Is something wrong with me for not wanting to go to Michigan?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
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Whether or not a school resonates with any given student depends on a number factors that are unique to that particular student and what they do or do not want in their college experience. “Fit” comes down a number of factors:

  1. Academic fit: Do they have the programs you seek? Are there possibilities for research in your area of interest?
  2. School size (preferences large vs. small school; average class size; faculty/student ratio
  3. location (geographic preferences in terms of urban vs. rural; climate),
  4. general culture (importance of sports, Greek life, arts, conservative vs. liberal)

This is the kind of decision you need to make with both your head and your gut. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. While it’s probably a perfect fit for lots of people, I personally doubt that I would like it there – too cold, too big, too spread out, too lacking in warmth and charm.

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@“aunt bea” that is exactly how I felt at Michigan. Thank you for your insight it makes me feel better that other people have felt this way at other schools.

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@vpa2019 using a spreadsheet is exactly what I plan to do — I’m definitely going to wait and weigh all of my options because I don’t want to write anything off yet.

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@LoveTheBard out of all the things you listed, the only one I would agree that Michigan has for me is opportunities in research and in academics. The big hang up for me, though, is that those opportunities and academics are really the reason I’m going to college. But I agree that it is missing a significant chunk of what I want overall in a school

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What do you plan to study? Do any of the other schools that you have been admitted to or are waiting to hear from also offer similar opportunities for research and academics?

Both Tulane and Boston College would provide very different experiences than UMich. Have you visited them? How did you like those schools?

I would not make a decision until you know what all of your options are. It may turn out that USC or Georgetown will resonate more with you than Michigan did.

Personally, I hate winter, so at this point in my life, I would choose USC or Tulane over Boston College or Georgetown (and I"m a GT grad!). Michigan would probably be my last choice.

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@LoveTheBard I plan to study something in the sciences and Spanish because I want to go to medical school. I really liked Tulane but I’m also not someone who probably will ever drink so partying is a little concern there. But again I think I’d be generally happier somewhere with a warmer feel. I think the city aspect is the main part that is missing for me at Michigan.

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USC it is!

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@dunnowheretogo Overall, it seems that you really want to get out of the Midwest, or at least the area that is too close to Chicagoland. That is understandable - my kid feels the same way. Although my kid applied to UIUC, other than that, the closest college on her list was in Minnesota, and most were entirely outside of the Midwest.

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Don’t discount gut feel as part of the process. If UM isn’t your cup of tea that is perfectly fine – you already have some other excellent choices (with hopefully more acceptances to come).

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For what it’s worth my dad was a doctor and a med school professor and he said as far as admissions go 1. You can major in anything you want as long as you take and do well in the med school pre requisites and 2. excellent grades and MCAT scores are the most important factors. So it would be worth considering whether any of your choices have issues with grade deflation as GPA is very important.

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@MWolf you’re definitely right — I really think I want to see another part of the country

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@vpa2019 thank you that is very reassuring to hear. I’m glad that where you go to school isn’t a big factor

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Go to Tulane. Nobody is going to make you party. There are partiers and nonpartiers at every school. Find your people at Tulane. Or USC, if you get in. My daughter got into Michigan and she didn’t go. Some people love it, though, and you’ll make someone very happy giving up that spot.

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Where you go has some bearing but all of your schools are excellent so that’s one criteria you’ve met already.

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Oh, and I forgot one crucial criterion – affordability.

It sounds like that’s not a huge concern in your case, though. If your parents are on board with all of your choices, then just go where you believe that you will thrive the most and be happiest. You’ll find your tribe wherever you go.

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We live in Chicago by Wrigley. My sons at Michigan. He likes it there due to the fact it feels more like a city then other colleges so I find your remark funny to me but honest.

Yes, getting into Michigan and being from Chicago is like a big deal. Everyone from here will most likely tell you it’s a great school and opportunities and yes your parents can brag a little to their friends that went to Michigan. Lots of those around here… Lol…

Also I would do another visit in the spring /warmer weather. It’s like going to two different campuses. Yes, in the winter it looks sterile but in the spring it’s a beautiful campus… BTW.

Show this thread to your parents or have serious talk with them sooner then later. BTW - campus tours can suck. Sometimes it’s better going on your own. Central campus is actually kinda small and it’s where most /all of your classes will be the first year. It took my son less then 10 minutes from dorm to class walking.

Very few campuses have their own arboretum also. You want beautiful check that out… Lol…

You can make any university feel small also by joining clubs /activities.

Don’t blame you wanting out of the Midwest though. I have to walk my dog now and he doesn’t want to wait till it warms up… Haha

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I wonder if part of the problem is that this is the first school you’ve visited that was a real choice for you because you’ve been accepted. Could some of the bad feeling been the “Uh oh, now this is real” feeling, not just about the campus?

I agree that the weather is not great there. I grew up about 30 miles from the campus, and the weather is my least favorite part of Ann Arbor. But there are going to be trade offs everywhere.

I don’t happen to agree about the architecture, though — yes, certain parts of campus, but there a lot of beautiful buildings outside the law quad. I’ll also say one of my kids picked a school that has a campus with a reputation as unattractive —but fortunately she was a lot more focused on what was going on inside the buildings when picking a school, and had a great experience at her college.

You seem to be struggling with aspects that I think are fairly superficial to the college experience. Before you make any more visits, make a list of what you are looking for when you visit. My kids were interested in specific academic areas — what is the course sequence in their probable majors? Are there interesting electives offered? Can they tell where those students are going after graduation? Did they get to meet any profs or students to talk to? How big is the dept - profs & students? What is the gender mix in the major for students & profs (my STEM kid cared about this)? How much space would they have for electives vs required courses?

They sat in on a class to get a feeling, and stayed overnight at their final choices. Eat in the cafeteria if you can’t overnight and people watch/eavesdrop.

They checked out ECs, too. One wanted to take some art classes, so we stopped in the fine arts building. Another wanted to study abroad, so we visited that office.

They had questions about the community, too. What was around campus and affordable for students to do? They wanted to know where the public library was. How hard was it to get to/from campus from home? Where are the dorms in relation to their classes? Where do students live after frosh year? Did the dorms have AC?

Read the campus paper online or pick up while on campus. You’ll get a feeling for what the issues are that your tour guide isn’t mentioning.

My point is, if you wander into the visit with no more sense of what you are looking for other than weather and architecture, you won’t get much out of your visit. Also, you need to be aware of your own possible “this is real” reaction sabatoging a school.

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@intparent I definitely don’t think architecture and weather were the only factors. The school is about 10,000 people larger than the next biggest school I looked at, and virtually all of the schools I am applying to are in or near a major city (which, I get that UMich is near Detroit, but Detroit is not Boston or New Orleans or DC). I definitely am not writing UMich off, specifically because it has incredible academics and that’s what I’m going to college for. And the people at Michigan were super friendly and I liked virtually everyone I met. Although I do agree that the “this is real” part definitely played a role, I’m not sure if it was the only reason why I felt that way. I guess we’ll find out when I go back in April!

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@Knowsstuff I am going back in April and I am definitely going to check out the arboretum — it sounds amazing. I also agree that winter may not be the best time for me to have visited. I feel like I need another trip not during winter. Again, it has more than everything I want academically in a school, and the school spirit aspect is amazing. So maybe a second trip will change my mind completely.

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There is nothing wrong with you OP. That’s the point of making the college visits. Sounds to me like you found better fits elsewhere. Nothing wrong with that!