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My dad holds a couple of Master's degrees from Chicago (MPP and M.Div)...based on his description of what campus life was like, I never even considered UoC for either undergrad or law school. Granted that he got those degrees in the 80s, so things could have changed, but I'm given to understand that it's still more or less the same.
Meh, I say go ahead and put your thumb on the scale, especially if you are Michigan residents and are paying the tuition.
Both are very good schools but it's really up to him to make the best of it and take advantage of what the campus offers and how it fits his personality. Sort of like football recruiting...
BBA degrees are nice but grad school is what really counts. If your kid is Stephen Jobs or some brilliant talent, they should drop out in a year or two anyway.
My D is into watching Big10 sports, and social scene, studying various disciplines tand is totally happy at UM undergrad
My S wanted to play D3 sports, wanted a small school environment, STEM focused, and is tired of Michigan winters... so CalTech was the right place for him.
Congrats and good luck wherever he goes.
Your son sounds like he's good at everything
I guess my point was it's really up to the kid to recognize the school environment where they will thrive and the "right place" for two siblings who are both uniquely talented was two totally different schools.
UC would be the right place for many kids as would a Ross BBA. Without knowing the kid this is really a silly discussion.
Acceptance rates and famous alums don't mean much if a student isn't motivated/passionate about something at least by the time they are a upperclassman.
Don't completely underestimate the whole "big time sports program" thing.
The practical utility of a university education, both undergrad and grad, for most regular people is in the two or three years after you graduate. After that, it's all about where you worked last, and what you did there.
A decade into my career, nobody ever asked about my university education. Ever. It's not what mattered.
Paradoxically, what did matter about me being from UofM in the working world was the big time sports programs. That's what people talked about in interviews, and job networking, and so on.
This was a little bit of a surprise to me. I was not a Michigan sports fan and did not pick it for the sports and general big-time college environment. I was looking at other places like Wharton, Columbia, and Cornell. The practical "usefulness" of Michigan and it's big time sports programs to me personally was not something I anticipated.
I've posted this before: My Director's son played AAU ball with MAAR in Allentown. He told me that MAAR was coming to Michigan before it was public knowledge. After that, we bonded following MAAR, and following Michigan to two National Championships. This is a guy who would have never even talked to me otherwise. But he liked the Michigan sports connection. He could not have cared less about the MBA I had.
This kind of thing is not unique, it happened on numerous other occasions throughout my career. The MBA meant a lot in the first two years, after that the University itself and its international reputation and yes, the big time sports programs, are what mattered.
There is an actual tangible benefit to it in the working world.
"The Michigan Difference" is admittedly a marketing slogan, but there is actually some truth to it.
Michigan's academics are good enough to open doors for you at the beginning of your career, and its global reputation and the visibility of its big time sports programs are good enough to keep them open throughout your career.
Where I really wanted to go for my MBA was Wharton. And as good as Michigan is, Wharton would have likely opened more doors for me right out of school.
However . . . at this stage of my career, the day to day practical utility of Wharton to me would be almost nill. I don't live in the Phila area, I don't work in a bubble location/profession that is dripping with Ivy league grads, and nobody wants to hear you talk about your prestigious MBA from 20+ years ago, it's lame.
Conversely, the practical day to day utility of Michigan (not necessarily the MBA program per se) for me is constant.
I got calls and messages out of the blue from co-workers and bosses and friends when Michigan went on it's National Championship game run. Heck, even when we lose to Ohio State yet again and people call or message to bust my chops, it establishes a bond. It's a real thing.
This has been a pleasant surprise to me, It's not something I considered going in to the program.
Obviously you can't just go and chase a sports program. Alabama fans have a lot to bond over in the middle of their careers too . . . but their careers are behind the counter at Belk.
Michigan gives you the best of both worlds.
Even though it was archeology and not business, U of Chicago was good enough for Henry Jones Jr.
+1 for Chuck Bass username.
Nothing much else to add but fwiw my wife attended UChicago for a semester about 15 years ago and hated it. Ended up at Cornell and loved it. She didn't do business though.
Is he the kind of kid who is self-motivated, aggressively pursues opportunities and isn't afraid of putting himself forward? Or is he the kind of kid who needs some gentle coaxing and handholding to become that kind of adult?
This isn't a value judgement--kids are just wired differently, while some kids just need more time to develop their independence. But my questions encapsulate the difference between a high-quality education at a public university and a high-quality education at a private university. The right person thrives in a public university, where there is far less handholding, but the wrong person may need the extra attention and better quality advising you get at a private school--which, I should add, comes at a steep financial cost.
(So you don't think I'm just talking out of my ass, I'm an academic who has taught at both public and private universities.)
In addition to the handholding, is it wrong to think the lack of party culture at UofC is a really good thing for teen boys, who tend to be more susceptible to overindulge? It would seem that atmosphere would force boys to buckle down, or maybe it could backfire. I'd hate to nudge him away from the joy of football Saturdays and all the unique Ann Arbor experiences, but he could always take the Amtrak to visit UofM friends a few times a year, right?
Yes. Your son will most likely just get a fake ID (like every one of my peers who went to college in Chi) or go to bars where they don't check and go wild. It's college sadly.
Also, Ann Arbor >>> Hyde Park. I love Chicago, but living in Hyde Park is not ideal. If you live in the nicer parts of Chicago, the commute to campus is not fun.
UChicago feels like a better place for grad school. I think Michigan provides a more fun, stereotypical undergrad experience and Ross BBA is top notch.
Ah misread. This is only undergrad. Your son is not yet as smart as I gave him credit. But still choose the cheapest option as both are fantastic schools.
My oldest graduated from Ross last week, have a senior LS & A and and incoming U of M engineer so I am all in on Michigan
That being said your son should strongly consider U of C. If he is on the nerdy side who wants to be challenged with his academics U of C is the better choice. Michigan has more school spirit with a more vibrant social life.
The kids at Ross are smart but the classes tend to be survey style with a lot of check the box requirements. However Ross will get him a job. The placement and job focus is incredible.
My son is starting at a top Wall St firm this summer.
If that is his/your focus, Ross is fantastic.
Different choices, in the end both winning choices. It's college, find your crew and everywhere is great!
I'd go Ross. As an undergrad I'd avoid stuffiness at all costs. Because if you do a MBA its just gonna get worse.
Why change?
Where does your son see himself living and working postgrad (if he has looked that far ahead, some do and some don't). Chicago schools seem to have very active alumni networks so if he's looking to live and work in Chicago down the road, that could be a factor. I attended a graduate program at LUC and noticed that employment/networking opportunities were very concentrated in the Chicago area.
For the pure campus experience, the neighborhood around UofC isn't the greatest and people have had interesting comments on the social environment of the school.
Recent basketball tournaments suggest that if he wants to live in NYC, DC, or LA, he'll do just fine with a Michigan degree.
I'm pretty sure that the city of Chicago is well represented too.
I'm also a UofM dad, although not a Michigan resident, we looked at Chicago to see if it should be a consideration. Our son had no interest after seeing the dynamic up close, but similarly had no interest in any DIII institutions after visits to other notables such a Williams and Amherst. Our son is also a pre-admit to Ross which was his 1A or 1B to Brown which deferred him and then denied. In the end he was actualy torn w/ UVA , which had stood as his back-up if the Ross offer did not come through (post Early Action timeline). UVA felt more right in so many ways relative to Michigan due to it's size and relative homogeneity-- closer to his HS environment except stunningly beautiful. But for those same reasons Michigan felt like the bigger experience and bigger opportunity and the bigger regret to look back upon, if there could be any regrets. If it's simply status that you're after, Chicago certainly carries cache, but so does Michigan, which the stats for both schools indicate-- generally equivalent 50th percentile spreads on scores. And then the Ross stats are even higher with regard to scores and grades and selectivity. You'd likely find that the Ross BBA admission rate is even lower than Chicago's once you factor in the students who do not even get their applications read since Ross does not see those applications that are not admitted to LSA. (Also, note that Chicago possibly spends the most money of any school to attract applications. We rec'd so much mail from this school, which was well done, but wow. And applying to the school is also free--- another means to boost application #'s and to show a highly competitive acceptance rate. Michigan, by comparison, sent us nothing and charges for applications.) I know there is a lot of chatter here about MBA, etc., but the Dual Degree program is another scenario that interests our son and becomes another means to round-out any vocational aspects of the BBA. Besides, nearly half of their credits are based upon work outside of Ross, even without the dual degree.
Why did the OP erase the OP?
Why did the OP erase the OP?