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Posted by Chris.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Coach on team #308, Walled Lake Monster, from Walled Lake Schools and TRW Automotive Electronics.

Posted on 10/12/2000 7:15 AM MST


In Reply to: The BEST School posted by Michael Martus on 10/11/2000 7:17 PM MST:



Everyone who knows me knows my deep devotion to the University of Michigan. It's hard to go wrong with a top - 5 undergraduate program and a 3rd ranked M.E. graduate program (which I am currently attending). When you throw in the in-state tuition, it's a great deal for a great school.

But seriously, it's not for everyone. If you want to have fun, go elsewhere. In general, it is a very cut-throat place and the students are very competitive. It's more of a 'survival of the fittest' atmosphere than a place where everyone helps everyone else. Sure, people get together for study groups, but it seems more like the alliances on 'Survivor'. Personally, I credit this atmosphere for making me work really hard and attaining the level that I am at. It works the other way with some people.

I do a lot of interviewing for TRW at U-M and the above is what I generally hear from the seniors. It pretty much agrees with my assessment.

In summary, if you are a very competitive person and like the competition, U-M is great and I would highly recommend it. If you like a more nurturing atmosphere, I would probably not recommend it.

The one thing I would say: the engineers here that come from U-M are very noticeable in the way they do their job. There is definitely a certain style in the way that they operate. The one thing you notice is that certain schools train their engineers in certain ways, and this comes through when you work with people.
In other words, each school has their own philosophy and it shows in their students. Not that any philosophy is necessarily good or bad, it's just that it's noticeable.

Just remember, any education is good. Good luck getting into the school of your choice.