drzhivago

My son is leaning towards CoE at U of Michigan (OOS) over Viterbi at USC. I have two minor concerns I am trying to overcome, any help greatly appreciated.

Academically, there is no question that Mich trumps USC. But ...

1) He attends a small school (graduating class size ~ 100) and might be lost at Mich.

2) He is a total city boy and I am not sure whether he will enjoy Ann Arbor.

He is very social, huge sports fan, etc. so both schools are a good fit for him.

rjkofnovi

You think USC has a few thousand students? It's not as large as Michigan, but still has about 34,000 students. That is a BIG school. Can't speak for the "city experience." Ann Arbor is not LA. Then again you can walk from one end of town to the other and not feel threatened at all. USC is not in the best neighborhood. I would be nervous walking anyplace outside the confines of campus. Academically, which is the most important part of attending a university, the CoE is overall among the top ten in the country. Not sure where you are from, but he can always take a train to Chicago or Detroit if he seeks a "big city" feel.

drzhivago

Rjkofnovi, you are right on all counts, particularly that the main purpose of college is the education. Thank you for your feedback.

Alexandre

If he will get lost at Michigan, he will get lost at USC. USC has over 33,000 students, so it is not that much smaller than Michigan.

However, if your son likes the big city, he may not like Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor is an awesome college town with a lot of things to do on and off campus, but it is not NYC or LA.

bsali5

If your son wants big city experience he can take Megabus from Ann Arbor to Chicago . It's a nonstop bus (except for food/bathroom stop on west side of state) that runs twice daily and my son has never had to pay more than $20. Sometimes the tickets are as cheap as a dollar, They are double decker buses clean and comfortable. He's had no bad experiences on them. Drops you off downtown Chicago by train station. It picks up in the middle of UofM's campus. Could go in on Saturday morning, reserve a hotel for that night thru Priceline, and go back Sunday. Check Megabus.com for further info

cpc

My D just committed to Mich CoE instead of USC Viterbi. She loved SC and likes the big city too, but we are from CA so she wanted to experience something different. SC has alot of students but the campus is much more compact than Mich, you can walk or bike ride from any point in 10 to 15 minutes. The size of Michigan (and the buses!) are just another part of the experience there I think. We were surprised that Ann Arbor had so many restaurants and shops, she even found some cute little boutiques. Your son can't go wrong with either school, our kids are lucky to have such great choices!

keefer

Ann Arbor will surprise you sometimes even after you've lived there for a while. There are lots of weird little shops and restaurants.

Alexandre

AMTRAK also has a station in downtown Ann Arbor and takes you straight to downtown Chicago in under 5 hours.

drzhivago

bsali5, Alexandre: Megabus and Amtrak sound like great options should he feel the need.

cpc: I totally agree that our kids are lucky to have these great options!

keefer: I am looking forward to exploring Ann Arbor during Orientation and Parents Weekend.

Alexandre

There is no doubt that Ann Arbor is special. I felt it from the moment I stepped on campus, the summer before I applied to university. Ann Arbor is the primary reason I chose Michigan. It is truly special...almost magical. There is a very unique intellectual and cosmopolitan vibe that is impossible to explain. You are in for a treat drzhivago...and so is your son.