Son was accepted to SMTD. He wants to stay on north campus for housing and also wants to stay in a campus dorm all four years. I have searched housing posts extensively and appreciate all the input so far. I also understand there is little control over the process. I suppose I’m looking for feedback based on personal experience or observation.
How hard is it to:
1.) Stay on campus all four years?
2.)Stay on north campus all four years (I know it’s likely in year 1)?
3.) Get a single room?
4.)If the priority is being on north campus (rather than room type), which categories from the Room Type Group chart (found here https://housing.umich.edu/first-year-application-instructions/ ) match up with north campus options?
5.)Are there floor plans somewhere on the site that take the mystery out of all those room types?
Thank you. Your help is valuable!
Looking for same information for my potential #SMTD student. Thank you!
https://housing.umich.edu/
So students that actually “want” to be on North Campus… Lol
So Michigan guarantees housing technically to only Freshman. Not sure if your program has different parameters.
My son’s in Northwood 3. Very old and nothing special but he likes it and has lived here both Sophomore and Junior year. He is getting kicked to off campus since Michigan is planning on knocking down Northwoods 1,2 and I think 3 and they will get a new housing tower in its place. They are adding housing to central campus and other renovations. North campus is very chill. You can actually see Deer on your way to classes. More suburban then urban compared to Central campus. Two different worlds. But it’s mixed with right and left brain kids. My son’s in engineering.
The link above has room configurations. For medical reasons you can most likely get a single if really needed but most places on campus have them. Off campus apartments are pricy on both North and Central campus. Living with others will bring down the price. Bus transportation is excellent everywhere on Michigan’s campus.
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@tableforsix NO Clue. BUT, Now I know what BTDT is. ? I had to google it thinking it was some medical condition requiring a single room !! learn something new every day. I only clicked on here to find out what BTDT is. Carry on and good luck with your son’s room selection. Initially in the process, my son wanted a single room but kept getting NO’s everywhere he asked so has embraced the fact that he will have a roommate his freshman year. Seemed to be difficult to get without a medical reason at ALL schools he looked at.
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Thank you, @Knowsstuff ! I’ve seen from prior thread research that your name is not false advertising. I’m going to drop you a PM. I knew someone would get a kick out of people actually wanting north campus.
All he has to do is request North Campus and he will get North Campus. Even if, for some reason, the housing department ends up assigning him to a Central Campus dorm, no worries—there will be hundreds of students assigned to North Campus who will be clamoring to switch with someone. He’ll have his choice of North Campus rooms.
Michigan guarantees on-campus housing only for freshman year. For subsequent years, it would depend on his housing lottery number. That said, if he gets a number low enough to get housing, he should have no problem getting North Campus. If his housing lottery number is high, he’d have to move off campus just like almost everyone else.
Good info, @brantly ! A helpful look into the nuts and bolts of the process – particularly the intel on switching opportunities. Yup, moving off campus may be necessary (in which case we’d deal - just like everyone else). I was just trying to gauge how likely it is to be necessary so we can make an informed decision about accepting the school. Would be much easier to just call housing and ask these things but of course no one is at the phones with the pandemic situation. Back and forth with email is inefficient in this case. So, I came for the experts. And you haven’t disappointed. 
How does your son know he wants to live in a dorm all four years? It’s not the culture at Michigan, so he may change his mind. Besides, the line between “off” and 'on" campus is fluid. It’s not as if he’d be miles away from campus if he lived “off” campus. Some off-campus housing is closer to campus than on-campus housing.
@brantly That’s his preference currently. He’s absolutely welcome to change his mind. He wants to be able to easily walk to the SMTD building. Is there off-campus housing that allows for a < 10 minute walk to SMTD? (Yes, I know there are buses.) If so, that’s great news indeed. Yet there’s nothing wrong with having an initial inclination towards one approach or the other, particularly when considering one’s priorities before committing to one school over another.
@brantly. Having plenty of housing might not be true on North for the next year or two. Northwoods is going to go through a major renovation with replacement to a housing tower. Planned in theory to start this summer. Housing on North might be tighter during this time. School of information is moving from central to North also taking up some of this property bringing its graduate base with it.
As far as “off” campus housing on north. Apartments are just across the street. So not miles away. It’s comes down to cost. Once your kids get acclimated they will see what they want.
For a different and unique living situation on North and more of less guaranteed single check out https://icc.coop/housing/our-houses/?propID=20&rmwebsvc_id=20&rmwebsvc_command=PropertyDetail.aspx&rmwebsvc_corpid=icc&rmwebsvc_location=Default&rmwebsvc_mode=javaScript&rmwebsvc_AvailabilityDate=10/30/2017&rmwebsvc_template=Houses
Look at Escher house. It is a housing coop. Make and share dinners together. Most are singles. Do some shared house hold cleaning also… My daughter at a different school was part of a housing coop and loved it. Something different. He can get theater kids to take over a part of it. My daughter at a LAC was also part of the theater house. So much fun with like-minded kids. Kids singing, running lines, very connected.
This thread is so helpful! Thanks, everyone! And thanks @tableforsix for starting it. Completely agree that you start from where your kid is and what he says he is comfy with, then course corrected as necessary in the years to come. I have family in Michigan (up north), but have never spent time in Ann Arbor, and haven’t yet had an opportunity to see the campus (or North Campus), so I am very grateful for all of you who took time here to be helpful! Yay!!!
OK, I’m stumped… What’s BTDT?
Band and dance team???.. Have to add this into my Knowsstuff library… Lol.
Let me know.
Ha! Been there, done that. Your guess is more fun, though.
Thank you for offering more options and further clarifications. Absolutely appreciated!
Omg That makes much more sense now! Lol. Please reach out or pm anytime
Just coming back to this. IMO, it’s important to consider the campus culture with regard to housing. If your son prefers a college where it is the norm to live on campus all four years, Michigan may not be the place for him. I ran the numbers. Only 13% of all sophomores, juniors, and seniors combined live in on-campus housing.
The proportion of all students in on-campus housing who are not freshman is 32%, and almost all of them are sophomores.
@brantly perfect. That’s the kind of concrete information I needed. Highly illustrative. My thanks!
You’re welcome. I got the numbers from the Common Data Set and reversed engineered in.
Your son may want to look into the Living Arts Engine living-learning community (.https://livingartsengine.engin.umich.edu/). That’ll put him in Bursley for sure.
North Campus requests are almost always honored…most kids want to be on main campus. A2 is so integral to UoM, there is so much overlap. Some apartments are closer to classes and main campus then some dorms.
One of the reasons/advantages my D24 chose the RC is because of the 2 year on campus requirement/guarantee.
Thanks, @GoBlue81 ! Great idea for a way to incorporate some certainty. We are definitely seriously considering it.
@MickeyEarwax I’ll have to read up on the RC. My research since starting this thread (driven by @brantly’s input) would agree with you. I’ve found three apartment complexes on top on N Campus that would be most agreeable. Wish we could visit, but alas…
Our expectations and plans are evolving thanks to everyone’s expertise and help. Appreciate it!