Residential College

<p>Does anyone know anything about Michigan's Residential College? If I apply to the RC and I'm admitted, do I have to go there or can I choose to go the LSA (hopefully, LSA Honors) instead?</p>

<p>You have to go to the RC if you are admitted as such. You will have to fulfill the language requirement. You can take classes outside of the RC. Go to Michigan's web site and take a look. My son is in the RC and he really likes it.</p>

<p>You can be in both RC and Honors.</p>

<p>Cruella:
Would you mind sharing what you/your S consider to be some of the +'s and -'s of the RC?</p>

<p>I e-mailed admissions, and they said that one could apply to RC and either accept or decline admission to RC.</p>

<p>Well Schoolmarm, one plus is that you can roll out of bed and into your class. That is a great thing in the winter. Many classes are right in East Quad. Another great thing is that the RC is a tight community and it will make a big school smaller. It has the feel of a LAC to many people.</p>

<p>The only minus I can think of is the language requirement, it is very intense and you must pass a proficiency test in order to get all your credits. My son has Spanish 3 times a day Monday - Thursday. If you love languages then this is a plus. My son likes Spanish but it's a lot of work.</p>

<p>Another plus is the class size. They are all small. My son actually has one class where he's one-on-one with the professor. They do not use TA's in the RC. The kids are encouraged to call the profs by their first name and they get to know one another quite well. That is hard to do in one of the huge classes the LS&A offers.</p>

<p>In addition to grades, everyone gets a written critique of their work. It is part of their permanent record. As long as you do well, this is a plus.</p>

<p>You are required to live in East Quad for 2 years, as a result the kids form some very tight bonds. As a parent I like that.</p>

<p>East Quad is on Central Campus so they are close to the Union and the walk isn't too far to the Big House.</p>

<p>If I can be of any more help, let me know.</p>

<p>East Quad has the best location on campus. Hope you like the mid-nite fire alarms...</p>

<p>I'm torn! I like close-knit communities, but I can forsee that getting stifling, especially going to a school with around 500 students. You know everybody too soon and everything about them and the drama is so closely confined and tense. I love small class sizes and personal interactions, but I really don't want to take 3 classes a day of a foreign language... So hard to decide! Plus, wouldn't being in RC sort of isolate you from the rest of the university? </p>

<p>Talking to friends, I know that Honors College students are sort of viewed as elitists or alien by some people. Others good-naturedly call them nerds. Whatever the feelings, there's always this slight barrier... to be in Honors and RC seems great, but wouldn't that just be doubly isolating?</p>

<p>One thing here that does suck is that certain people stereotype different groups. I even used to do it, and I now look back and think "What the F***?" I have alot of friends in honors and none of them are elitist/alien. I got into honors but chose not to do it (not enough room in my schedule for honors discussions, wanted to have a transition time period, advice from older friends, etc.), and I may transfer in after I declare my major. Some people (including me, formerly) view RC kids as hippies/wierd, but I live in east quad, and they are acutally some of the coolest people I have met. Actually, you will not find any more diverse spectrum of people anywhere on campus than in East Quad. For example, I have met someone from trinidad and tobago that speaks better english and uses bigger words than I do, this girl who is more into triathlons than I am (and I'm pretty competitive), someone from atlanta who will argue the validity of libertarian politics completely drunk at 2:00 am, and many others. The 4:20 am fire alarms get annoying, but we've only had a couple. The food is not that bad either.</p>

<p>so there IS a definite divide between RC and regular students? o well, there's still time to decide. i should probably turn in the card and say that i'm still considering instead of decline right away.</p>

<p>i would visit ann arbor and decide...that's really the only way to see...i'm regular lsa and i have alot of friends in rc and they are completely normal (i.e. we party, go to football/basketball games, etc) so you really don't miss out on any aspect of michigan if you are in it</p>