<p>Many of my friends are going to U of M next year and I already know a few freshman. I have visited the campus many times and the impression I get is that the freshman have no interest in working together, but they only want to push each other down to get on top. I have 4 friends there and 2 say it's true and 2 say it's completely false. I really want to go to U of M because they have some of the strongest departments in the country for what I want to major in (anthropology and classics). </p>
<p>Somebody please set me straight and tell me it isn't true.</p>
<p>i don't know whether it's true or not, but at any highly ranked school you are going to have serious competition. From what I heard Umich isn't as bad as other schools, such as carnegie mellon or wustl</p>
<p>I've been out of the loop for a a while. Just how would that work? Your roomates push you down and pour beer down your throat and then while you're in a stupor they would go study for calc? Or sneak in at midnight and hide your snowboots and pencil case so you couldn't go to class in the morning? Maybe sneak off to the library to study while you were left watching ESPN Zone?</p>
<p>'Course it's also possible that you could have different groups of people for study group, intramurals, clubs and drinking buddies.</p>
<p>I think what you're describing is only true for a minority of kids who are doing things like business or pre-med, where having a high GPA is important, and classes can be heavily curved. I can't see people in anthropology or classics doing anything like that.</p>
<p>There's competition at any elite school. IDK specifically about Michigan, but my brother is at Berkeley, where academic pressure is probably slightly more intense due to stricter admissions policies, and he says the competition isn't that cutthroat. At most schools, bio/pre-med majors run into the most comp., bc so many people are trying to get into med school, every grade matters. Students will sabotage other people's labs, etc., so that the curve isn't as high. But even at Berkeley, I've only heard of a few cases like that. Everyone else competes, but they want each other to do well too, because it benefits the reputation of the school. In short, I think you'll be fine. Michigan IS competitive, but that's why it appeals to so many people.</p>
<p>I am a 2nd year premed and your friends are wrong. Everyone studies together, there's very little competition/cutthroat atmosphere. I've heard business is definitely more competitive though, although you'll have to get another opinion on that.</p>
<p>I'm a classics major and EVERY person I have met in the department is wonderful and helpful, professors and fellow students alike. You can always find us before class working each other through difficult Latin passages, etc. Maybe it's that way for some, but it's not been my experience.</p>
<p>I'm a Spanish and Classics double-major, and I've had no problem with competition. I frequently study with my friends. We love to help each other.</p>