@UMich4567. Michigan is hard. Buts it’s hard for everyone. The "A"s will be tougher depending on what she is thinking of majoring in. As I told my kids, college is not about grades but about learning… Unless your premed then it’s all about the grades.
The support foundation at Michigan is what you would expect it to be. Math /science help session. Peer to peer help. Learning centers. Professors hours and so on. There is no excuse not to do well at Michigan. Just don’t expect all “A” a.
@Nhatrang My daughter was thrilled to be accepted to Michigan, but then got accepted at UCLA – which strikes me as Michigan with better weather and a more fun urban environment. We would have loved for her to attend U of M, mostly for our own convenience (very close to family, and very familiar to me and my wife from law school and - for my wife - undergraduate). But she has other plans, and will attend either UCLA or Berkeley.
@FlyerDad I lived in the law quad as a 1L, and it was beautiful – it’s now even nicer, as they’ve updated the interiors. Not sure what the cost is now, but it was a great investment back when I went (graduated 1996).
JoelShoe, are you a resident of the state of Michigan?
@JoelShoe - I read somewhere that children tend to like going to the school their parent went. Not sure it’s b/c of the parent’s influence or there is a psychological attraction wanting to keep the tradition. Your daughter has great choices, very similar to mine. Keep me posted with where she picked. UCLA has a really cool urban vibe. UCB has the free spirited with a lot of culture. Like yours my D was thrilled when UMich accepted her, learned everything about UMich and fell in love with it, until UCLA/UCB/JHU/CMU came along. We even registered for campus day at UMich, good thing I didn’t buy the tickets yet. Honestly it’s all coming down to the weather. She is very much an outdoor person. The thought of not able to wear cute clothes, walk around or laying under the sun to enjoy lunch after a stressful exam, kind of turn her off a little. I feel that UMich’s academic environment is more nurturing and supportive than the UCs. But it wasn’t enough to change her mind.
P.S I wonder what school did the OP decide to go?
Thanks @Knowsstuff. Your reply helped and I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts.
@UMich4567. No problem. Actually came up from Chicago for my son’s conference today on augmented reality. Very cool like 50 people for talks and demos. Support from Michigan and industry people like Ford. At Pizza Bob’s right now then drive back home. Good luck with your daughter.
Definitely not for everyone. I was so set on going there my entire life, and now I realize I would hate it there. All personal preference.
I just came back from UMich after taking my son for a tour. I took him around the main campus and the north campus since he was accepted in electrical engineering. I love the place and the campus. I tried my best to convince him to go to UMich. The weather won. With snow forecast today, he decided to go to USC at almost full price. 
My iPhone says sunny with a high of 54 in AA today.
Not crazy obviously. Gut reactions matter. I went to Michigan 40 years ago and was very unhappy there. I had been pushed into going. I have spent many decades since trying to convince myself that I liked it given all it’s good qualities. It certainly has those. But it just wasn’t for me. Land was too flat. Sports was too big a theme even though it has high academics. Too many modern buildings even though it does have some older stuff. Town was too small. I’m from New York City and was used to a much bigger, more lively environment. And the skies were too gray. It depressed me. I don’t mind winter weather but need to see some blue in the sky. I know people who liked it there. It has every major. They take better care of undergrads than most big schools (not so much in my day but today). But it wasn’t for me. It was like marrying somebody who is a fine person who is meant for someone else. Looking back, I’d say the most important thing about choosing a college is the fit - not the reputation. Only you really know what you like. Others cannot dictate it to you. You have a lot of work ahead of you and you have to be relatively comfortable with the place and its culture. Maybe visit it again and see how you feel.
I hear you regarding the North Campus. It is bland even as the school tries to make it otherwise. Not sure I hear the point about diversity though. The so-called elite schools are all stocked with affluent people. Who else can afford them? Michigan as a state school has plenty of people of humbler means and is pretty diverse. Maybe it is not as diverse as Rutgers - Newark but it’s way more diverse than most.
“Land was too flat.”
Should have spent more time on that “bland” North Campus or perhaps the Arb.
“I’m from New York City.”
Now I know why you hated flat land…
We live about an hour away from Ann Arbor. I have mixed feeling about UofM. My daughter will apply so we can get an apples to apples comparison for other schools, as far as cost goes. She is NOT a STEM student. Right now she wants to major in history with potential for law or teaching (college level.)
Her dream schools are Brown and UPenn.
I love Ann Arbor, but it has gotten SUPER expensive. There is no good mass transit, so a car off campus is a must. Michigan has the highest car insurance rates in the country. UofM does NOT guarantee housing beyond freshman year. Ultimately it will be her choice, but we have agreed to consider all factors. If she does get into an Ivy, it will be hard to turn it down.
The bus system is free and excellent. And central campus and downtown AA is very walkable. My kid had a volunteer assignment 20-30 minutes away from a campus last Fall and the bus route(s) worked perfectly. Why would you need a car unless you wanted to go to other cities? Just walk or take an Uber/Lyft. And the Flyer takes you to and from the airport for $12 each way.
While there’s no guarantee of of housing beyond freshman year, getting into Stockwell or North Quad as a sophomore isn’t really that difficult. Demand tends to be light(er), because most students WANT to live “off campus.” My kid and friend/peer network all got “off campus” or Greek housing, because they didn’t want to live in the dorms anymore and eat dorm food. I nearly begged my kid to sign up for Stockwell or North Quad to no effect. They were both available, very nice remodeled dorms with dining nearby. In fact, Stockwell, looks like Hogwarts to me. Beautiful.
Having said all that, for History, I’d probably pick Brown and Penn over UMich too, assuming school spirit is NOT one of the criteria for choosing schools.
“Having said all that, for History, I’d probably pick Brown and Penn over UMich too.”
Michigan does have a top ten history department, at least at the graduate level.
To be fair, Michigan is a “rich kid” school too.
“The median family income of a student from Michigan is $154,000, and 66% come from the top 20 percent.”
-New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/18/upshot/some-colleges-have-more-students-from-the-top-1-percent-than-the-bottom-60.html)
Ya I saw that, but assumed as undergrad, Penn or Brown might have an advantage (e.g., smaller class sizes, no GSI’s).
no GSI’s? How would their History PhDs get teaching experiences?
“as undergrad, Penn or Brown might have an advantage”
It really depends on what kinda undergraduate experience our history major is looking for.
‘Super expensive’ compared to Brown or Penn? Only if you get a lot of FA from those two schools. For an in-state student, tuition is less than half of Brown or Penn. Ann Arbor non-luxury apartments average $700-$800 per month per bedroom on central, $100 less on north, and $100 less outside of the campus area.