There is a tendency on these boards to denigrate Wayne State. It is true that WSU has had its share of troubles over the past few years, but WSU Computer Science is rated by US New and World as third best in Michigan, behind UM and MSU. Also, recognize that Wayne’s departments are in a free fall and that many of their programs were quite a bit better regarded back in the 1980’s and earlier.
All of which does not matter . . . Right now, all things considered, if you want computer science go to UM Ann Arbor or MSU or Kettering. But remember, school is what you make of it. Not every graduate of UM is better than every graduate of WSU. The school may be better, but the school does not make the person. You need to ask questions about your ability to handle academic pressure at UM – most students there are content to make C’s and a few B’s. Understand what is meant by competitive – it means that you literally must compete with other students. Computer work is about cooperation and teamwork and there is no way to learn that if you are constantly looking over your shoulder at your fellow students as you compete with them for grades. I should add that UM is very popular among students from New York and the east coast, and there are a lot of out of state students there.
WSU might be better for your confidence, because it is a less competitive environment. Ultimately, you learn computer science, algorithms, coding, development practices and the like from doing it. So if at WSU you learn how to work with others, you might be a better professional developer coming out of WSU than UM. Remember that ultimately, all of these institutions teach the same things. If you want to get great at algorithms, get a book and a computer and practice with them. There is nothing special about a binary tree or a recursive quick sort that only UM grads know! WSU is a terrific school, but name recognition is just not strong outside of Detroit. I get that, and when you are investing in your education, the name brand recognition of your school is very important.
MSU is a good compromise. It has a good reputation and the ability to get you in the door at top tech companies. But it is less dog eat dog competitive than UM.