<p>I grew up in Michigan and everyone said Michigan or U of M. Now we live in Chicago, and I keep hearing people refer to it as UMich. </p>
<p>I assume this is not something that students actually say, is it? I had seen it written as UMich before, but never heard it called that until I moved here, where it seems to be the norm.</p>
<p>I noticed this too and was curious if people actually call it that. When I attended Michigan it was called either Michigan or U of M. I never saw UMich until my daughter starting looking at colleges. Another one I see now is “UPenn” for the University of Pennsylvania. I grew up in Pennsylvania, and it was always called “Penn.” Does it have something to do with the internet (the website is UMich.edu after all)? Certainly not a major issue, but I would like to hear from current/recent students.</p>
<p>Ya it comes from all of the internet titles, and you are on their websites all the time as a student. I probably said UMich a few times.</p>
<p>When someone asks me where I went to school I just say Michigan though. If they ask where in Michigan (they didn’t get it) I say the University of Michigan. </p>
<p>I don’t think many older people would get what UMich was supposed to be. I’m sure it is just fr high schoolers doing their applications and getting emails, and for some actual students that may occasionally say it.</p>
<p>U of M means other things in other parts of the country (Minnesota, for example). So while it is descriptive locally,it does not travel well. And “Michigan” is confusing to those who don’t live in the state and aren’t totally clear on the difference between U of Michigan and Michigan State (I know, I know, but to people who don’t live in Michigan…). So I can see how UMich has arisen.</p>
<p>Locally, we call it UM or U 0f M. I use UMich only online as there are often time confusion with other universities. </p>
<p>Most residents of the state, students and alums call it Michigan. UofM is a distant second. People who are not affiliated to the university or the state call it a host of different names, from Michigan, to UoM, to scUM, to UMich, to University of Michigan etc…</p>
<p>and state grads who flip my fries like to call it umAA.</p>
<p>I am glad to hear that no one who is knowledgeable is calling it UMich. It just does not sound right to me. I see why people write it on web sites for clarity, but saying it seems different. I don’t like the sound of it. </p>
<p>I guess the good news is that this comes up because the school is getting an increasing number of out of state applicants who are not as familiar with the school.</p>
<p>@blprof: Penn students still just call it Penn (DD is going this fall). I have heard Penn students say UPenn when speaking to someone who may not be familiar with the school because of the potential confusion with Penn State. They also write it for clarity, like UMich, and the website is Upenn.edu because Penn is too generic for the internet.</p>
<p>@bearcats: I understand that you are making a joke, but what does “umAA” mean?</p>
<p>University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>Assuming there’s no hidden shenanigans in the acronym.</p>
<p>This is just a modern thing… same thing in Minnesota. It was always UofM or Minnesota. Now you tend to say UMinn to differentiate. I think anyone who thinks when you say Michigan or Minnesota is not the “university of …” is just ill-informed. It is not like they are low-end schools. Sky U Mah!</p>
<p>Torveaux - it is “Ski-U-Mah”. </p>
<p>IMHO: one name brands are the strongest…Madonna…Rasputin…</p>
<p>UM shouldn’t be used due to regional sensibilities (Florida and Minnesota at a minimum). The other uses are likely to evoke confusion and brand dilution.</p>
<p>For that reason, my personal preference would be to see alumni converge to “Michigan”…that is what the block-M is all about…creating something that is both lilterally and figuratively literally iconic.</p>
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<p>That could be regional, even within the state–most people around here call it U of M when referring to the college itself and Michigan when referring to the sports teams. </p>
<p>I grew up with U of M. </p>
<p>I live in town and we call it U of M, but for facilities on campus like the hospital, we call it UM Hospital.</p>
<p>As grads and Michigan residents, we call it Michigan, and abbreviate to U of M.</p>
<p>UMich looks bizarre to me, and I have no plans to ever say that out loud. LOL</p>
<p>Bearcats: I have to say, that the only people who I have heard refer to it as UM - Ann Arbor, are people affiliated with UM - Flint.</p>
<p>As an OOS student from California, I used to say Michigan when people asked me where I go to school, but I started getting ridiculous facepalm-worthy follow-up questions along the lines of “where in Michigan?”, so now I spell it out and say “University of Michigan” for anyone who asks me that or who may for some reason need the clarification. I don’t think I’ve ever said “UMIch” out loud in any context, “U of M” I say maybe sometimes, but my preferred word choice is just “Michigan” and I hope at some point in the future I’ll be able to say that in all contexts and everyone will know what it means.</p>
<p>I’d assume the nicks UPenn and UMich were organically influenced by the website yes, but also by UChicago, which has been called UChicago for decades. To be fair, UPenn and UMich are both clean nicks, in my opinion. “U of M” feels dated and ambiguous to me, and “Michigan” tends to get associated with the economic collapse of the state. I see marketing potential there for UMich and UPenn, if there aren’t already forces behind their use.</p>
<p>Other than saying the full University of Michigan there really isn’t any way to ensure people will identify the school correctly. I am an OOS alum and always say Michigan. Biggest problem is confusion with Michigan State. My S will be a freshman this year at Michigan. But when I tell people my older son goes to Washington University in St. Louis, the most common response is, “Oh, is that in Seattle?” You cannot win.</p>