Housing and living on/off campus

<p>Hi guys!
I applied last year and got w/l but yesterday I received my acceptance letter to LSA as a transfer for fall 2012. I'm super excited and have been jumping around like crazy :P Anyway, I'm in new jersey and have practically no idea about michigan and know no one there so this question is directed to current students and/or anyone who knows the ann arbor area. First, how's housing there? I'm muslim so do they have like a halal meal plan? Is it better to dorm or rent an apartment? I'm hoping to get into med school and will have to study a lot so can i concentrate while dorming? How's parking? Are there any houses/apartments close to/on campus? where are most of the LSA classes?
Basically tell me ALL about living at Umich!
thanks guys!</p>

<p>GO BLUE!</p>

<p>Look into tower plaza, basically a huge muslim crowd there. Search for the MSA website, and under services, they have a list of muslim roommates if interested. Hope that helps</p>

<p>thanks! and what about housing and parking. I really wanna concentrate on my studies and would prefer if i could live in an apartment or rent a house close to central campus (i heard thats where most LSA classes are). Any ideas?</p>

<p>You have to have junior standing (55+ credits) for a parking pass. You can park in AATA park and ride lots but they are far away and you would have to take an AATA bus to central (rather than a Michigan bus). When you are junior standing, the available parking is still very far away, but the areas are serviced by Michigan buses. </p>

<p>You can park close to central in a parking garage for $1.30 an hour I think. I forget exactly what it is. Sounds expensive, but it’s a hell of a lot less than your OOS tuition.</p>

<p>The university makes parking very difficult for students. But there are plenty of residences near central campus.</p>

<p>If you’re worried about parking, I would highly suggest living in Northwood. Although it’s on North Campus and you’d have to take a bus to get to Central Campus, parking is not an issue, as I’ll explain below [taking a 15 minute bus ride can be kind of a drag sometimes, but it’s really not that bad. After all, you’re gonna have to commute to work someday!]</p>

<p>The great thing about living in Northwood is that if you are living in Northwood I, II, or III (and probably IV and V but I’m not sure), you are able to purchase a parking permit for $60 for the year. Yes, $60 for the entire year. It’s a fantastic deal, and there is never a problem with not being able to find a parking space. [And, of course, you’d be able to drive to classes on Central if you wished too.] Plus, it’s apartment-style living, which to me is much better than living in the dorms, and if you’re looking to concentrate on your studies, it’s probably a good place to be since it’s pretty quiet at night. Just a suggestion, but I’ve loved living in Northwood this year (and I’m an LS&A student!)</p>

<p>Thanks Wolvie! Will check it out</p>