michigan state vs. u of michigan

[cariblil]

i've lived on the west coast most my life. does anyone have anything positive or negative to say about one school over the other? i just bought my ticket to interview at u of michigan, and i just recieved michigan state's invite (but of course, the dates are different). before i got investing in changing my plane ticket or taking any sick days off, does anyone over there in michigan have some general positives/comments/drawbacks of one school/city or the other? Thanks!

(i'm only interested in clinical, not research...)

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[maestro1625]

i've lived on the west coast most my life. does anyone have anything positive or negative to say about one school over the other? i just bought my ticket to interview at u of michigan, and i just recieved michigan state's invite (but of course, the dates are different). before i got investing in changing my plane ticket or taking any sick days off, does anyone over there in michigan have some general positives/comments/drawbacks of one school/city or the other? Thanks!

(i'm only interested in clinical, not research...)

A young squad at MSU, but Hoyer seems consistent enough, and it's not like the Big Ten is full of superstar QBs this season. DiAntonio seems to know what he's doing, though you could have said the same thing about Smith coming from Louisville. Michigan's defense hasn't really proven itself against a proven offensive threat this season, and if Hart gets injured again, things could get really ugly on the offensive side. Both teams look like they're gunning for citrus this season, ironically.

 

[hereIcome]

I live in Michigan and can give you some of my opinions. I'm by no means an expert, but maybe it will help.

Michigan State is in Lansing, which is kind of a drab city as far as I'm concerned. But the school itself is fabulous, especially if you're more interested in primary care than in research. They have a lot of diverse programs you can choose from (medicine in the UP, leadership in underserved medicine, and studying in Grand Rapids to name a few). Because they are the only school in the country that isn't linked to a hospital, MSU sends you all over the place for years 3 and 4, which is good for clinical experience for sure. They are also ranked in the top twenty for primary care.

University of Michigan is in Ann Arbor, a wonderful city on lots of water. It's a pretty liberal city (a lot like Madison if you've ever been there), which I really like, and in general there are more cultural opportunities from what I've heard. The school is VERY research heavy (in the top ten), but also has some good primary care prep. They have the best hospital in the state, so a lot of state-of-the-art equipment and really great faculty.

So, in conclusion, I think both schools are worth interviewing at. Can you reschedule your MSU interview?

 

[maestro1625]

ok, real post.

Ann Arbor is basically a typical college town crawling with undergrads (which gets old after a while), though it has quite a few good bars/hangouts. East Lansing is basically just a suburb. The schools really aren't on the same plane though, especially since MSU has half it's class being guinea pigs right now for the new campus in Grand Rapids.

 

[scowdeva]

Ok well I am definitely qualified to answer this one. I have actually been a student at both campuses, so I dont have a real bias towards one or the other.

U of M is a very research heavy campus. The facilities are top notch, the instructors are amazing and at the top of their field. It is a great school, but as an undergrad it was cut-throat competitive (people sabotaged others' projects so they wouldnt pass the course....). I dont know how much of that carries over into the med school. The campus is pretty, much smaller than MSU's main campus, but nice. There are two nice libraries on the main campus, plus a designated medical library. Ann Arbor itself is (in my opinion) kind of a snobbish town....there are fun places to go and fun things to do, but they are pretty full of themselves in general. There are obviously exceptions to this, but the people on that campus are the reason I transferred out and over to MSU.

MSU is much more of a laid back vibe than U of M. It is very focused on producing clinicians, rather than academic physicians, and this is expressed in their teaching style and curriculum more so than at U of M. A con is that there is a lot of expansion going on right now with both the osteo and allo schools at MSU, so yes the students are in some ways guinea pigs. The teachers are great, the facilities not as nice as those you would find at U of M. East Lansing itself is much more of a community in my experience. It is a large town, I think the same size as Ann Arbor, and also a stone's throw away from the capital, Lansing. The people seem to be friendlier, still competitive but not anything that I would consider to be wrong. There was much more of a vibe of helping each other out than what I experienced at U of M.

These are kind of generalities I can make about the schools and areas. If you have any more questions, please feel free to PM me!

 

[div0t17]

The kind of vibe I get from U of M is actually a very laid back one, as far as the medical school is concerned. The undergrad situation is very different. The med students are a very close-knit group, closer than a lot of other schools I have seen. They are all very driven, but because of the way the school is run right now, everyone is very helpful (pass/fail). The curriculum is very good there, and you get a phenomenal education. While it is a top ten research school, the thing you want to look at is residency director's rating: 3. That's awesome. That means that the students they are producing are producing in their field of choice, whatever it may be. However, the fields that these students tend to shoot for are not the same as MSU, which tends to be primary care.

MSU is awesome as well. The facilities outside of Lansing are great, and the ones in EL are getting better with more money being pumped into it. The feel of the student at MSU is a bit different, especially because, apparently, you don't feel as driven to do as well as you can, stemming from the classroom situation. The MD and DO students take classes together, learn the same material, tested the same, but are graded differently. From what I hear, that gets a little annoying after a while, and kind of deflates you a bit. You have to be mentally strong to get through there. Then, as mentioned above, you may be in EL for 1 or 2 years, then go off to one of six places for 3 or 4 (or 2). It's a unique situation that can be very beneficial. They are two different feelings all around between the two campuses, and you can find whatever you're looking for in whatever school you want. Generally, though, Michigan will accept you before State does, just based on the fact that you are from the West Coast. State likes Michiganders, while U of M likes a very diverse class of very diverse experiences, and many of their students come from the West.

 

[cariblil]

i hate that its too early in the game to be picky. i'm going to try and swing both. coming from the bay area, i have grown very accustomed and love the diversity!

does anyone know if there is a site to see how well grads of certain med schools do on securing residencies? is this in the MSAR?

 

[dontwakeme]

There are two nice libraries on the main campus, plus a designated medical library.

Hey, don't forget Kresge. I'm not even studying business but I definitely study there often. Really nice atmosphere, plus an awesome cafeteria.

But, there's nothin like the ugli during finals week...can't even find a seat.

 

[div0t17]

lots of schools post their lists and quoted percentages.

 

[Nasem]

One thing to consider is this...
U of Mich is ranked I think 6th or 8th MD school in the country (that says alot), plus its ALWAYS ranked top 10 in pretty much anything, engineering, bussiness, medicine, dentistry, I think even law is ranked pretty high.....
I'll say something about thier graduates though, I met a few engineers / computer science students who graduated from there, smart kids, had high GPAs and all that, but terrible people skills. I am not trying to say anything rude about anyone here, but pretty much every U of Mich graduate I worked with was a d!ck.... Maybe its the competitiveness of thier undergrad program, hopefully thier MD school isn't like this

MSU on the other hand, just more of a lower tier school, but the med students I talked to sometimes seem to love it... they have nothing but nice things to say about MSU CHM or COM. Also, thier COM is ranked #2 (I think the number was 80%) in primary care placements, some people don't care much about this, but hey, its a stat.

As far as locations go, the 2 schools are approx 45 minutes away from each other, so typically, they both have "michigan's famous weather"

 

[TheRealMD]

In terms of areas to live in, I'd heavily prefer Ann Arbor over Lansing. I've visited both (for undergrad reasons) and think that the college town atmosphere definitely means that you have a good place to relax when you need a break.

 

[Dr.Pdizzle]

MSU has hotter chicks and a better basketball team. U of M has free keg parties and a nicer college town. Both student populous are marijuana friendly. That is the extent of my research. The end. 👍

 

[maestro1625]

yeah, I forgot about the fact that you're sent all over the state for rotations at MSU. As fun as it would be to commute to Flint every day, it's kind of a strike against MSU.

 

[maestro1625]

Ok well I am definitely qualified to answer this one. I have actually been a student at both campuses, so I dont have a real bias towards one or the other.

U of M is a very research heavy campus. The facilities are top notch, the instructors are amazing and at the top of their field. It is a great school, but as an undergrad it was cut-throat competitive (people sabotaged others' projects so they wouldnt pass the course....). I dont know how much of that carries over into the med school. The campus is pretty, much smaller than MSU's main campus, but nice. There are two nice libraries on the main campus, plus a designated medical library. Ann Arbor itself is (in my opinion) kind of a snobbish town....there are fun places to go and fun things to do, but they are pretty full of themselves in general. There are obviously exceptions to this, but the people on that campus are the reason I transferred out and over to MSU.

MSU is much more of a laid back vibe than U of M. It is very focused on producing clinicians, rather than academic physicians, and this is expressed in their teaching style and curriculum more so than at U of M. A con is that there is a lot of expansion going on right now with both the osteo and allo schools at MSU, so yes the students are in some ways guinea pigs. The teachers are great, the facilities not as nice as those you would find at U of M. East Lansing itself is much more of a community in my experience. It is a large town, I think the same size as Ann Arbor, and also a stone's throw away from the capital, Lansing. The people seem to be friendlier, still competitive but not anything that I would consider to be wrong. There was much more of a vibe of helping each other out than what I experienced at U of M.

These are kind of generalities I can make about the schools and areas. If you have any more questions, please feel free to PM me!

I assume you went to Carman?

 

[Krazykyle]

Ok. I live in Ann Arbor but am an MSU student who has lived here for four years.

1st... MSU is NOT in Lansing. It is in East Lansing which actually has quite the college town feel and is completely safe. Lansing itself (downtown) is still about 5-6 miles down the road.

As for attitudes. I find MSU students to be much more friendly and less competitive while UofM students are the driven, successful type (generalization) obviously. Fact is Ann Arbor does have quite a snobbish liberal feel, it may stem from the UofM administration who believes the school is "better" than all other public schools (which may be the case)

As for the medical schools. U of M is top flight no compare there. MSU is primary care focused and does not have the reputations, facilities, staff, money that U of M has. For all intents and purposes U of M is the better school.

But be forewarned you will be competing cutthroat with a large proportion of socially inept kids.

and quick fact.... U of M has no attractive girls. I have been down there to hang out and going from MSU to U of M is sad sad sad on that front. Academically U of M has no compare (outside of privates)

 

[scowdeva]

I assume you went to Carman?

Haha, I live in the Carman district, but I went to Creek....guessing youre a local too, huh?

 

[scowdeva]

Ok. I live in Ann Arbor but am an MSU student who has lived here for four years.

1st... MSU is NOT in Lansing. It is in East Lansing which actually has quite the college town feel and is completely safe. Lansing itself (downtown) is still about 5-6 miles down the road.

As for attitudes. I find MSU students to be much more friendly and less competitive while UofM students are the driven, successful type (generalization) obviously. Fact is Ann Arbor does have quite a snobbish liberal feel, it may stem from the UofM administration who believes the school is "better" than all other public schools (which may be the case)

As for the medical schools. U of M is top flight no compare there. MSU is primary care focused and does not have the reputations, facilities, staff, money that U of M has. For all intents and purposes U of M is the better school.

But be forewarned you will be competing cutthroat with a large proportion of socially inept kids.

and quick fact.... U of M has no attractive girls. I have been down there to hang out and going from MSU to U of M is sad sad sad on that front. Academically U of M has no compare (outside of privates)

The hot girl thing is totally true!! U of M has some serious uggos, while MSU has by far the better scenery. Now guys (more my forte) seem to be the same at both. Sigh...

 

[Nasem]

yeah, I forgot about the fact that you're sent all over the state for rotations at MSU. As fun as it would be to commute to Flint every day, it's kind of a strike against MSU.

they only sent it all over the state... not all over the country?
I'd be OK with driving around here and there, but flying to other states is more of a hastle I think

 

[ellaB]

def ann arbor over EL. better food, a ton of research opportunities, nice campus...plus i hear the MSU med school building is haunted??

 

[154465]

If I remember correctly the match list at MSU is damn good. Quite a few kids matching into pretty competitive programs. I can't seem to find it again though...

 

[Abilene85]

Ann Arbor itself is (in my opinion) kind of a snobbish town....there are fun places to go and fun things to do, but they are pretty full of themselves in general.

I am not trying to say anything rude about anyone here, but pretty much every U of Mich graduate I worked with was a d!ck....

Fact is Ann Arbor does have quite a snobbish liberal feel, it may stem from the UofM administration who believes the school is "better" than all other public schools (which may be the case)

I'm not alone in this world!! I love Ann Arbor's cute little college town feel, but the people always tend to turn me off - quite a few in the school and quite a few in the community. Not everyone, but enough to notice the attitudes. I thought it was just a result of being from Ohio.

 

[maestro1625]

Haha, I live in the Carman district, but I went to Creek....guessing youre a local too, huh?

not anymore... thank god.

/go chargers.

 

[Darktide]

Big Warning: I'm a recluse. I spend 4 hrs/day boxing/fighting, and any time I'm not in class I'm in my apt studying or working... I came from a Community College, so I'm used to working class individuals (which there are VERY few of at Umich). So take my evaluation of Umich with a grain of salt =)

Umich is, as everyone else said~~ Snobby. I personally hate going to college here. Sure, A2 is great, but as I said, the majority of my time is spent at the airport boxing or at my apt... So I don't get much of the "city" feel-- knowImean? The atmosphere of the campus is stuck-up... with over-inflated egos... I get the feeling that not a single student at the university has ever had to work for anything =P... Silver-spoon types...

With that said I imagine that if you're an outgoing, "about the town" type that you would flourish here, and I'd wager some major $$$ that it would be amazing for you~~ I'm just not "socially outgoing" to get the full spectrum that A2 offers--(I get my fill of personal contact Coaching and running my photography business =P )

The instructors are amazing- and the class offerings (for undergrad) are just phenomenal as far as academics--- I am still in awe at the offerings...

as far as uggo's?-- I think there is too much testosterone in the drinking water--- most Umich girls are Manly as hell~~ kinda scares me =)


MSU Here I come~~~ =)

 

[AlexMorph]

Big Warning: I'm a recluse. I spend 4 hrs/day boxing/fighting, and any time I'm not in class I'm in my apt studying or working... I came from a Community College, so I'm used to working class individuals (which there are VERY few of at Umich). So take my evaluation of Umich with a grain of salt =)

Umich is, as everyone else said~~ Snobby. I personally hate going to college here. Sure, A2 is great, but as I said, the majority of my time is spent at the airport boxing or at my apt... So I don't get much of the "city" feel-- knowImean? The atmosphere of the campus is stuck-up... with over-inflated egos... I get the feeling that not a single student at the university has ever had to work for anything =P... Silver-spoon types...

With that said I imagine that if you're an outgoing, "about the town" type that you would flourish here, and I'd wager some major $$$ that it would be amazing for you~~ I'm just not "socially outgoing" to get the full spectrum that A2 offers--(I get my fill of personal contact Coaching and running my photography business =P )

The instructors are amazing- and the class offerings (for undergrad) are just phenomenal as far as academics--- I am still in awe at the offerings...

as far as uggo's?-- I think there is too much testosterone in the drinking water--- most Umich girls are Manly as hell~~ kinda scares me =)


MSU Here I come~~~ =)

LOL!!! (scratching off UMich as potential place to go ... jk, i'd still kill to go there)

 

[Revenant]

I remember going to see is UM was the right place for me to do undergrad.

Needless to say it was the least impressive school I had ever seen, and I applied pretty widely. It surprised me, because it topped charts in everything and I went there and did multiple tours and said to myself.... "40k a year for this POS?!" Screw that.

 

[gobluegirl]

I've lived in both East Lansing and Ann Arbor. For the past 3 years, I've been an undergrad at U of M and I love it here. I've met the best friends I could ever have here, and most of the people I've met have been nothing but friendly. Yes, there is a lot of academic competition, but it's not surprising when it's highly ranked school. I knew what I was getting into before I came to the school. Yes, occasionally there's the rude sorority girl or know-it-all jock, but the majority of campus is not "snobby". I find the campus an overall supportive and friendly atmosphere. There are so many support resources and organizations...it's really a great place to be a student at. Also...I also know a few of the med students here, and they are very laid-back people who are not in the least "socially inept"...so OP, don't base your decisions on stereotypes. As for the med school, it is highly ranked, has an excellent research reputation, and is associated with a huge health system (Mott Children's Hospital, Cancer Center, Cardiovascular Center, etc...), so there are many opportunities for excellent clinical experience. If you'd rather gain experience in a big hospital setting, this would be a good place to go.

I've lived in the East Lansing/MSU area for about 15 years and I find the area great as well. MSU has a beautiful campus and two medical schools that are well known for primary care. The med schools at MSU are associated with some excellent area hospitals that are smaller than Ann Arbor's and they are great for training, especially if you prefer the smaller hospital feel over U of M's large one. East Lansing is more of a suburb area than Ann Arbor, so there isn't a huge downtown area, but it's a relatively safe, fun town.

I find both areas great places to live, it just depends on what school you like better after visiting them. 🙂

 

[midori333]

i'm kind of in the same boat.. i got my msu invite today, too

i've been offered interviews at uci, ucsd, and pitt so far..
i've already interviewed at uci and i'm really hoping i'll get in but i won't know until a month later.

my dilemma...
i don't know if it's worth spending a couple hundred dollars flying there and paying for a hotel (since they don't have hosting options) when I would rather stay in CA if it came down to uci and msu
i don't want to lose my chance at getting an acceptance if i don't get accepted anywhere in CA though...

 

[xpinchx]

Each has their pros and cons. I'll come back and elaborate later today.

 

[foreverLaur]

👎 Michigan (who wants to go to a school w/ a football team THAT bad?
👍 Ohio State

 

[LadyWolverine]

Michigan is a fantastic place to live and learn. I don't know why so many people assign a "snobby vibe" to the campus. Michigan students work hard and play hard, just like students at most other colleges. Sure, there are some snobs, but on a campus of 35,000+, there is a little bit of everything. There's a healthy level of competition amongst undergrads in several programs, but you are talking about the medical school. When I lived in A2, med students rarely interacted with undergraduates (unless they lived in the same building - one of my sorority sisters ended up marrying the path intern who lived 1 floor above her.)

As for the women/men being dogs, things must have really changed since I lived in A2. There were plenty of cuties when I was an undergraduate student. Sometimes it was hard to concentrate in orgo 🙂 But we also won the National Title my freshman year, so I probably shouldn't be to surprised by how much things can change.

Seriously...U of M vs. MSU? No contest.

 

[Dr.Pdizzle]

Michigan is a fantastic place to live and learn. I don't know why so many people assign a "snobby vibe" to the campus.

[...]

Seriously...U of M vs. MSU? No contest.

 

[searun]

A young squad at MSU, but Hoyer seems consistent enough, and it's not like the Big Ten is full of superstar QBs this season. DiAntonio seems to know what he's doing, though you could have said the same thing about Smith coming from Louisville. Michigan's defense hasn't really proven itself against a proven offensive threat this season, and if Hart gets injured again, things could get really ugly on the offensive side. Both teams look like they're gunning for citrus this season, ironically.

Wow, did you see the Michigan v. Oregon game. It was so sweet...Michigan looked so inept trying to defend Oregon's spread offense. How about the two Statue of Liberty plays that Oregon ran for touchdowns. God, I love the Ducks.....ESPN will be at Oregon with the game day show this Saturday to feature Oregon v. California. The Pac 10 rules.

 

[maestro1625]

Wow, did you see the Michigan v. Oregon game. It was so sweet...Michigan looked so inept trying to defend Oregon's spread offense. How about the two Statue of Liberty plays that Oregon ran for touchdowns. God, I love the Ducks.....ESPN will be at Oregon with the game day show this Saturday to feature Oregon v. California. The Pac 10 rules.

yeah, I'm looking forward to South Florda/WVU this weekend. I've got a post-exam weekend this weekend (so no studying), but the big ten doesnt have much to offer for games this week, sadly.

I can still see Michigan shooting for a big 10 title, just because there are no standout teams this year, yet I can still see them losing their last 4 games (MSU, Wisc, OSU, Bowl). Depends on which team shows up.

 

[cariblil]

never been a sport fan.. feeling a little lost with all this game talk.

as far as the 'snobby' stuff == i hear that year 1 and 2 are P/F and i read on feedback that this one of the best parts about U Mich.. (that the students were really supportive and good with one another due to lack of competition for good grades).

i guess i am a location person more than anything. and i heard somewhere that ann arbor is the berkeley of the midwest. which is interesting.

 

[wjustice]

never been a sport fan.. feeling a little lost with all this game talk.

as far as the 'snobby' stuff == i hear that year 1 and 2 are P/F and i read on feedback that this one of the best parts about U Mich.. (that the students were really supportive and good with one another due to lack of competition for good grades).

i guess i am a location person more than anything. and i heard somewhere that ann arbor is the berkeley of the midwest. which is interesting.

I don't know if I'd go that far. Madison is probably a better candidate. Ann Arbor is liberal, but more in a yuppie I can afford a Prius, shop at Whole Foods, and buy olive oil from Zingerman's sort of a way.

 

[Abilene85]

as far as the 'snobby' stuff == i hear that year 1 and 2 are P/F and i read on feedback that this one of the best parts about U Mich.. (that the students were really supportive and good with one another due to lack of competition for good grades).

One of the things I didn't like about UM is that they shamelessly try to sell their school (though maybe I should give them props for this smart move). When I interviewed they kept saying how special they are to have a grading system that eliminates competition and to post their histology slides on the internet so you don't spend hours looking into a microscope and blah blah blah...turns out the things they said make them special are pretty standard at a lot of schools. P/F is becoming increasingly more popular, so you can get that supportive atmosphere at many other schools.

When I say the area is snobby, I'm talking more about the city as a whole, not the medical school specifically. In fact, I would say the medical school is far less snobby than the main campus and the community, since so many people are coming from places way cooler than small town Ann Arbor. It's this sort of undertone throughout the entire town. I'd say it's kind of like...maybe a lot of people there are a little too proud. Yes, the school is great and the city is adorable and filled with culture, but it is not the center of the universe.

On interview day, I felt like I was just another number to the them. Since their class is large, they had a huge group of interviewees and said "We are UM. We are big. We want you to see that." Well...my current school is about the same size and they managed to have a much more intimate interview experience.

I don't want to be too negative though. You cannot deny that the school is fantastic and has a solid reputation. (I mean, HOUSE went there!) I think I just didn't mesh well, which was why I had a bad interview day experience. You'll have to try it out yourself, OP. If you like the people, I'm sure you will love it there for 4 years.

Did you ask Michigan State if it would be possible to move your interview date forward so you only have to make one trip (obviously don't push UM later)? If you explain the situation, they might be willing to work with you.

 

[LadyWolverine]

Ann Arbor is liberal, but more in a yuppie I can afford a Prius, shop at Whole Foods, and buy olive oil from Zingerman's sort of a way.

Mmmmmmmmmmm....Zingerman's.............👍

 

[BrokenGlass]

One of the things I didn't like about UM is that they shamelessly try to sell their school (though maybe I should give them props for this smart move). When I interviewed they kept saying how special they are to have a grading system that eliminates competition and to post their histology slides on the internet so you don't spend hours looking into a microscope and blah blah blah...turns out the things they said make them special are pretty standard at a lot of schools. P/F is becoming increasingly more popular, so you can get that supportive atmosphere at many other schools.

When I say the area is snobby, I'm talking more about the city as a whole, not the medical school specifically. In fact, I would say the medical school is far less snobby than the main campus and the community, since so many people are coming from places way cooler than small town Ann Arbor. It's this sort of undertone throughout the entire town. I'd say it's kind of like...maybe a lot of people there are a little too proud. Yes, the school is great and the city is adorable and filled with culture, but it is not the center of the universe.

On interview day, I felt like I was just another number to the them. Since their class is large, they had a huge group of interviewees and said "We are UM. We are big. We want you to see that." Well...my current school is about the same size and they managed to have a much more intimate interview experience.

I don't want to be too negative though. You cannot deny that the school is fantastic and has a solid reputation. (I mean, HOUSE went there!) I think I just didn't mesh well, which was why I had a bad interview day experience. You'll have to try it out yourself, OP. If you like the people, I'm sure you will love it there for 4 years.

Did you ask Michigan State if it would be possible to move your interview date forward so you only have to make one trip (obviously don't push UM later)? If you explain the situation, they might be willing to work with you.

HOUSE? Do you mean Doogie Howser?

 

[maestro1625]

HOUSE? Do you mean Doogie Howser?

no, House completed his medical school there after being kicked out of Hopkins. (Do you really want to go to a school that takes the rejects of others? )

as for Zingermans, drive north on 23 to Fenton and eat at the French Laundry. It's Zingermans food (the exact same stuff brought up for Ann Arbor) plus a beer selection that rivals Ashleys.

And as for the snobbishness or whatnot, as someone who's lived in ann arbor for 3 years, I just see it as a group of students who get told for four years that they're special (this school is as good as Harvard, blah blah blah), and as a result most of them start to believe their own hype. Just replace football with academics and you see the mentality (see HumbleMD's old posts for great examples of this). It's not really a rare thing for this to happen though... just look back at the kids you knew in HS who went to schools like Country Day, Cranbrook, EGR, Powers (yes, I admit it), and others like that. Most of them get told how much better their education is until they get to college and get schooled in organic by some kid from Owosso or wherever. It's just believing your own hype, that's all.

...of course there are plenty of exceptions in such a large institution, but reputations have to come from somewhere.

 

[div0t17]

zingerman's is a bunch of overpriced junk...maize and blue deli all the way. as for the students, i'm psyched for the winter cold to come so the sorority girls climb into the holes in their houses and refuse to emerge. they crowd the campus and make it all shrieky...oh well. snobbishness? Yeah, there's a bit. it tends to go away as the years go by (at least in the bio department) because people realize no one knows anything, so everyone shuts up. psych? that's a different story...bunch of cop-outs.

 

[div0t17]

as for the real reason this thread is around, i interviewed at MSU-CHM today, and i interviewed at U of M last year. I came away from both interviews feeling the exact same way. the facilities at both places are great, both institutions care about the success of their students completely. the only real difference is if you want to pursue research; at u of m, it's pretty easy to get a hold of someone who will help you out. we were told today that a lot of people at MSU who want to do research tend to go out of town for it, because the funding just isn't there for students. but both places have great alumni who take care of the student's needs, stock student lounges with distractions from studying (i.e. foosball tables, tv's, etc.) both have great computing facilities and study facilities. I would say that U of M gets the edge by a hair for a couple of reasons, mainly personal ones. but the hard reasons would be the fact that u of m has flexitime quizzes, meaning you can take them any time from friday to sunday, as long as they get done. that's pretty sweet. also, histo is all on computers at u of m (I'm not sure at MSU, but i think they would have mentioned it...) so it standardizes things a lot, and makes it easier to study outside of class time. but other than that, the students seemed really relaxed and motivated, not quite jaded yet.

 

[xpinchx]

as for the real reason this thread is around, i interviewed at MSU-CHM today, and i interviewed at U of M last year. I came away from both interviews feeling the exact same way. the facilities at both places are great, both institutions care about the success of their students completely. the only real difference is if you want to pursue research; at u of m, it's pretty easy to get a hold of someone who will help you out. we were told today that a lot of people at MSU who want to do research tend to go out of town for it, because the funding just isn't there for students. but both places have great alumni who take care of the student's needs, stock student lounges with distractions from studying (i.e. foosball tables, tv's, etc.) both have great computing facilities and study facilities. I would say that U of M gets the edge by a hair for a couple of reasons, mainly personal ones. but the hard reasons would be the fact that u of m has flexitime quizzes, meaning you can take them any time from friday to sunday, as long as they get done. that's pretty sweet. also, histo is all on computers at u of m (I'm not sure at MSU, but i think they would have mentioned it...) so it standardizes things a lot, and makes it easier to study outside of class time. but other than that, the students seemed really relaxed and motivated, not quite jaded yet.

I may be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure MSU CHM gives you a CD with all the slides on it.

 

[div0t17]

they may - i know they record all the lectures for podcasting, as does U of M. No lecture going necessary!

 

[maestro1625]

they may - i know they record all the lectures for podcasting, as does U of M. No lecture going necessary!

honestly, if you go to a school that doesn't do that, you're at a ****ty school. (of course some schools give you video lectures while others just give audio, but the bare minimum for a school should be an Mp3 of the lecture)

 

[maestro1625]

as for the real reason this thread is around, i interviewed at MSU-CHM today, and i interviewed at U of M last year. I came away from both interviews feeling the exact same way. the facilities at both places are great, both institutions care about the success of their students completely. the only real difference is if you want to pursue research; at u of m, it's pretty easy to get a hold of someone who will help you out. we were told today that a lot of people at MSU who want to do research tend to go out of town for it, because the funding just isn't there for students. but both places have great alumni who take care of the student's needs, stock student lounges with distractions from studying (i.e. foosball tables, tv's, etc.) both have great computing facilities and study facilities. I would say that U of M gets the edge by a hair for a couple of reasons, mainly personal ones. but the hard reasons would be the fact that u of m has flexitime quizzes, meaning you can take them any time from friday to sunday, as long as they get done. that's pretty sweet. also, histo is all on computers at u of m (I'm not sure at MSU, but i think they would have mentioned it...) so it standardizes things a lot, and makes it easier to study outside of class time. but other than that, the students seemed really relaxed and motivated, not quite jaded yet.

actually, a lot of the things you mentioned seem like standard stuff for med schools. The quizzes, if they're similar to the ones I've got are basically "how are you doing" type of things worth about 1% each... basically a graded equivalent of reading the back of the BRS book. Your real tests, of course, are still at set times. Same with Histo. I'm not sure how many schools still require microscopes.


on an semi-related note of advice: Pass/Fail is nice, but even with honors, having honors based on a percentage score rather than a curve is still going to create a good atmosphere. (Wayne State, for example, on the other hand, uses something like "1 standard deviation above the mean" to determine honors for the class).

 

[div0t17]

agreed, as far as the video/audio. as for the quizzes, MSU didn't appear to have many quiz type situations that were graded; i may be mistaken, however. plus, second year is PBL, so they have their exams during that time. forgot to mention that about MSU. Kind of important.

 

[maestro1625]

agreed, as far as the video/audio. as for the quizzes, MSU didn't appear to have many quiz type situations that were graded; i may be mistaken, however. plus, second year is PBL, so they have their exams during that time. forgot to mention that about MSU. Kind of important.

ah, true... PBL = evil.

(good point... can't believe we all forgot about it)

 

[BigRedPremed]

as for the real reason this thread is around, i interviewed at MSU-CHM today, and i interviewed at U of M last year. I came away from both interviews feeling the exact same way. the facilities at both places are great, both institutions care about the success of their students completely. the only real difference is if you want to pursue research; at u of m, it's pretty easy to get a hold of someone who will help you out. we were told today that a lot of people at MSU who want to do research tend to go out of town for it, because the funding just isn't there for students. but both places have great alumni who take care of the student's needs, stock student lounges with distractions from studying (i.e. foosball tables, tv's, etc.) both have great computing facilities and study facilities. I would say that U of M gets the edge by a hair for a couple of reasons, mainly personal ones. but the hard reasons would be the fact that u of m has flexitime quizzes, meaning you can take them any time from friday to sunday, as long as they get done. that's pretty sweet. also, histo is all on computers at u of m (I'm not sure at MSU, but i think they would have mentioned it...) so it standardizes things a lot, and makes it easier to study outside of class time. but other than that, the students seemed really relaxed and motivated, not quite jaded yet.

I think a lot of schools are now putting their histo slides on the computer. I took histology as an undergrad at Cornell and we still had to use the microscope. Definitely not good for the eyes and often frustrating.

 

[154465]

What about Wayne State guys? The rest of us in the D are feeling a little left out right about now. Where's the love?

 

[maestro1625]

What about Wayne State guys? The rest of us in the D are feeling a little left out right about now. Where's the love?

The DMC thing scared me away from there. I really wasn't thrilled about the fact that residencies at my home institution wouldn't be stable options. Plus, students there aren't very positive about their administration, and the tigers are eliminated from postseason play.

(to michigan's credit though, students seem pleased with their administration, something that isn't easy to do).