College Comparison XVII: Geographic Diversity

[Keilexandra]

<p>FYI, Middlebury still doesn’t offer a Ling program. It is starting a ling minor in 2010.</p>

<p>I agree that UMich offers “the quintessential public college experience,” which is why I called it an “excellent public university.” Smaller classes and better counseling are, to me, much more important than D1 football (which is actual a personal drawback because I hate football). </p>

<p>dstark - I WANT to hear about UMich’s programs. I was just clearing up the misconception by other posters that I’m interested for my own sake; rather, I’m interested because I care about accurate information for its own sake.</p>

<p>Last admissions cycle, a TASPer turned down Stanford for UMich. Money was a factor, but so was fit. And I don’t demean or question his choice in the least. But I am interested in the “boring details.” (Alexandre–good point, I forgot about the small town. But intimate LAC, Michigan is not.)</p>

<p>

@Alexandre

Of the 13 main traditional academic disciplines (Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, English, Geology, History, Mathematics, Physics, Political Sciences, Psychology and Sociology), Michigan is ranked among the top 5 in the nation in 5 of the 13, among the top 10 in the nation in 7 of the 13 and among the top 15 in the nation in all 13 traditional discipline. Only a dozen or so universities can match Michigan all-around excellence. As an undergraduate student, you will be spending two years taking clases in a wide spectrum of subjects (most in those 13 departments) and then you will focus for two years on a specific major, again, probably in one of those 13 traditional disciplines.</p>

<p>Beyond those 13 fields, Michigan also tends to be among the elite in many other specialized programs. For example, its Business program is generally considered one of the top 5 at the undergraduatelevel, as are its Music and Nursing programs. Michigan’s College of Engineering, practically a separate university with its own campus, is generally ranked among the top 10 in the nation, as are its colleges of Architecture and Public Affairs and Policy. All of those programs offer undergrads very specific and customized programs. Like I said above, only a dozen or so universities can match Michigan, whether we are looking at a single department or the university as a whole.

This sort of detail is what I was looking for. Though may I ask where the various disciplinary rankings come from? LACs generally don’t show up on graduate school rankings, yet that obviously does not make them worse academically for the 13 traditional liberal arts disciplines.</p>

<p>How does UMich’s endowment per student compare to its peer schools, using the $12B practical endowment number?</p>

<p>I’m so glad that I pushed in asking for detail about UMich; the answers I’ve gotten are rarely given in any other discussions of Michigan.</p>