Hi, I’ve been having a really hard time deciding on what college I’m planning on attending next fall and while I understand I’m the only one that can make that decision, I was wondering if anyone had advice for my situation?
For context I got into the University of Michigan, but I also got a very good scholarship offer from Kalamazoo college which is a small liberal arts college. Michigan would be about $16K a year, while K college would be $6K. While my parents say they will be able to cover any costs as long as I work, I would feel bad for turning down a scholarship that substantial. I am planning on a pre-med track and I’m very interested in being a neuroscience major, but at K college I would have to do double major in chemistry as well (requirement of the scholarship). I like chemistry a lot so that would be fine with me and a lot of people double major easily at K college anyway. Wherever I go I would like to do research, preferably paid, and I worry that the opportunities would be too competitive at UMich for that.
I generally like both “vibes” of the colleges, but their pros and cons are very different when it comes to student body and resources they can provide. I usually like smaller colleges but I also got into the LSA residential college at Michigan and I’ve heard that makes it a lot easier to make friends and connect with professors that way. Also, Kalamazoo is a bit too close to home, but at the same time it definitely feels more in my comfort zone.
Very different schools and experiences so I expect one should stand out as being the better fit for you. This is a case where two reasonable people could make two different choices. If possible, I would try to revisit both schools.
Assuming both are comfortably affordable (no hardship, no or minimal debt) you have earned the right to choose where you want to spend the next four years.
Both schools should have an accepted students day coming up. The ones my son attended, he was able to meet professors and students in his major. IMO, that was the most valuable opportunity that the schools offered. You can also see if they have programs where you can shadow a student for a day, or even an overnight.
Pre-med is a tough track, especially since the U.S. has a shortage of med schools. First semester Biology is usually tough to weed out the undedicated. I have many friends (and doctors) who went to osteopathic schools and have been successful, so consider all potential options.
I think one practical question is whether you have a good plan in place for how to pay for med school, including in light of the new federal loan caps, and whether the approximately $40K difference in four-year cost could be important to making that plan work.
Otherwise, these are very different colleges but for sure neither is a bad choice. I agree if you can swing going to admitted students events, that could help provide some clarity.
Are you able to afford both schools without loans?
To be bluntly honest, and I don’t even go to Michigan, if you were to put the two options side by side at those price points, and polled 1000 students, 999 would pick Michigan.
The only reason I can see yourself pick Kalamazoo would be because of extreme financial barriers, the need to stay home etc. but that does not seem to be the case - in fact you even expressed a desire to move slightly further away
The schools are wholly different - one is tiny but neighbors W Michigan. The other is huge.
Have you looked at the K Plan? How do you feel about that vs. more rigid gen eds.
So if you go to K, you can be a student but if you go to Michigan, you need to work? How much would you need to make to cover what they can’t? That will take away from your studying, etc.
You are very accomplished to get into UM and to get such a great scholarship from K.
They are distinct enough it should be an easy choice. Go back, walk the campuses, stop kids on campus and chat, and check the surrounds.
If K gives your family less financial stress, that matters too.
LACs are obviously a niche product relative to large publics like Michigan. But back when I went to HS in the Detroit area, there were always a few people choosing LACs like Kalamazoo over Michigan. In fact my brother chose Albion over Michigan, although he went to Michigan eventually for grad and professional school.
I do think you need to consider how you will pay for medical school should that be in your future.
Both of your options are going to allow you to take the required courses for medical school applicants.
If both truly are affordable…and we are voting…I would vote for University of Michigan. This is a very well regarded school just about everywhere…and if you decide to not pursue your first major choices (as many do), there are tons and tons of other majors from which to choose. This is a top flagship research university. And you did get accepted to their LSA residential college…which is great.
Check out the research options at both schools. One of my kids was interested in a small LAC that offered undergrad research but when we looked at the research the professors were actually doing, it was pretty limited and not of interest to him. He was able to get a research slot as a freshman at a state university, however he had a major that was not straight bio.
The other questions has to do with med school admissions. Is it much harder from UM or from K college? How sure are you about medicine? How much would you have to work at UM and would that impact your ability to do research?
I think you need to talk to students at Michigan before you conclude that this is the case. And not all “research” is the same. You can get a spot on a research team where your job is data entry (a very important function in research- but not what most HS students are looking for when they want to cure cancer….) or a spot where your job is to log deliveries for the lab and cross-check with the university’s procurement team (again, a very important function). So a big university with a very robust research operation of all kinds- interdepartmental, lots of cross-functional teams, grants, etc. is likely to have more of what you are looking for.
Check it out before you decide what “too competitive” means.
This is a very specific observation, but it also helps with some kids that Kalamazoo shares the town of the same name with Western Michigan, and that the town of Kalamazoo is a lively college town as a result, with also reasonable proximity to both the Detroit area and Chicago.
Of course Ann Arbor is a great college town too, but this helps Kalamazoo fill a niche for kids who like a significant college town setting, but who also want their college itself to be smaller.
IMO you should consider what environment you feel you can best thrive in. The answer is not the same for everyone. My D wanted a LAC experience and she thrived in the smaller, more intimate environment. In contrast,my S felt that LACs were too small/confining. Truth is they were both right – each for their individual personality and preferences.
Kalamazoo is a good college. There are many people on this forum whose kids chose a college close to home but really didn’t see their kids that often. I live an hour awy from my son and see him maybe every six weeks.
If you think you will enjoy Kalamazoo, I say go for it and enjoy knowing that you will get an excellent education for a great price while saving your family a lot of money.
Edit: students at LACs get research opportunities. You can find reserach opportunities at other colelges too. My LAC child never researched at the college she attended, although she was offered the opportunity. It’s best to find professors whose work interests you and reach out to them. Kalamazoo likely offers grants to students who want to do research. Those grants will probably not just be tied to professors only at Kalamazoo. It is completely common for students at LACs to do research elsewhere if that is how it ends up working out.
Curious how that works IRL. In this case, it seems like Western Michigan is nearby and may be an option for research but the LAC my son was looking at was fairly isolated and did not mention the opportunity to do research elsewhere. Of course, there could be summer opportunities. Interesting point, however.
Just to give you a taste, here is what Kalamazoo says about research opportunities in Biology:
If you read through that, there are a lot of references to summer programs at many different institutions in many difference places–even the University of Michigan Medical School, in fact. They also explain how the Bio Department provides some summer fellowships to support Bio majors doing unpaid summer internships.
When my S24 was looking at LACs, this was all pretty typical. They are well aware a lot of kids want to do research as undergrads these days, and they are providing institutional support in various ways, including financially. Obviously the professors themselves don’t have grad students so need undergrads, but they do in fact try to widen the field for their kids during summers.
Kalamazoo may be the better option due, in large part, to your financial situation.
Kalamazoo does have programs to fund Kalamazoo students who do research during the summer at another institution or school.
Professor recs are important when seeking to do research elsewhere; as a freshman on a substantial scholarship at Kalamazoo, it might be easier to get meaningful recommendations from Kalamazoo professors as they will know you due to the chemistry specific scholarship award.
Nevertheless, Michigan is know & respected worldwide and you have a nice living situation in an LSA residential college. Beyond the $10,000 per year COA difference,you have two solid options.
I have heard from others that res college at UM is a real gem…I don’t have firsthand details, but it may be that a lot of the advantages of a small liberal arts school will be available to you (but not to every UM student) if you’re in res college. Socially and academically. Best of both worlds, maybe? But it’s a family decision whether that’s worth $40 over 4 years.
You will find research opportunities at UM. That is something I can tell you with much more certainty.
Colleges don’t have any control over where a student does research. A student can seek the opportunity, just as they seek jobs or internships. Sure, professors on campus might offer research positions, or might have a connection, or the college might have some kind of program. But a student still needs to apply. They need to pass muster.
In the instance of my child and many of her friends, some did indeed stay for the summer and do research, but others went far and wide. My D went to college in Maine and did summer research at a state flagship. She sought out labs and professors that were doing things relevant to her interests and contacted them. She applied for a grant for summer research (this is not difficult to do and is common at many colleges), she found accomodation as a subletter, she stayed all week and came home at weekends. I will add, she contacted several people until she found something that fit with what she was interested in.
One of her college friends did summer research at Brown. Her partner at the lab came from BYU. It’s truly not unusual at all. It is a big misconception that students at LACs can’t do research. In fact, because students at LACs often get to know professors really well from the start and vice versa, those profs can give great references and help students make great connections later on. In another example, my D’s first full time job post-grad came through because of a former student reaching out to professors at college. The professor knew my D well and told her about the opportunity. She got the job. Yes, this can also happen at universities. My point is that being at an LAC never hindered my D or her friends in doing what they wanted to do.