Michigan stadium in the largest football stadium in the United States–seats 107,601, but it has hosted crowds in excess of 115,000. It’s massive and can be overwhelming. When I entered for my first game, I turned around and sold my student tickets every year thereafter. I can’t do crowds and that one was one hella. But, in college football, The Big House at Michigan is it. Compulsory doesn’t begin to cover it. And the rivalry with OSU is legendary, on the order of Liverpool/Man U (Anfield Forever!). Michigan football is religion. Buy the gear; you’ll be wearing it the rest of your life.
D18 just graduated and the big graduation ceremony was held in the football stadium for the first time since Covid hit. Yes, the Big House is a compulsory experience, a least for this football fan. Michigan did a wonderful job remodeling the original stadium, keeping the feel of the original while updating it to modern standards.
The other stadium, IMO, that’s compulsory viewing, is Notre Dame’s stadium.
As for coping with the weather in A2, that’s an individual thing. My D is from CA and she spent 4 years there and doesn’t want to leave. So, it just depends on you.
What is the exact worry? Maybe if she tries to pin down exactly what she’s worried about she will be able to address those things. If it’s just generalized worry about the unknown, that’s a different animal and something she has to think about differently.
The way I look at it, it’s cold, but so what? What can happen to her? There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. She needs to learn a new skill, how to dress for very cold weather.
This OP has great options in UF and UNC that are only marginally beneath UM in terms of rankings and selectivity. Would it really be so crazy to choose one of them for the weather and the opportunity to spend most of the year enjoying (not bearing or tolerating, ENJOYING) the outdoors?
Yes it would be… … The experience at Michigan is like no other as a typical college town and traditional college school experience with 45 majors in the top ten. It’s a completely different feel from those two but saying that you need to be comfortable and fit /feel on campus etc.
I am laughing at your comment since I live in Chicago in the city and it is warm out so many have their Michigan T shirts on and I say “Go Blue” a few times a day.
We have had that said back to us in Iceland, Germany, Israel, Italy etc. The international reach is real.
Maybe that’s because for whatever reason nobody wears their alma mater on their clothes as much as Michigan alumni? Maybe if we did we would also get greeted by random strangers wherever we go (if we wanted that attention)?
Nope. … Not trying to be elitest here. It’s a real thing… There tends to be a lot of alumni pride. People in my area are young professionals but I see people in their 60s also like me.
Some of it I think is a numbers game. More living alums will mean more chances to run into an alum. Michigan is in top 10 for living alums from what I have seen. Also, you will tend to notice apparel your own school/school you are a fan of more than you do other schools even if all are present in the same numbers. Before I had a kid at UK, I did not remember seeing much UK stuff at all but once enrolled, I saw them all over the place (I even wore some of my own). Was there more around me? Possibly. But seems much more likely I just noticed it more because of the connection to the school.
For Michigan there is also just the colors themselves. I think you are more likely to notice a bright yellow M than you are blue, white and red. Its used as a warning color for a reason.
As for Michigan football, most schools I have seen have bucket lists for students. Here is one for Michigan:
[quote] * Cheer in the student section at a game in the Big House
Attend a performance at Hill Auditorium
Watch a movie at the State Theatre
See a famous person speak
Explore the artwork at the UMMA
Feed a squirrel
Ride a Boober
Paint the Rock
Float down the Huron River
Stroll through the Botanical Garden
Ring the carillon bells at Burton Tower
Enjoy a meal at Zingerman’s
Experience dinner at a plethora of Ann Arbor restaurants
Have a picnic at the Arb[/quote]
From the lists I have seen, sporting events are very common to see on those lists. Sometimes its football. Sometimes its basketball. Sometimes its both. I would expect that in different parts of the country, different “can’t miss” venues would be listed. Swamp or Tiger Stadium for people in SEC country. Rose Bowl or Coliseum for west coast schools. Texas A&M or Texas. Penn State or Ohio State. And fans of particular schools likely rank theirs higher (and their rivals lower) than everyone else.
It’s not yellow, it’s maize. And plenty of schools have some form of yellow in their school colors. Say like UCLA and Cal, which also have large alumni bases.
Michigan is a huge sports school. In fact, a Michigan is currently ranked #1 in the Director’s Cup rankings. People root for winners aka “jumping on the bandwagon.”
I’ve met more than a few people who have no connection to Michigan yet wear Michigan apparel.
Funny you say that. I was standing in like and someone had one on. He understood the “Go Blue” greeting and he said he’s just a fan since his youth. He’s in his 70s…
Funny you say that. They amount of gear that my son has just from joining clubs /activites and his work for the school during his 4 years there is impressive. It seemed he either wore Michigan stuff or Chicago Cubs gear while there… Lol
We’re visiting U Michigan in July for a couple of days. My wife’s co-worker went there and thought the school was great but it was very dark and dreary from November - end of February.
He also said it was a hike from his dorm to his classes (but he went there over 30 years ago so not sure if that’s still true) and it was brutal in the winter.
I have friends who are the least sports-fan type people in the world. their son goes to Mich and now they wear their M clothes everywhere and act like UM sports are all-important. It’s nauseating (but then again, I am from Ohio and a Buckeye fan).
I am also struggling with the OP’s question though. IF a kid is Michigan caliber, but hates the cold, is it justifiable to go to UNC or even UF (or U of Georgia maybe) instead? Is the drop off in quality of life, academics, and career positioning really that dramatic, or is this part of the Michigan mystique and a bit of a myth?
By the way the kid I mentioned earlier at UM? He is graduating a semester early. His parents love to brag about that, but to me it might be a sign of a kid who just doesn’t love his life at college (they aren’t struggling financially).
… The experience at Michigan is like no other as a typical college town and traditional college school experience with 45 majors in the top ten. It’s a completely different feel from those two but saying that you need to be comfortable and fit /feel on campus etc.
… Not trying to be elitest here. It’s a real thing… There tends to be a lot of alumni pride. People in my area are young professionals but I see people in their 60s also like me.
