<ol>
<li><p>How is the weather? (I'd be coming in from Cali ><)</p></li>
<li><p>How are the people? (scale 1-10)</p></li>
<li><p>How is the college social life? (scale 1-10) + description plz!!</p></li>
<li><p>Night life? =D (scale 1-10) + description!!</p></li>
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<p>I applied to UMAA, and I just want to learn more about the surroundings.</p>
<p>thanks in advance!</p>
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<li><p>How is the weather? (I’d be coming in from Cali ><): Cold in the winter, we had a very rainy fall, warm in the spring (like march on), and hot in the summer. There are 4 distinctive seasons, all of which have pros and cons. You’ll have to get used to the cold but if you dress appropriately it shouldn’t be too bad. I also invested in a raincoat this semester. Michigan isn’t known for it’s great weather but the Fall/Spring is gorgeous and even winter has its merits. Unless you REALLY can’t handle snow then I think you would adjust if you are happy with the other parts of Michigan life. </p></li>
<li><p>I guess a 9? I really like everybody here, I have been really impressed with how friendly everyone is. The only negative thing that has even occurred to me since arriving in September is that I am used to economic diversity being a lot more obvious than it seems to be here, but most of the students aren’t snobby or anything.</p></li>
<li><p>My comments here probably wouldn’t be relevant to you since I transferred, it’s a little different for freshmen. There are LOTS of things on campus to do though, whether you are a partier or not. Ann Arbor is a really vibrant city. Lots of restaurants, museums, clubs, shopping, pretty much anything you can think of. I don’t know much about the parties because that’s not what I do, so someone else will have to add in.</p></li>
<li><p>There are a couple clubs I like, I am more of a hang-out-at-home kind of person so someone else will have to chip in here, too.</p></li>
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<p>Twisted, how did you find the transition into Michigan academically and socially?</p>
<p>Also, what are the best residence halls? I visited the college and from what I saw, South/West quadrangle seemed to be the best. Are these tough to get into? I’m going to enter as a sphomore transfer this winter, and I’d like to be in a dorm with upperclassmen if possible.</p>
<p>You are probably going to be surrounded my freshmen with some sophomores and the rare junior sprinkled in. That has been my experience and seems to be fairly consistent among the transfer students I am still in contact with from orientation. Most transfer students live off campus or in northwood 3, and I am getting the impression a lot of upperclassmen live in apartments. Academically I have been fine, making a few more B’s than I’d like but I am not studying as hard as I should be, and I ADORE my classes and even my homework. That’s been great. Socially it’s been harder because my floor are almost exclusively little blond freshman girls who are pledging sororities and we really have zilch in common apparently, and it’s taken me a little while to get to know my classmates to try and cultivate friendships there. I haven’t joined any clubs yet, was too busy figuring out how long it really takes me to get my work done and how much free time I actually have. So, socially it’s been slow and steady. Being a transfer student sucks completely at first for most people no matter where you go, it’s a weird situation-- new to school, but not new to college–but it’s worth it in the end if it’s the right place for you to be.</p>
<p>I do not believe South/West quad should be hard for you to get into. I think we are still in the lottery system so if you get a bad number you might go into your second/third choice, I have no idea where my position was in the lottery. I requested Cambridge first because it is upperclassmen only and didnt get in-- but its small so I figured, and East Quad was my second choice. West Quad has no elevator, which I don’t like because I am severely asthmatic, and I preferred EQ to SQ for no particlar reason. I saw EQ on a tour and stayed in SQ for orientation, liked them both, but EQ felt more like home.</p>
<p>If I don’t get into Cambridge next year though I might have to boot someone out of their room and take it. :P</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your answer, Twisted, it’s very helpful. I’m glad to hear you’re having a good time there.</p>
<p>Hey enemyunit.
Even though I’m not in college yet, I went through elementary, middle, and high school in Ann Arbor. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>We have more winter than summer. The seasons are distinctive but I always feel like it’s cold in some way haha. It’s absolutely gorgeous when it snows even though it’s been snowing less and less each year. Because you’re coming from California, you’re probably going to find Ann Arbor kind of cold.</p></li>
<li><p>The people in Ann Arbor are great! Most people are quite surprised by the diversity in this city and how open people are to other cultures. Most people you’ll meet in Ann Arbor will also somehow relate to the university. They either attend the university or will have a family member working for the university or something. Haha. We’re also totally pop people versus soda.</p></li>
<li><p>I can’t help with this because I’m not in college just yet! Hopefully I’ll be attending UM next year too! However, I have visited my friends in college and they seem to having a lot of fun and I feel like Ann Arbor’s not the biggest place in the world but there’s always lots of things to do.</p></li>
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<p>I don’t really know if I helped you get a better view because I haven’t experienced the college life here. But I really love Ann Arbor as a city and I definitely want to go to college here!</p>
<p>The other important thing to know about weather is that we have a lot of cloud cover. Honestly, if you’re from a sunny place it will probably wear on your worse than the cold will. Just drink up the sunny days when you come, and look forward to those trips back to Cali for breaks. </p>
<p>I think Ann Arbor’s great, although when I was here for grad school my peers from L.A. griped about the lack of good restaurants and clubs. Most others seemed to find the place charming and the offerings adequate, but the LA people had standards Ann Arbor couldn’t meet.</p>
<p>A lot of alums say they miss Ann Arbor and students say they are sorry to leave it when they graduate.</p>
<ol>
<li> My FL born and raised D deals with the weather by bundling up in Northface and longjohns. The overcast cloudy days do bother her and if the sun is shining, she’ll venture out in the coldest weather to soak it up. She enjoys the change of seasons, but is really happy to come home on breaks to thaw out.</li>
<li> Whenever I visit campus, and my D confirms this, people are very friendly and helpful. Even though it’s a big school, my D always sees at least a few people she knows wherever she goes.</li>
<li> All I know is that my D has lots of friends and is always busy.</li>
<li> Ann Arbor is a classic college town. The school is big enough to have all kinds of venues and when I’ve dropped my D off late at night to her dorm, the streets are packed with students. Is it anything like LA? We have family there and my girls often go out with their cousins at night, so I would definitely say not. For my D that is a plus!</li>
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<p>Hm, that’s a lot of good info guys. thanks! =D</p>
<p>From the description, the weather is just a minor setback, but Ann Arbor really sounds like a great place.</p>
<p>I really really really want to go there…but UM OOS cost of attendance is almost 50K/year…so I don’t know. Oh well, we’ll see if I get accepted first haha.</p>