Anonymous wrote:

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!

this is helpful-decideing between gtech and michigan ..im trying to not push kid to umich for engineering-sounds like a more fun school, or to push to gtech as higher ranking/roi

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!

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown

Anonymous wrote:In state, choose Michigan. Out of state, Georgetown.

I wouldn't pay $80K per year for OOS, even for Michigan (which is an amazing state school, probably the best in the country), but that's a personal choice. I'd choose smaller classes over football, but I concede that the unifying force of football is cool.

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.

Anonymous wrote:

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!

lol - so passive aggressive.

Anonymous wrote:

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!

lol - so passive aggressive.

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!

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Not sure whether by “expensive party” you meant the football game in Ann Arbor or the $200-a-night Georgetown club scene PP described.

Case in point, an inaccurate assumption about everyone at UMich going to football games AND everyone at GU going to a 'club scene' at $200-a-night.

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.

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.

Not sure whether by “expensive party” you meant the football game in Ann Arbor or the $200-a-night Georgetown club scene PP described.

Anonymous wrote:Visited UMich in the late 90s and there was a KKK march on campus. These folks were in full costume. Hopefully things have changed since then.

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!

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.

I had firsthand experience with one of HYP, Cal (granted, not UMich), and another top 20 elite (ranked higher than GT), as an undergrad, grad and faculty, not in that order. If your kid is really good, then she would get so much out of a place like Cal (the faculty and Ph.D. students there are tippy top in the world), including personal mentoring from faculty. If your kid needs more hand-holding, then a top 20 (not HYPSM) elite private would work better!

Here I’ve left HYPSM out, but am comparing one similar to UMich to another similar to GT, even though the schools I had personal experience with were ranked higher than the two in question.