Hi, I got accepted by Umich LSA and Wisconsin Madison. Both undeclared because everyone in LSA goes in undeclared and same for Wisconsin Madison. But I’m planning to major in computer science and I’m stuck between which college to choose. Any advice would be appreciated.
I’m out of state, so tuition fees for Wisconsin is so much cheaper than Michigan.
But I’ve heard that Michigan has a really good reputation as compared to wisconsin madison because it’s like one of the best public unis and considered a public ivy. I’ve also heard that umich has one of the best alumni networks and the school spirit is awesome. But above all, wisconsin madison is so so much cheaper!
How much debt would you incur at UM vs Wisconsin? I’ve seen some comments that your college debt shouldn’t be any larger than your expected starting salary.
Both schools are research powerhouses. Both schools have very strong faculty and a history of alumni achievement ost graduation.
Arguments for Michigan:
If you query LinkedIn, you’ll see that Michigan does very well in terms of placing people into computer science. It is also true that Michigan has a strong reputation for entrepreneurship and has placed a number of engineering graduates into C-level positions at compsci oriented entities to say nothing of those graduates who found companies. You’ll note that Michigan was an early pioneer in information theory (Claude Shannon) as well as in the development of the internet (Merit Network). Graduates such as Larry Page (Google), Dick Costolo (Twitter), Jim Buckmaster (Craig’s list) and Bill Joy (co-founder of Sun) represent Michigan well in the compsci space. Ann Arbor is home to the development effort for Internet2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet2). Michigan just completed (last 2 years or so) an entirely new building devoted to electrical engineering and computer science ( http://campusinfo.umich.edu/building-search/building/525/bob-and-betty-beyster-building ).
Arguments for Wisconsin:
Strong compsci and math. Buckets of research dollars. Per your OP: cheaper. Though budget cuts in Wisconsin may bump up your final price. Also, if you intend to go a graduate track, you need to determine which school will do better with graduate funding. Other than these few points, I don’t know Wisconsin well enough to opine, but cost may be your main driver.