<p>I just don’t understand why you guys are so uptight about being ranked 25, that’s it. Considering the thousands of universities in the US, Michigan is undeniably a first tier school, and that is something to be proud of. The main things I am criticizing are the inherent drawbacks of being in a school of 30,000 undergrads. That said, however, I do feel that the admissions process at the top privates is more holistic and therefore more selective than that of Michigan, where a certain GPA and SAT/ACT almost ensure admission to the school.</p>
<p>Furthermore, I don’t understand why you compared the University of Michigan to Johns Hopkins. Personal attack? If all I cared about was rankings, I would’ve gone to the University of Chicago, where I was also accepted. I chose to go to Hopkins because I wanted a small student body, one-on-one attention and a school that boasted the best national programs in International Relations and Public Health Studies. I am also a very devoted pre-med and know that Hopkins offers opportunities and support for me to pursue a Medical Degree. Had I wanted to be an engineer (anything other than BME or ChemBE), I would’ve chosen Michigan, regardless of its 25 ranking.</p>
<p>So since I brought up the University of Chicago and I now have to reply to your personal atacks, lets talk about how it ranks. Consider for a moment that the University of Chicago tends to have lower stats than many of the top private universities, i.e. it admits many students with lower GPA/SAT who prove themselves promising in other qualitative ways. Yet you yourself admitted that the UChicago is academically superior to the University of Michigan. This is because of the admissions process, and this admissions process is similar to that of Hopkins. In fact, you might like to know that the University of Chicago founded its academic system on that of Johns Hopkins. You might also like to know that the three schools most well-known for their abnormally difficult and demanding cirriculums, and their grade deflation, are the University of Chicago, Cornell, and Johns Hopkins. Interesting you find one of those superior to U of M, but 2 of them inferior. Michigan does not and cannot look at applicants in a highly holistic manner, because of the sheer volume of applicants they have. They look at GPA, they look at ACT, and 90% of the admissions process is over.</p>
<p>Anyway, the fact is that Hopkins ranks on average at about 15. We are arguing that Michigan should/shouldn’t be in the top 10-15. So if you were trying to prove that Hopkins has little edge over Michigan, then logically you have shown that Michigan does not deserve to be ranked in the top 15.</p>
<p>Either way, however, this is pointless for me to argue. In all of your threads, Alexandre, I have never seen you admit to a weakness of the University of Michigan.</p>
<p>Also, having lived in 3 different countries myself, I can tell you that the majority of private schools are more well-known than U of M, UCB, UCLA, UVA, etc. Am I subsequently saying that U of M isn’t well know? Absolutely not. The difference between 10 and 25 in USNWR rankings is MINIMAL, and it’s ridiculous to complain about.</p>