<p>Bigdoglover, what did you want to know?</p>
<p>I have seen some information but my D is looking into the RC program if she chooses Michigan. I think her only concern with Michigan is its size…it is by far the largest school she is interested in. Her thoughts were considering RC to offset the concern about size. She is a liberal arts and language student so that part fits for her. I guess we are wondering if RC is too isolated…taking classes mainly where you live, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks for asking.</p>
<p>Bigdoglover, If you are still a member of our site, you can click on the magnifine glass icon (top right) and type in Residential College. There are two members that have daughters and experience in U of M RC’s. If you do not want to post publicly, you could PM either one of them. One actually posted that she would love to help anyone that has questions regarding RC’s. Good luck. This icon is best utilized with a computer instead of a smart phone or i pad. One piece of information I can give you is that the honors classes are much smaller in size.</p>
<p>Oh also the RC dorms are not in the least bit isolating. They are on Central Campus which in most students opinions is prime living…right in the heart of classes and downtown Ann Arbor. They are where all of the action is so to speak. If you have not yet visited, Ann Arbor boasts one of the best college towns. It is intermingled with the University and very vibrant.</p>
<p>Bigdoglover, our son had the same concerns as an incoming freshman last Fall. He did not choose RC because it is isolated and he wanted to be part of the full campus and have more freedom in his class selections. Instead, he joined a learning community - there are several to choose from. He’s in Lloyds Hall Scholars, which is an art and writing community, housed in Alice Lloyd Hall, the newest remodeled dorm on Michigan’s campus - it’s AMAZING! He also considered the pre-med learning community, but preferenced the writing community first and got in. He was concerned the community might be too artsy, but that is not the case. Their community has several clubs within the dorm - improv comedy, writing, photography, etc, so the kids have a lot of fun.</p>
<p>He was concerned about the size of Michigan and feeling lost in a such a big place. His English class with his learning community is in his dorm with less than 20 students. He also took a freshman seminar with Andy Flint, a biology class, and loved it. </p>
<p>Being part of the learning community has helped him form some amazing friendships quickly. And it definitely helped him feel at home and part of a smaller community right away. As a bonus, most of the learning communities are housed in the best dorms on campus too.</p>
<p>Sportsmom,
Thanks so much for the thoughts. I don’t think my D is as interested in the learning communities just based on not having programs she is as interested in. The RC is a great fit academically because she wants to study a language in-depth and liberal arts. But yes some feedback seems to indicate it is a bit too isolated. I guess its that fine line of trying to get a smaller feel but not having it so specialized that you get isolated from the whole school.</p>
<p>I really appreciate hearing your experience though.</p>
<p>Thanks, Bigdoglover. </p>
<p>You might want to search the Michigan forum for discussion on the Residential College. We did so last year and it helped son make his decision about joining a learning community and not entering RC. RC does sound like a good fit for your daughter, given her interests. Make sure she is okay with the set curriculum (and not having more flexibility). My son has many interests and wanted more flexibility in choosing his classes.</p>
<p>In my rambling about the Lloyds Hall program, I lost my main point which is it’s a community that many students could be part of and be happy in…from what my son says most of the kids in Lloyds Hall learning community are NOT huge artists or writers. They all enjoy writing, movies, and appreciate art but only a few are really into being artists or writers, if that make sense.</p>
<p>Joining the residential college or any of the learning communities will also ensure your incoming freshman is in one of the residence halls on central campus and will not be forced to live on the north campus and have to commute via bus everyday.</p>
<p>There are a number of threads on this board discussing the RC. I don’t have much first hand knowledge about it. My only advice is that it is not for everyone. Some students love it and for others it is not a good fit. If you are interested in RC and are able to travel to Ann Arbor, I strongly recommend a visit to the RC to help with this decision.</p>
<p>Generally the most positive aspect of the learning communities is that they are on central campus. The requirements are relatively minor so it is good opportunity to secure a spot on central. I suspect most students would forego the learning community requirements if they had the assurance regarding the housing.</p>
<p>Bigdoglover, several of my son’s friends are in rc, and many from his school choose that option. My son didn’t join because his degree at the school of music is such a specific sequence he could not really do both. (He did do Alice Llyod and enjoyed it immensely.)</p>
<p>However, RC is a great fit for someone strong in languages who enjoys seminar-style classes, and at the same time, does not mean one is forfeiting te myriad other opportunities or overall experience of Michigan. a student continues to take “regular” classes in other areas of distribution.</p>
<p>My suggestion is that your D contact the RC, and if/when visiting, arrange a meeting and look at the courses avail, etc. We did, and it would have been an excellent fit had mcson not been pursuing a highly structured bfa at the SOM.</p>
<p>I don’t know that it’s an entirely accurate portrayal, but RC students are often perceived as being somewhat eclectic and perhaps liberal/social-justice-focused…but I think that goes with the territory a bit with Socratic-style learning. For example, the students I knew in the program came from a gifted-talented magnet school where interdisciplinary study was the underpinning theme. It was a small school with a graduating class of 85. RC seems to have been a great fit. They’re all graduating this year, and I know that the intensive language study has served them well in various travel/exchange/study opportunities.</p>
<p>An aptitude or desire for language study is a fairly big part of the RC experience, btw, so your d sounds like a good fit. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Thank you kmcmom,</p>
<p>It is very helpful. I wanted to ask at this time because as many have suggested I have done the history search on CC and it kind of leaves your head spinning. I think academically (with the language, etc) it is a really good fit for my D. I think she down to evaluating the “quirkiness” eclectic aspect and trying to understand that better.</p>
<p>Their is certainly nothing wrong with those quirky traits…I have one D that fits that description to a T. But not this D. So as a result she wonders about the fit from a more personal, living day-to-day aspect.</p>
<p>At the same time she loves language and liberal arts…just has some concerns about the size of UM. Not freaked out by it, just raises questions for her (for example she is strongly considering BC which is 1/3 the size of UM). So naturally she thought a good compromise would be the RC. In a nutshell her two concerns with it are 1) being a fit with the type of people who are in RC and 2) that it doesn’t isolate her too much and cut her off from the full university to too great an extent.</p>
<p>Thanks again for your thoughts…really helpful to hear these different perspectives.</p>
<p>How does the Honors College differ from the RC? My son was accepted for 2013, and Michigan is one if his top 5 choices. He wants to major in Classics. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Honors college and RC are completely separate.</p>
<p>RC is a residential college where students live and study and in the same environment. There is a focus on languages. Most of the classes are in the dorm where the RC is housed - I think it is moving back to East Quad next year. It is designed to create a small college within a larger university.</p>
<p>Honors is also a subset of LSA. There is a dorm where rooms are set aside for honors students - I think it will be West Quad next year - but unlike RC students are not expected to live there. Most do because it is a ticket to Central Campus housing. There are separate advisers for honors college - I think this provides a little more individual attention than the regular LSA advisers. There are classes that designated as honors classes and discussion sections in larger classes that are set aside for honors students. Often the professor will lead the honors discussion section. Honors students are required to take Great Books (or a substitute) for the first year writing requirement and are expected to average two honors classes a semester. There are also special programs (such as lectures) that are available to honors students (I think they are optional) and social events through the honors housing (also optional). Some say that the honors courses have a more intellectual focus (I think this is especially true in Math) and some say the average GPA is higher in the honors courses. Honors is probably a good route for a classics major.</p>
<p>There are a number of threads on this board on both RC and honors which should be able to find through the search engine.</p>