from the intro comparative politics class (POLSCI 140) I took, which was around 150 people, all of my Political Science classes have been 30 people or less. I have found all the professors communicative and willing to get to know students, you just need to be willing to speak to them after class or during office hours. I feel like people on this site tend to over emphasize the size of Michigan. Yes it is a large school but you often end up seeing the same people on a frequent basis as you cluster by class and major interests.

This x1000000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know you say you don't want finances to be the decision maker, but . . . .

Paying OOS tuition in Michigan when you can pay in state for UVA seems crazy to me. Michigan is a really really big state school. It's a great state school, but from out of state, you get state-school services at private university prices.

What does your student think? Maybe the $200K would be better put towards a graduate degree, or half an apartment, or even to a charity important to you both.

I think the prestige difference btw the two places is marginal for undergrad.

You could make the same arguments for attending a private university over instate UVA. Michigan is not your typical state school. Far from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child had this choice last year and chose UVA over Michigan. UVA is half the size and that appealed to her (large but not huge). Also, Michigan is a real PITA to get to from DC as there are very few flights to Detroit and they can be really expensive if you're not buying well in advance or if you're buying on a popular weekend. My child got off the waitlist for Michigan last year in May and we literally could not visit to tour that week (before the decision was due) for under $800/person. We looked at flights from all 3 DMV airports and even considered driving to Philly or Richmond or Newark to save money but there was nothing. In contrast, UVA is a $18 Amtrak ride away (and yet feels like a different world to my DC kid).

Personally I haven't felt like class sizes are an especially big concern. Apart from the intro comparative politics class (POLSCI 140) I took, which was around 150 people, all of my Political Science classes have been 30 people or less. I have found all the professors communicative and willing to get to know students, you just need to be willing to speak to them after class or during office hours. I feel like people on this site tend to over emphasize the size of Michigan. Yes it is a large school but you often end up seeing the same people on a frequent basis as you cluster by class and major interests.

This x1000000

+1

[Anonymous]

Even if the difference in tuition isn’t particularly meaningful to you, I would have a hard time paying $160k+ more all in for political science where there isn’t a meaningful difference.