<p>I’m an international student, and I want to show my recognition of undergraduate life in America.</p>
<p>IMO, undergraduate education is not for professional learning in particular subjects, students have to make full use of the resources in the university, join as much activities and clubs, take as many classes as they can, to expand their horizons. It’s better to choose a relatively large university, because there, students can meet different kinds of people, have more chances to catch…By and large, living in a large community is better than living in a small one.</p>
<p>Concentrating in a particular major is graduate students’ business. In the four-year campus life, what we have to do in academic area is to find what is the most interesting one to us, and what suits us the most. The graduation years are the period for us to explore the subjects which we think our lives will depend on.</p>
<p>Is that what the situation really is in America? What’s your opinion about college life?
If you don’t mind, please share your opinions here!!</p>
<p>You’ll find many people who feel this way. You’ll also find many students who study pre-professional subjects, and advocates of both smaller and larger schools. As a college Dean of Students, I have a strong preference for smaller institutions and a broad range of subjects, augmented by as much involvement in campus activities and clubs as possible. That, in my opinion, is the best way to equip yourself for longterm career options in a rapidly changing world. But some students want to be, for example, accountants, so they’ll go to college, get a degree in accounting and use it to find an entry-level job. You’ll find participants on CC who support either approach.</p>
<p>Gadad, haha~ I bet it’s better to ask this questions few month ago… I didn’t applyed any small institution… pity.</p>
<p>Now I have got 5 offers, UMD, Purdue, Ohio State, UIUC, UMChi, which to choose?
My counselor(in my country) says it maybe UMChi, better ranking, better academic resources. But one of my relative in America says the economic condition and climate condition are not very well in Michigan.
My parents support UIUC for the last four, for its better ranking(39, on USNews)</p>
<p>But I prefer UMD, I always think I can dig something near D.C.</p>
<p>What’s your opinion?
Btw, I’m taking Business Major.(For some school I chose Economics)</p>
<p>I would not worry about the economic situation in Michigan. For one thing, it is greatly exaggerated. Michigan’s Economy, although not good is not bad either. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Many big companies such as GM, Ford, Kellogg’s, Whirlpool, Dow Chemical etc… are headquarted in the state and many of them are actually doing well at the moment. </p></li>
<li><p>Thanks to the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, the state is also experiencing a surge in smaller statup companies, particularly in the biotech and IT industries, and those are in turn starting to hire local talent and are contributing to the state economy. </p></li>
<li><p>Many major cities are located within very close proximity to Michigan’s campus, including Chicago, Cleveland and Indianapolis. </p></li>
<li><p>Michigan is almost as close to Chicago as the UIUC and as close to Cleveland as Ohio State. </p></li>
<li><p>Michigan is recognized and respected nationally. As such, major companies will recruit on campus from all over the US and employers will recognize and respect your CV if you apply directly to them. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Assuming cost is not an issue, I would go with Michigan. Academically, it is slightly stronger than UIUC and Ann Arbor is more ideally located and more pleasant than Urbana Champaign or College Park.</p>
<p>The University of Michigan also has a very large endowment to fall back on. It is one of the few schools in the entire country with a AAA financial rating. By the way, Illinois fell to 47th from 39th last year at USNWR rankings. </p>
<p>The weather is cold in the winter at both locations.</p>
<p>You also need to consider which university in the US is most likely to help you get a good job in your own country. Talk with people who hire recent graduates, and find out if they just want a US degree, or if it is important that the degree be from a certain university. Remember that when you finish your education, you will have to be prepared to get a job outside the US.</p>
Incorrect. Pre-professional fields made up 56.4% of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2008; if you add visual/performing arts, that percentage rises to 62.0%. Business and education degrees accounted for 1/3 of all bachelor’s degrees and are a dime a dozen.</p>
<p>
That depends on personal preference. Colleges range in size from very small (~100 students at Shimer) to very large (~58,000 at ASU), and as gadad noted, there are strong proponents for all of them. It is true, however, that most students attend reasonably large schools. The breakdown is as follows:</p>
<p>Only 8.96% of students attend colleges with fewer than 2500 students.</p>
<p>
Incorrect again. Most students do not attend graduate school. In 2009, 30.6% of 25-29 year olds had a bachelor’s degree; only 7.4% had a master’s degree or above.</p>
<p>Each year there are 2.5 times as many bachelor’s degrees as master’s degrees produced, 17 times as many bachelor’s degrees as first professional degrees produced, and 24.5 times as many bachelor’s degrees as doctorates produced.</p>
<p>The OP is an international student, so more than likely all public schools will be quite expensive. Michigan will be the most expensive most likely.</p>