<p>I heard about the RC and thought it could be the perfect fit for me (I want to study language intensively, am a creative person by nature, and know I thrive in a living-learning community), but...</p>
<p>I just heard from a classmate who recently visited that there was, and I quote, "a ton of pot around." </p>
<p>Is this accurate? I know that marijuana possession laws are somewhat more lenient in Ann Arbor than they are in other parts of Michigan, but I don't want to be in that sort of environment. If possible, can a student tell me if this was exaggerated or not?</p>
<p>Well, medical marijuana is available and many students choose to take advantage of it. I’m not a student at Michigan. I actually live about 10 mins from Ann Arbor, and UMich was one of my backups; I hang out in Ann Arbor all the time though. </p>
<p>Ann Arbor is a fairly liberal area, and you’ll have your share of smokers (and you probably aleady know about hash bash) but if you don’t want it to, marijuana definitely won’t be a detrimental factor to your college career. If you want to avoid it, it’s easy enough, and Michigan students are all competent people and also generally respect others’ values. Marijuana is undoubtedly easily available, but it’s your choice whether or not you want to be in that scene.</p>
<p>K so the RC kids are generally more hipster than the rest of the student population. With that comes a lot of people that smoke weed. There’s probably more pot there than in most housing but there’s always gonna be kids that smoke so it’s pretty much luck of the draw anywhere else. Ann Arbor as a whole is an environment that is liberal towards marijuana use, and it’s not a huge deal once you get on campus. I personally don’t smoke but a lot of my friends do and that’s fine, they’ve never had any issues with it.</p>
<p>Here’s my real plug against the RC, though. The deal with the RC is it’s very possible to have all your classes in East Quad (so I think West Quad next year). Personally I would hate that and I know a few people in the RC that have also complained about it. You’re gonna get real sick of that building and it’s great to be acquainted with the whole campus. The language study is definitely a plus if you’re into that but beware that it’s REALLY intense and a lot of people don’t like it. There’s definite pros and cons but I wouldn’t really recommend it. Some do like it, but some don’t.</p>
<p>^Those are fair statements (my son has several friends in the program) but the OP does in fact sound like a good fit for RC.
My suggestion would be to ask to sit in on a few classes and maybe even try to overnight at the RC to get a sense of it. There is no question it is an exceptional option for intensive language study.</p>
<p>Re: pot - it’s true that there’s no shortage of same in AA, but that kind of goes with the territory. We’re talking about a population of highly intelligent folks at a rigorous school, so perhaps you are thinking about a kind of “negative drug” environment that wouldn’t actually describe the way people approach use in AA. Go see for yourself, and don’t let an opportunity go by for a great fit of a program from an assumption ;)</p>
<p>Well, I’m thrilled to see that nothing’s changed in the old quad since I was there ('77-'80). East Quad was a fabulous place. Even if you enroll in the RC, you can still take classes in the U at large, so you absolutely don’t have to live your whole college life in one building. I was not an RC student, but lived in EQ all four years and loved it. I took a few RC classes (Shakespeare, RC Singers) and found the small classes and access to professors very enriching. I met my husband on 4th floor Anderson freshman year (married now 30 years), and he was an RC student who later transferred out to major in economics/computer science. I never smoked (anything), but can’t say the same for hubby. MJ was always available, but I never considered EQ to have a drug problem. If the very thought of easy access to marijuana bothers you, Ann Arbor in general may not be the place for you. ;)</p>
<p>I would like to address the misconception @Familiar is describing. I am a marijuana smoker, but at the same time I undergo a rigorous study in high school(I have for the last year and a half). In comparing my performance before and after I started smoking, I can tell you that my grades have only improved, and my ability to learn only increased after I adopted this life philosophy of smoking marijuana. Michigan is a school better known for its many intellectual pot smokers. I can assure you that it is not the weed that can cause you to slip in terms of academic performance, it is your own self. When it comes to smoking marijuana, you have to refrain from letting the weed “get the best of you.” All this means is doing your homework or studying before lighting up (although I have no issue doing homework while high), and not letting yourself become lazy just because of the laziness attributed to marijuana use. I find that once you strike a good balance between smoking weed and doing school, the marijuana usage has a mellowing effect and can relieve the stress you build up doing all of the ridiculous things it takes to become an established student. I am not saying you should smoke marijuana, but I want you to understand that if you were surrounded by marijuana smokers at Michigan you wouldn’t even notice it because these people (myself alike) are smart, determined students who enjoy learning and marijuana for the same reasons - they stimulate the mind.</p>
<p>Nice “life philosophy”. May not work out so well for you with a more rigourous academic load in college. At a school such as UMich, I can assure you, the academics will not allow you to mellow out so often and get by with strong grades. Sorry - but it will be much more rigourous than high school. But, hey - good luck!</p>
<p>^then again, it may. I’m not advocating the use of illegal drugs or anything, but scientifically speaking there actually are some people who seem to do better academically smoking mj because it stimulates dopamine production. So, someone with a dopamine disregulation, such as ADD, might actually focus better. For another person, it could be a gateway drug and lead to other problems. Just sayin’ that everybody’s different and smoking pot alone will not necessarily determine their success or lack thereof, so don’t be too qiuck to judge.</p>
<p>Moderation…when it’s a life philosophy, it sounds a lot more than that. I’m not saying I followed my own advise. But, looking back, I should have.</p>
East Quad was a fabulous place. Even if you enroll in the RC, you can still take classes in the U at large, so you absolutely don’t have to live your whole college life in one building. I was not an RC student, but lived in EQ all four years and loved it. I took a few RC classes (Shakespeare, RC Singers) and found the small classes and access to professors very enriching. I met my husband on 4th floor Anderson freshman year (married now 30 years), and he was an RC student who later transferred out to major in economics/computer science. I never smoked (anything), but can’t say the same for hubby. MJ was always available, but I never considered EQ to have a drug problem. If the very thought of easy access to marijuana bothers you, Ann Arbor in general may not be the place for you. ;)</p>