Umich vs Georgetown

[Anonymous]

This has all been helpful.
Thank you.
It’s a tough call.
First choice was UVA - deferred.
Georgetown and Michigan are very different. That is part of the problem.
And we live in Arlington- very close to Georgetown - so in a sense it doesn’t feel like going away.

[Anonymous]

Michigan

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Plus, be prepared to freeze your a$$ off in Ann Arbor. It gets cold there - man.

It gets cold in New England too and yet people don't complain about attending schools there. If you dress properly, you'll be fine. People need to stop coddling their kids so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has all been helpful.
Thank you.
It’s a tough call.
First choice was UVA - deferred.
Georgetown and Michigan are very different. That is part of the problem.
And we live in Arlington- very close to Georgetown - so in a sense it doesn’t feel like going away.

Which major?

Has the kid visited high campuses?

[Anonymous]

^ both campuses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Choosing between an expensive party and an education....one will teach you what to think, the other will teach you how to think.

My husband went to grad school at Georgetown and lived with Georgetown undergrads. He was underwhelmed by the quality of his program but he had a scholarship so just kept his mouth shut to be grateful.

One weekend, he came back to his shared house to find the dining room table broken and collapsed in the middle of the room.

When we asked what happened, we were told that it collapsed during a round of body shots. (For those not in the know, this involves doing tequila shots then licking the rim salt and lime juice off a recumbent person's stomach.)

Later I went to Michigan for grad school. Had a great time and learned a ton. My kid is an undergrad now and most of his friends are OOS engineers. They do wild things like going out to dinner and having dessert parties with goodie bags I brought him from the Ann Arbor Trader Joe's. The engineers, in particular, seem to have great internship prospects and are doing fun extracurriculars like project teams.

So I really cannot decide from the PP's post what school PP thinks is an expensive party.

My family's conclusion was that Georgetown is overrated and the facilities are still lacking. It's prestigious because it attracts rich kids. The same is actually true of Michigan. There are a lot of 1% kids there based on reporting.

I've commented before about large classes. My kid has had plenty of small classes at Michigan. As well as auditorium classes. We never expected every class to be a high school sized class. Much of college is about your own engagement with the course material. Not about the room size. Some people prefer discussion classes, some prefer lectures. Science and math classes don't really require discussion. Whatever you might have gotten from a small class where you raise hands, you can get from office hours.

Michigan's not perfect and neither is Georgetown. They have very different characteristics so I think people can easily have a preference. I would not factor rankings into the decision at all. I think USNWR type rankings are meaningless for making life decisions.

Good luck all!

Good point re: class size at Michigan. Yes, I had lectures with 300 people, though there were always discussion classes as well with only 20 students. I also had a seminar with only 10 people. It was my favorite class from my time there. Michigan is what you make it. You can make it quite intimate if you want to do so.

[Anonymous]

Michigan would be the definite choice for us, but DC had really strong feelings about living outside the DMV for college and UM has the 1st or 2nd program for their field of study. Yeah, it's been cold, but it's also been oddly cold here. Good winter gear, planning a lot of activities with friends and the discounted Lyft rides have made it all manageable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has all been helpful.
Thank you.
It’s a tough call.
First choice was UVA - deferred.
Georgetown and Michigan are very different. That is part of the problem.
And we live in Arlington- very close to Georgetown - so in a sense it doesn’t feel like going away.

A PP. I went to undergrad 30 minutes from home. It was far enough. I also knew AU kids from Bethesda. Also far enough. It seems like you're not leaving home until classes start and you've made some friends and your world expands.

If your kid really wanted UVA, they probably wanted to stay regional after graduation. In that case, that would lean Georgetown for quick access to regional internships and jobs Also if your kid gets off the UVA list on the late side, it will be less emotional tear-up to convert the plan.

I'm guessing if this decision is hard, your kid is not an engineer or business major. Can you comment on the role of the major?

[Anonymous]

There may be benefits to going farther away — maturing a bit, etc. Not that anyone is immature, it’s just nice to learn that you can fix problems on your own when you have to. My child is interested in UMich but also UVA. Although UVA feels very close and familiar & I think she’d gain from trying distance. I would have said the opposite about my eldest; she needed to be 2 hours from home. Neither of mine wants to be as close to home as Georgetown would be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has all been helpful.
Thank you.
It’s a tough call.
First choice was UVA - deferred.
Georgetown and Michigan are very different. That is part of the problem.
And we live in Arlington- very close to Georgetown - so in a sense it doesn’t feel like going away.

Georgetown undergrad and UMich MBA alum here. Both are great schools!

I would make the decision based on the following:

1. Is ability to pay tuition going to be an issue?
2. Do you prefer an urban (Georgetown) or suburban (Ann Arbor) environment?
3. Do you want to go into a field that one school is known for being among the best at: government or international affairs (Georgetown), scientific research (Michigan), sustainability (Michigan), business (either, but Michigan has stronger direct career placement), law (either), performing arts (Michigan)?
4. Do you want a fraternity/sorority or sports dominated social scene (Michigan)?
5. Will you feel too anonymous at a large school, in which case, go Georgetown all the way?
6. Would you mind if you knew that appx 50% of your classmates came from private high schools (Georgetown)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having a freshman at a large state school (UVA) and knowing many freshman at Michigan I would choose Georgetown. It's been frustrating trying to get classes and my kid doesn't like being in classes of 100-500, kids interacting only with TAs, etc. The state schools give you the rah rah of sports but you're definitely a cog in a wheel. I'm realizing the benefit of going to a private school. My older kid is at a top20 private and their experience has been very different: small classes off the bat, relationships with professors are easy, etc.


That said, my kids had no interest in Georgetown as they grew up 5 miles from
the campus.

My DC attends a large state school and has never experienced what your kid has at UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you choose and why??

Never pay private school tuition to a public unless you have no other good options.
Georgetown is a great option.
Case closed.

I never understand this logic. Just because the state heavily subsidizes to make tuition low for their residents doesn’t mean the quality of education in a state school is not worth the price compared to a private school!

Have fun studying in a factory! If you do not know the difference, you are only outing yourself as someone who is unfamiliar with one or the other. But people actually familiar with both know there is a huge difference.

Do you know how truly stupid you sound?
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would you choose and why??

Never pay private school tuition to a public unless you have no other good options.
Georgetown is a great option.
Case closed.

I never understand this logic. Just because the state heavily subsidizes to make tuition low for their residents doesn’t mean the quality of education in a state school is not worth the price compared to a private school!

It’s the same people who pay $60k for Holton because they’re horrified by the idea of a public school like Whitman. They can’t imagine that anyone else doesn’t share their fears and prejudices.

You need analogy help. Would you pay 60k for Whitman?

Many people do. They just pay it in real estate costs and local taxes, rather than paying it directly to the school.

No, they don’t. Unless they are planning to lost 240k on their real estate investment…

[Anonymous]

Thank you.
Major is political science
Tuition not an issue.
Hasn’t visited Michigan