So as you know my son’s there living the dream as a senior.
Is he really “living the dream” right now? I am sure he has great friends that he was fortunate to make prior to Covid, but is this really his dream senior year? LOL, I doubt it, but is he ok, sure he has security and has had lived the Michigan experience.
Freshman however, are having a tough time. My D has being working hard to make lemonade out of the year, she has made a great group of friends, but not all of them were able to find housing for next semester, so some will not be returning and will be taking classes from home. The freshman have been held captive in their dorms and made out to be like they are all carriers of the virus. Her classes are all pre-recorded except for her language class.
Michigan is a great University and my kids do not want to transfer, but they are extremely disappointed that such a great University did nothing to manage things during this difficult time. So many other Big Ten and Top schools have managed and have made their students feel welcome and folded them into the community vs. shunning them like Michigan has to its Freshman.
By fall 2021, lets all hope the world returns to its pre-covid days or at least classes are nearly all back to in person and students may return to the stadium!
I was joking around when I said he was “living the dream”… BTW…
It sucks but he’s busy on campus. Has a job and runs an active student organization. More homework then he ever imagined. Takes 5 classes and is doing a 2 year minor in 2 semesters. He bearly has time to text or call me (think that might be an excuse… Hmmm ?)
Being a Freshman would be hard and I do feel bad for your child. But this is just one year. It will be something they always remember whether good or bad.
The University’s recent decision to tell the Freshmen to pack up their stuff and move out with two week’s notice has created a totally unnecessary and mind-numbing disruption for students and parents. There is virtually no off-campus housing available, and where there is vacancy, the landlords immediately jacked up the rents upon the news.
“Oh, just take zoom classes from your home” has been the directive. Have you talked to any college freshmen currently taking classes on-line from home? I have, and they are isolated, frustrated, and wondering why kids in a variety of states can live on campus and attend in-person classes while they are staring at a computer screen all day.
As an out-of-state tuition-paying parent ($52+K), I can assure you that we, and we suspect many others in the same situation, could not be more disappointed in the absence of leadership and rational decision making. Universities across the Midwest have figured out how to make next semester work, including Ohio State. With Michigan’s vaunted medical program and gigantic endowment, how is it possible for the school to completely fail in dealing with Covid while alienating its entire Freshmen class?
It will be very, very interesting to see how many students in the current Freshman class elect to transfer to schools where they aren’t treated with so little empathy.
If you are a high school senior considering Michigan, please know that you will be surrounded by great kids in an amazing college town, but that your school will be led by an administration that will view you simply as a number and a $ sign - nothing more.
Look into the 15 coop housing on campus. There are still openings and the rent ends at the end of your semester. Apply today. Plus rent is not that expensive. Also apply to stay. My son did last winter /spring. He was on campus and was allowed to stay. One of the best decisions he made.
@Pelaton I read the letter again to the administration and I’m still shaking my head. Talked tonight with a friend who also graduated from Michigan about the letter, and he also talked about this with his wife, so they are a double legacy family. Both of our families let our kids pick schools other than Michigan, and we are glad they did. I think you are right…a lot of alums will be dismayed.
This has been our biggest disappointment with the school. It’s a wonderful school, but even with how great it is, the administration and regents for many many years have only cared about one thing–money. And the experience there is great, but it’s not unique enough for those of us mortals who don’t make $400,000+/year to send our kids there.
When I lost my job due to the pandemic last February, I approached financial aid again and told them our situation. The best they could do for us was lower the cost of attendance so that it would cost $56,000 instead of $68,000 for an out of stater. Wow.
While my daughter is going to a school that is ranked lower than Michigan, I feel like she is enjoying it, she is ON CAMPUS, and we are paying 30% of the total price tag that my alma mater costs.
@Pelaton it’s not opening. @sbdad12. Sorry about your job. I do know many families that they helped to a great degree at Michigan OOS. Everyone’s financial situation is different so hard to judge if that was a fair amount but I totally get what your saying. I hope the job situation improves for you though and great that your is happy where’s she’s at.
No question they could of some a better job. I see that. But we never felt like a number there. Still don’t. It’s funny how everyone’s experiences are different.
I’m also sorry to hear about your job loss @sbdad12. But, I do think an 18% reduction in COA was better than many impacted people have received at UM, and other schools. I’m glad that your D is happy where she is!
Thanks @Knowsstuff and @Mwfan1921 . I’m good. Have a new job since July and I’m really happy.
And I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade. I’ve been vocal about how the school is letting a lot of people down financially. The school, for many people, is just too expensive (as are the UCs out here for OOS). As an alum, I feel that many people need to speak up to a school that has a massive endowment (which means it should be more generous with financial aid) and that for many, but not all, is out of reach financially (and I make decent money).
Still love my school and am proud of it. Hope your kids feel the same 30 years after graduation!
I think purely blaming the UM President and the administration is incorrect. I talk to my kid almost daily and she tells me the students and local residents don’t follow any Covid guidance. She sees very few masks being worn when she’s outside her apartment.
Here in my SF Bay Area community, it’s rare that you don’t see someone wearing a mask, social distancing, washing hands, etc. We have local colleges around us.
So, some of the blame is needs to be pinned on students and local residents. What is the City of A2, Washtenaw County, etc. doing to prevent the spread?
Sure, UM could have done a better job, but UM students and local residents should take some personal responsibility too. And I’m sure every student posting here on this thread is taking it upon themselves to wear a mask, socially distance, frequently wash hands, etc.
As for feeling like a number, D18 never has felt that. She became good friends with one of her advisors and has had great access to professors and GSI’s throughout her first 2.5 years.
Not sure how the lack of financial aid to one student has anything to do with Michigan’s response to Covid.
My wife is an alum also. I grew up around Detroit area. Price is what it is. They run it like a private school not a public. It’s one of the most affordable instate colleges with the rank to boot. It’s one of the best educational bargains out there. Then there’s the OOS cost. We all knew what we were signing up for. No surprise there.
So the most striking thing that you wrote here is that you talk to your student “daily”., Please explain how? I call /text my kid but always too busy… Maybe I need to replace his phone. It’s evidently broke or something ???
Ha! D18 just got a new phone, so she better not break it!
Almost daily. She’s bored sitting in her apartment studying all the time, so she calls my spouse or me. It’s unlikely she’s coming home for Thanksgiving, which sucks big time. However, I’m sure a lot of kids are going home and then returning to campus, because, you know, there’s a lack of personal responsibility in this country and we as a nation like to blame others.
My kids staying there. He will come home around Dec 18-Jan 18th. On north campus in his Coop house (with a chef), he says everyone pretty much are wearing masks. I visited and can attest to this a few weeks back.
My son honestly doesn’t have time to be bored. He’s over scheduled and applying for “real” jobs plus working himself for the university. Plus his club org, planning another conference etc etc. Yep, I agree. Everyone needs to buy in. It’s not squarely on the University. But I do think they could of planned better looking back. Would of it made a difference if the students don’t buy in? Probably not.
The university administration has to set the tone, establish the norms. This is 90% on them, 10% on students. Just as with parenting, firm expectations need to be set up front. My other child’s school set very firm expectations and let it be known last JULY that not following the protocols was not compatible with being an on-campus student at that school. Period.
Another thing: UM’s disastrous response was foreshadowed in the 2015-16 academic year when there was a massive norovirus outbreak on campus. Students were vomiting in classrooms and in dorm hallways because they couldn’t make it to the toilet in time. The entire swim team got it. Norovirus could be life-threatening for students and faculty with diabetes and other conditions. What did UM do? NOTHING.
I’ll put the majority on the students and their parents. In the end, the only person you can rely on is yourself. It’s called personal responsibility. My kid got the message.
Completely disagree. This is not like taking personal responsibility for not crossing against the light, or for self-directing your career, or for eating a healthy diet. Those are the types of things that affect the individual and only the individual. It would be wrong to blame others.
When it comes to public health, each individual’s actions affect outcomes for many other individuals as well as the health status of the community. That’s why it is a PUBLIC health crisis. PUBLIC health means that the health status of the many is impacted by actions of the individual. It astounds me how many times I have to repeat this to so many people.
There is zero possible way that “individual responsibility” ALONE can tackle this virus while having a functioning community. Community-wide measures MUST be taken. These include:
-Universal molecular testing 2-3 times/week
-Contact tracing
-Isolation for the infected
-Quarantine for the known first-degree exposed
-Universal masking with the right type of mask worn correctly
-IMPORTANT: Coordinated, widespread public health communication program
Did I say the individual is 100% “alone” responsible? No. You’re completely disagreeing with something I didn’t say.
You said it’s 90/10 on the UMich administration. I said the “majority,” which I define as 50%+1, is personal responsibility. Many people want to be blame the university and take ZERO responsibility. I say, not so fast, my friend.
In any case, clearly there are students (and A2 residents) who are screwing around with everyone’s health at the university (see Michigan Daily opinion piece above). Students are going home for Thanksgiving. Mine is NOT coming back to CA for Thanksgiving. And that sucks.
IMPORTANT: Coordinated, widespread public health communication program from **Federal, State and local authorities too! **
Failure is everywhere. But ultimately, it’s one’s brain making the final decision.
The individual cannot do this. All of this , which is key to containing the virus, needs to be coordinated by existing institutions:
-Universal molecular testing 2-3 times/week
-Contact tracing
-Isolation for the infected
-Quarantine for the known first-degree exposed
