Michigan State as a Dream School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH is from the state and while he went to UMich his siblings went to Michigan State. They have all been successful but the main difference is the siblings have stayed in the Midwest.

Michigan MBA here. Came from MoCo, remained after grad school.

Quality of life is probably better here than in DMV IF you have a stable job and you don't mind colder weather. For a person who is very mainstream, American suburbia is the same everywhere. If you live in Gaithersburg or Reston and never go to downtown DC, you might as well live here.

With 50% out of state and a way more global mindset, the University of Michigan produces more alumni who will disperse. But I know a bunch of international students who have gone to MSU and done quite well afterward. It's the locals who like to stay home.

MSU is easier to get into than Michigan but offers merit and perks to honors students that are more generous than Michigan. 2024 had peak Michigan admission for our high school. In 2025, MSU struck back and took most of the stars using big dollar scholarships. It definitely can be a fun place for mainstream kids. And most MC and UMC people are what I consider mainstream.

I work with and am friends with many MSU grads. These are people who are well-compensated professionals...engineers, MBAs, etc. There really isn't any difference between Michigan and MSU-educated people in the workforce.

Regarding Midwest culture, I think a good parallel would be Penn State minus the Philly, Jersey, and Metro NYC kids. But Midwest Nice is real. People are much more circumspect. It's not as okay to disagree with others or have a forceful display of intellect or disagreement. The norms are different here vs. other places I've lived.

My biggest issue with MSU is the chip on the shoulder that MSU kids have vs. Michigan. The sporting rivalry is obnoxious (although many people think such rivalries are really fun, I find that kind of banter eye-pokingly tedious). And there's no question that Michigan is harder to get into. So that creates ill will among in-state high school classmates...which hardens people's feelings about which school is snobby and which school is fun, etc. I actually think out-of-staters might not feel that very deeply.

I definitely recommend that DMV people take a look if they are traveling to the area on college tours. And I agree MSU fits in the competitive set with other large Midwest flagships. Why not check it out? They have a pretty well-organized honors college day where kids compete for scholarships onsite.

Go Green! versus Go Blue! That's the difference.

[Anonymous]

Michigan MBA here...blearrgh about the Go Green vs. Go Blue crap. That's exactly what I can't stand. My kids' elementary school had charity penny "war" coin collections with a jar for Michigan and a jar for MSU. [Most of our local (and very good) public school teachers are from MSU.] That kind of thing is endemic. At work, too! We have spiritwear days. That's how I know many of my good colleagues are from MSU. Because of spiritwear days at work. Gag.

To whoever doesn't recognize elements of Midwest culture and was raised in the Midwest...are there reasons you might not know? Maybe it's cause you were soaking in it. Maybe you lived in an ethnic enclave. Maybe you moved to Reston and it's similar. IDK.

This Quora post should help...

https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-stereotypes-about-people-from-the-Midwest-United-States-and-where-do-they-come-from

[Anonymous]

PP. I forgot the best tip I know about MSU (and heard it applies to Michigan as well but don't have personal experience). This tip I actually found out about on DCUM.

https://veterans.msu.edu/funding

"It's important to note that MSU extends in-state tuition to most of our military-connected students, including dependents. To learn more about that policy, visit our In-State Tuition page linked..."

[Anonymous]

I went there and had a great experience (20 years ago). It may be different now, but back then OOS was relatively rare. It’s a huge school, so there’s something for everyone, but I knew literally 100s of kids from my Detroit suburb.

[Anonymous]

A degree mill in the middle of nowhere with possibly the worst weather in the country during the academic year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A degree mill in the middle of nowhere with possibly the worst weather in the country during the academic year.

Ridiculous. Fall in Michigan is lovely. And it's a Top 100 University.

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/michigan-state-2290#:~:text=%2364%20in%20National%20Universities.,campus%20size%20is%205%2C192%20acres.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP. I forgot the best tip I know about MSU (and heard it applies to Michigan as well but don't have personal experience). This tip I actually found out about on DCUM.

https://veterans.msu.edu/funding

"It's important to note that MSU extends in-state tuition to most of our military-connected students, including dependents. To learn more about that policy, visit our In-State Tuition page linked..."

U Mich doesn’t offer this unless the service member lives or is stationed in Michigan. MSU’s policy is much more generous, in fact there’s nothing like it in the whole country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A degree mill in the middle of nowhere with possibly the worst weather in the country during the academic year.

It’s 10 minutes from the state capitol building. During my senior year I was working full time as a legislative aide while taking classes. I realize we are spoiled living in the DC area where this arrangement is also possible, but most kids don’t want to go to college in their own backyard.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Michigan, my family was up to their eyeballs in UM (like 4 generations, my parents met there). I ended up turning down UM admission to go elsewhere.

And MSU is a great school and anyone who judges someone negatively for going there is a a try hard. My friends who went there have done very well (some went on to go to UM for law and med school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree mill in the middle of nowhere with possibly the worst weather in the country during the academic year.

It’s 10 minutes from the state capitol building. During my senior year I was working full time as a legislative aide while taking classes. I realize we are spoiled living in the DC area where this arrangement is also possible, but most kids don’t want to go to college in their own backyard.

Who doesn't dream of working for backwater pols in a flyover state capital. lol

[Anonymous]

Except for a few wealthy suburbs, chasing prestige via your college choice is pretty rare in Michigan. Some of the smartest people I know didn’t even consider U of Mich-Ann Arbor. MSU, Western Mich, Wayne State, Grand Valley State etc are considered by many to be just fine.

—long time Michigan resident

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree mill in the middle of nowhere with possibly the worst weather in the country during the academic year.

It’s 10 minutes from the state capitol building. During my senior year I was working full time as a legislative aide while taking classes. I realize we are spoiled living in the DC area where this arrangement is also possible, but most kids don’t want to go to college in their own backyard.

Who doesn't dream of working for backwater pols in a flyover state capital. lol

Virginia is adjacent to Appalachia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree mill in the middle of nowhere with possibly the worst weather in the country during the academic year.

It’s 10 minutes from the state capitol building. During my senior year I was working full time as a legislative aide while taking classes. I realize we are spoiled living in the DC area where this arrangement is also possible, but most kids don’t want to go to college in their own backyard.

Who doesn't dream of working for backwater pols in a flyover state capital. lol

It was a stepping stone to a lucrative career in PR in Manhattan. The smug on you is thick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Southwestern Michigan. I think of Michigan State as where people who can't get in at U of M go. Assuming they are smart enough to not have to go to Northern MI or Eastern MI instead. Or WMU. Which is not that smart. Michigan State was for the high-average students who needed in-state tuition.

Hierarchy for people from Michigan: U of M, Mich State, WMU, then trailing way way behind are Northern (I knew one person who went there, they were lucky to get into a 4 yr, lol, and I knew one person who went to Eastern because they were into forensics/debate and Eastern had a program). Most people I knew went to U of M if smart, and if not Mich State. Or WMU. Many, many went there, because I lived in Southwestern MI, and that is where WMU is.

Average to good students with money went to the small private liberal arts schools like Hope (obviously religious), Alma, Kalamazoo, Calvin (very obviously religious), etc. Or out-of-state but nearby, like Univ of Wisconsin Madison or Purdue or something. Really good students with lots of money went to fancy places like U of Chicago or Oberlin.

Bottom line: Michigan State = average students. Highish side of average. But average. And it is very, very midwestern in culture.

Is Kzoo for average kids or above average? Any reason they pick Kzoo College over Western MI?

Well, K college is totally different from WMU. First, it's private and expensive. Second, K is just above 1k students, very small, whereas WMU is about about 13k undergrads and total enrollment of closer to 15k. Opposite kinds of college experience. As far as "average or above average" I'd say slightly above average for K, it has a very high grad/prof school acceptance rate and lots of kids who go there are going to be continuing their studies. WMU is average, or slightly below average.

So totally different. I'd say there are lots of students who pick WMU over K, but it's mainly for financial reasons. Or they just want a big state school and can't get in at U of M or Mich State. Or they are local and don't even know K exists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A degree mill in the middle of nowhere with possibly the worst weather in the country during the academic year.

It’s 10 minutes from the state capitol building. During my senior year I was working full time as a legislative aide while taking classes. I realize we are spoiled living in the DC area where this arrangement is also possible, but most kids don’t want to go to college in their own backyard.

Who doesn't dream of working for backwater pols in a flyover state capital. lol

It was a stepping stone to a lucrative career in PR in Manhattan. The smug on you is thick.

I have a friend who went from working for the Michigan legislature to a major DC lobbying firm.