<p>whats it like living in an apartment after your freshman or sophomore years in the dorms? is it totally different? much the same? is it socially more difficult to see people? does it feel out of touch with the campus in any way?</p>
<p>Not at all. I lived in an apartment and I had no trouble socializing. It is a matter of preference.</p>
<p>it's a lot better than the dorms. you basically live with the people that you WANT to live with, and there are so many apartments on or right next to campus, so it's basically the same distance walking from the dorms.</p>
<p>also, it's a lot more comfortable since you have your own bathroom, kitchen, etc. and by the end of freshman year, you should already have made your group of friends. having an apartment is nice because people can come over whenever.</p>
<p>I'm moving to an apt in tower plaza next year with a friend. I think it's gonna be a huge change for me. I've gotten used to having my bathroom cleaned for me, my meals cooked for me, etc. But, I do like the idea of cooking for myself and becoming more independent.</p>
<p>i live in tower plaza and it's great.</p>
<p>your families must have a lot of money. tower plaza is expensive.</p>
<p>I hate Tower Plaza...the managers there have an IQ of like 5</p>
<p>I lived in Tower Plaza for 3 years. Apartment 10L! LOL!!! Great location, with Liberty street, State street, the Union and Central Campus all a mere block away.</p>
<p>lol...I'm obviously the odd one out</p>
<p>Just curious to get an opinion from you apartment dwellers. Is the Greek system in a down cycle these days? It was hugely popular when I was a student (um...cough...early 80's). I guess most of us were lazy back then, no shopping, cooking, cleaning...lol. Nice digs and great for the social life too.</p>
<p>GoBlueMom, only 13% of males join a fraternity and 16% of females join a sorority.</p>
<p>The Greek System is alive and well. Most fraternities do not have a live in requirement, though most people want to at least for one year. Living in a house off campus is the best, in my opinion.</p>
<p>I really would advise against living in an apartment as a freshman. Sure, if you live in an apartment there may be more "creature comforts" as compared with the dorms -- but you're really missing out on meeting new people. There are very few freshmen who don't live in the dorms and a decent percentage of sophomores also live in the dorms. Most 18 year olds don't want to be bothered with cooking and cleaning, paying bills, etc. when they're also dealing with so many other new things. In an apartment your neighbors won't be freshmen -- so they're going to have friends already and probably won't give you the time of day.<br>
As for guaranteeing that you won't be on North Campus, it's hard to do (unless you ask for an all-female hall) -- and it's not the end of the world if you end up on North -- along with a couple of thousand other students. Supposedly the food is the best, and the rooms are larger. So you have to take a bus -- do you walk to school now?</p>
<p>im talking about after freshman or sophomore year</p>
<p>Oh yeah - I see that now. Well in that case, most students do move off campus. There are apartments on North Campus -- and by the time you are a junior or senior, maybe North Quad will be done - which will be suites on central campus.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure that back in the 80s it was roughly the same percentage in the Greek system - 13 - 16 % is a big number of kids at U of M!</p>
<p>I'm going to do the house thing for a year, but I think after that my parents are going to buy a place in Tower Plaza or downtown Ann Arbor. That makes a lot of sense....It will save me $5,000 in housing for two years, plus could bring in some rent money from a roommate. On top of that, I have a sister who will be coming here in two years, so when I'm ready to vacate the place, she can take it over and the process repeats.</p>
<p>And on top of that, I doubt real estate in Ann Arbor (especially around campus) is going to depreciate any time in the future. A really solid investment...I'm kinda disappointed my parents didn't say anything about this to me until the day I signed my lease.</p>
<p>Dsmo, buying property in Ann Arbor is indeed a very wise investment. A friend of mine bought an apartment in Tower Plaze for $50,000 in 1995 and it is now valued at $150,000! Even in down years for property, Ann Arbor's real-estate market does well.</p>
<p>What % of sophomores live on campus? Is there a shortage of housing for them?</p>