<p>I've been accepted to the University of Michigan and I've been looking at learning communities because I think it's what I want to get into when I get to college. During my search, I found the Michigan Research Community. Being interested in research, the MRC intrigued me but I have a few questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How hard is it to get into?</p></li>
<li><p>How many people are accepted yearly?</p></li>
<li><p>What dorm room does the MRC live in?</p></li>
<li><p>How close are the students?</p></li>
<li><p>In your opinion, are you happy that you joined (assuming you're apart of the MRC)?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I know that MRC lives in MOJO. I am also curious to responses to your other questions, and also want to know how much of a time commitment it really takes, and especially for engineering students, is it too much or did you find it manageable in addition to schoolwork, other activities and maybe a social life?</p>
<p>I know this thread is almost 2 weeks stale, but I though I would try to answer some of your questions.
- MRC is a selective program, I don’t know the exact statistics because they probably vary by year, but not everyone who applies gets in.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>There are about 120 spaces open for freshmen (based on last year). I’m posting a link of the community breakdown from the website, it’s a bit hard to understand, but the left column are answers from freshmen members.
[Michigan</a> Research Community (Subpage)](<a href=“http://www.lsa.umich.edu/mrc/alumni/snapshot]Michigan”>http://www.lsa.umich.edu/mrc/alumni/snapshot)</p></li>
<li><p>All MRC students are housed in Mosher Jordan Hall, this year, MRC occupies the third floor and a portion of the fourth floor. MoJo is located in the hill area of campus, a short (~5 minute) walk across a bridge to class. In 2008 MoJo was renovated to add both air conditioning as well as the hill dining center, which is the primary cafeteria for the hill area.</p></li>
<li><p>Mosher Jordan is a vibrant community. While not in the sense of Markley, but there is a good sense of community. </p></li>
<li><p>I am glad that I decided to join the MRC. I don’t plan to ever go into a career path involving research, but the things that I’ve done with research are really cool. While my project doesn’t involve lasers or creating sustainable energy sources like others I know, I have been able to work with some of the best faculty in the field. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>umich8790- I’ll try to break down the time commitment for you.
- First Semester
- 6-12 Hours of research per week. Most people do 6-9, and when you do it generally depends on what you can work out with your research sponsor.
- 1.5 Hour Class (UC 104- Introduction to Research) every other week.
- 1 Hour seminar every other Wednesday on research</p>
<ul>
<li>Second Semester
<ul>
<li>6-12 Hours of research per week.</li>
<li>1 Hour seminar every other Wednesday where researchers come in and discuss their research.</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>
<p>Finally, about 1/3 of the community is made up on engineers. I am one myself. Research is manageable on top of the class work. I have a more flexible project that lets me work on it on my own, but even engineers that have to make it up to a lab to do their work don’t seem to have too much trouble.</p>
<p>Overall, if you’re interested in research, or just doing something new, MRC provides the opportunity. If there is anything else I can answer for you, feel free to let me know.</p>
<p>What’s the difference between MRC and UROP (apart from the dorm binding in MRC)?</p>
<p>I can’t speak for the MRC since I’ve never been in that program, but I can tell you about UROP. </p>
<p>In UROP, you are required to work in a research project (6-12 hours/week) and attend 1.5 hour seminars every other week for both semesters. You are also required to create a poster on your research and present it at the annual symposium. </p>
<p>There are also other requirements, like attending monthly meetings with your peer advisor, completing assignments, and writing an abstract. </p>
<p>From what I can tell, the biggest difference between the MRC and UROP is the dorm binding and the additional course you have to take. </p>
<p>In terms of time commitment, I think UROP is very doable as long as you don’t overload your schedule. Personally, I think it’s a great program which gives you the opportunity to get involved in some pretty cool research. If you decide not to do MRC, I would definitely consider doing just UROP.</p>
<p>There are very few differences between UROP and MRC, but, I’ll try to compare the two programs for you.</p>
<p>UROP
- Research Hours Required (3-12)- Faculty generally want 6-9 or 12, though.</p>
<ul>
<li>Wednesday Night Meeting- I don’t know if they are every Wednesday, but you discuss how your research is going with a group of other UROP students.</li>
</ul>
<p>MRC (Please look above for info about UC 104 and seminars… I don’t want to make this message too long!
- Research Hours Required (6-12)</p>
<p>I’ve Posted (above) what’s required for MRC, so I’m just going to post a few more benefits that the community offers.</p>
<ul>
<li>Each student is assigned to Peer Mentor group as well as a Peer Advising Group, both of which are headed by returning students.
-The Peer Mentor is responsible for answering any questions prior to arrival on campus, as well as helping freshmen get acclimated, and just being of general assistance throughout the year.
-The Peer Advisor is responsible for helping with all aspects of research. From applying for research projects to making sure hours are met, they are there for any questions specifically about research.</li>
</ul>
<p>-Study Groups- While the university does offer study groups, the MRC also offers study groups for members of the community within the dorm. These generally are for general classes, but they do cover most classes that freshmen would take.</p>
<p>-RA’s- In addition to having Peers, and Professional staff, all (to the best of my knowledge) RA’s have come through the MRC and have done research, so they are another resource.</p>
<p>Edit: It looks like onesong beat me too it, and his information on UROP is probably better then mine. I would have to agree that if you decide not to join MRC that UROP is also a great thing to do.</p>
<p>Awesome pieces of information. I’ll apply for both programs as recommended by the ‘housing department’. Thank you, people.</p>