<p>Can anyone tell me about Ann Arbor?
The one thing that is my con for Michigan is that it is not in a big city. I wanted to go to a school where there would be many opportunities for things outside of school. (such as Emory or Northwestern)
Can someone please convince me that Ann Arbor is great?!
Thank you</p>
<p>I was in the same position there for a while. I wanted to try a “big city” lifestyle. Northwestern, NYU, Loyola, etc. were on the top of my list. Now, A2 is by no means New York or Chitown, but it’s a great little city. There are plenty of shops, places to eat, music venues, clubs, a culture of its own, etc. and there’s always a good amount of hustle and bustle to add to the vibrant atmosphere. To me, it’s a manageable dose of urbana. </p>
<p>And if it’s more professional opportunities you’re after, there’s plenty of businesses, newspapers, Congressmen, (our national reps work in Brighton, 15 minutes away) and research horizons abound. Again, it’s not massive, but I think you’ll like it. :)</p>
<p>CronoTriggerfan basically said it. I’ve lived here for a few years now (as a high school student, so I can’t speak for the college aspect), and there’s always something to do. It’s not a big city, but it is a great college town.
Everything’s close together and you can get basically anywhere really quickly. And everything around Ann Arbor is pretty close too, within a half hour.
I wouldn’t say we have plenty of newspapers though, seeing as we lost our only one lol</p>
<p>“Now, A2 is by no means New York or Chitown, but it’s a great little city. There are plenty of shops, places to eat, music venues, clubs, a culture of its own, etc. and there’s always a good amount of hustle and bustle to add to the vibrant atmosphere. To me, it’s a manageable dose of urbana.”</p>
<p>This is basically what I was going to say as well. There are definitely LOTS of opportunities outside of school to go do things, and there are also a LOT of things offered by the university itself.</p>
<p>Though, I think my favorite part of the area is the arboretum. 
It’s neat that even with all the hustle and bustle of the downtown area, a quiet escape is so close.</p>
<p>I’ve visited Ann Arbor quite a few times, and the only word I can think of to describe it is “cozy.” All the little coffee shops, the lights, the colors, and the people. It seems like the perfect college town. But then again, the ultra-urban setting never really hit me as appealing, so we may be on two separate boats here.</p>
<p>I REALLY wanted to go to school in Chicago actually, and had planned on it. To me, Ann Arbor is a comfortable middle ground between “ultra-urban” and boring suburbia, but I grew up in boring suburbia so I am likely more easily pleased than those who are used to the big city.</p>