College Advice: Wayne State vs. Oakland (Detroit, Dearborn: crime, high school, universities)

[bburk14]

Dear City-Data Forumers,
Okay here is the situation. I am a Senior in high school and I have been on City Data browsing for a few months but I have not found a thread about this. I recently scored a 31 on my ACT and I have a 4.0. I have narrowed it down to these two schools to study Biology with a Pre-Med focus. Both schools seem fairly the same academically to me (correct me if I'm wrong) and I am very interested to know which school would offer the best quality of life for me.

I might also add that I currently live in Southern Michigan in a very rural location. I am looking for a more liberal-minded place to live and go to school. Thanks so much for your time.

Brennan

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Both OU and Wayne State are fine institutions and, yes, are similar academically. It would probably come down to whether you want an urban or suburban campus.

Pardon me for asking, but with those very impressive numbers why aren't you looking at more selective institutions? Like I said, nothing wrong with WSU or OU, but it would seem that you probably have some options.

[bburk14]

Yes, I do have many options, but I want to try and get through undergrad with the least debt that I can. I applied to U of M and am still waiting for an acceptance letter. WSU and Oakland have both offered me their presidential scholarships and a place in each of their honors colleges.

[Coldjensens]

Try U-M Dearborn as well. However you have to apply desperately. Also you may want to look at Grand Valley.

[erablink]

Originally Posted by bburk14

Dear City-Data Forumers,
Okay here is the situation. I am a Senior in high school and I have been on City Data browsing for a few months but I have not found a thread about this. I recently scored a 31 on my ACT and I have a 4.0. I have narrowed it down to these two schools to study Biology with a Pre-Med focus. Both schools seem fairly the same academically to me (correct me if I'm wrong) and I am very interested to know which school would offer the best quality of life for me.

I might also add that I currently live in Southern Michigan in a very rural location. I am looking for a more liberal-minded place to live and go to school. Thanks so much for your time.

Brennan

As a general rule, academic institutions tend be fairly liberal-minded. Assuming you are correct in your implication that your hometown is not "liberal-minded", it's probably safe to assume that the culture of both of these institutions is more-so at least. That said, I lack personal experience with OU.

Wayne State, on the other hand, checks off a number of boxes in the "liberal-minded" department.
-known for ethnic diversity
-located in Midtown, Detroit
-a sizeable amount of artistic types

Some other considerations relevant to "quality of life" pertaining to WSU (again, I can't speak to OU):

If you're looking for the traditional university experience, WSU isn't really it. The vast majority of students commute. It's not a party school in the sense of parties being readily available all the time. It will probably be easier to find social events if you really make an effort to meet people as a freshman (I think that's good advice in general for a college freshman). People also have varying levels of comfort living in Detroit, even though WSU is in Midtown which is supposed a-okay+. (I'm a rather anxious fellow, and I feel pretty comfortable in midtown.) WSU has their own police force which is incredible proactive. I seem to remember that overall crime is better at WSU compared to a lot of other universities in Michigan, but don't quote me on it. I've seen a number of the WSU police reports... it seems something strange happens now and again, but nothing has ever seemed worthy of provoking significant fear. I've been eyed a couple times, and it mostly could have been avoided or easily adverted with a bit of common sense.

A couple other things that may be relevant:

In terms of academics, it's worth noting that WSU is a tier one institution for research. There are a lot of opportunities to become involved in research. I'm not sure how OU fairs in that respect, but this is definitely something worth considering (especially for pre-med?).

A LOT of students seem to go to WSU for pre-med. Perhaps that's a good sign for you? Good luck.

[keraT]

Where would you like to go to medical school in? WSU or OU. Both has medical school, although OU is fairly new. Maybe you can find out if each school sets aside certain number of students they take in from their own undergrad pre-med program. Who ever takes more, go with them.

I personally don't have any experience in OU but I knew a girl who went to OU and go in to their medical school. She said it helped her get in because she did her undergrad in OU

[MaryleeII]

Have you considered MSU?

I've heard--and have no idea if this is actually true---but sometimes medical schools do NOT want to admit those who obtained their undergrad degrees from their institutions. Something about wanting diversity. Just something to consider, good luck in your endeavors

[mgkeith]

According a previous post, you were accepted to "quite a few" colleges late last year. Extremely unusual prior to the end of junior year. I am very doubtful that this is authentic.
Hmmm... according to another you are a U of M graduate, two years ago.

[bburk14]

Thank you all so much for your replies. I'm not exactly sure where I want to go to med school yet, it is a ways down the road and I have looked into their programs. I am going on an official visit to each school this upcoming week to get a better idea. I personally have been on both of their campuses and liked them both. I did not feel unsafe in Detroit when I visited last. I did notice that the endowment for Wayne State far exceeded that of Oakland. Are there any things I should do/see the next time I visit the campuses?

[belleislerunner]

WSU all the way - the city experience is much better - it's like an NYU experience - all the cultural amenities in Michigan's top city. Trust your gut and don't go to a college that you have to pay - it's not worth it to be a debtor for life just because you went to X University. That's marketing 101 preying on the weak and insecure.

Detroit has Henry Ford Hospital, DMC, Receiving, Harper, Karmanos Hospital and enough level 1 trauma excitement to give you real world experience. Oakland, while a good school, has only had a program for 2 years and is quite suburban. Your diversity in culture and clinical experiences will be akin to a blond, brunette and a red head. You will exist, rather than live.