<p>Umich v. northwestern:… hmm, huge difference in size, particularly in size of classes (you can look up stats on this)… at NU, everybody is equally highly qualified and motivated, at Umich, there are some really exceptional kids, and some who arent quite as much, but got in because they’re in-state (theres the same phenomenom at all large state schools, i know a lot of idiots who got into cal and UCLA in-state, and wouldn’t stand a chance at NU…NU definitely has better location, although ann arbor is great college town, so is evanston, and Umich doesn’t have chicago in its backyard… Nationally, they’re definitely both prestigious, but some (dumb) people think of Umich jsut as a football and basketball school, whereas NU is known solely for its academics… but then again, teh excitement of having a winning team on campus can be cool. (the NU wildcats have never made the NCAA tournament, ever)… uhmm, there are a whole lot of other reasons, but i would definitely pick NU, unless uMich is cheaper for whatever reason</p>