the most important things i need to know about michigan

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
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<p>1.) how intellectual is the school? i’m looking for a uni where people are very excited about learning and academics, not just sports and greek life</p>

<p>I think you’d fit fine here, then. I always love it when I walk by a group of people and they are talking about some sort of super intellectual thing (compared to other colleges, anyway). I am always impressed. That’s not to say there aren’t idiots here, but there is definitely a focus on academics-- though sports are part of the culture here. Were it not for the noise at 8am on football Saturdays I would not even remember that we have greeks. </p>

<p>2.) i personally don’t care much about sports and wouldn’t join a frat. would i still fit in there or is the culture really heavily-sports-based?
Sports are definitely an element to the culture, but I don’t think it’s an overbearing one. You will find Saturday afternoons in the Fall to be pretty ridiculous but otherwise it’s not a big deal unless you want it to be.</p>

<p>3.) what’s the social scene like? i don’t drink and don’t “party”. i’d love to join a lot of student organizations though, and i know u of m has like 1000+ which is awesome. but how prevalent is partying/drinking as compared to being involved with organizations, and just in general?</p>

<p>I don’t drink or party, so I wouldn’t know how prevalent it is. With the exception of kids coming home to the dorms at night a little tipsy on weekends, and the occasional drunk stumbling around outside on Fri/Sat night, I would really not even know they are there. I think you would be JUST fine here in that respect. I am REALLY happy with the club offerings, they have a LOT of participation, and I have felt no pressure to partake in the party culture. </p>

<p>4.) i’m a bi guy. is u of m bi-friendly?
UM and the general Ann Arbor area is very liberal, I would imagine this would be a pretty good place for someone LGBT. I have a lot of gay friends, though nobody is bi to my knowledge, and I haven’t ever heard them complain about anything.</p>

<p>5.) what is ann arbor truly like? i know it’s one of the best college towns, but why exactly?
Because there is something for everybody. The university is really a part of ann arbor and vice versa, which I think is awesome. There are tons of restaurants, museums, shops, cafes, clubs, theaters, all sorts of things to do and to see. There are just so many things to do and places to visit, and it all really feels like it’s part of the Michigan Experience, so to speak. I can’t think of a single thing I could ever want that I can’t find here. (besides maybe parking!)</p>

<p>ETA</p>

<p>"would you say MOST people at u of m are this way, outgoing, happy, nice? "</p>

<p>That’s the impression I’ve gotten. This Fall was my first semester here and I have been really satisfied with how willing just about everybody seems to be to talk to me and have fun. I am not always the best at socializing and even I have had no issues getting along with just about everybody.</p>

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<p>thanks so much, you guys! i’m really going to consider applying now. it sounds really nice! :)</p>

<p>if you guys wanna give me any other info or reasons that i should definitely apply, i’d be happy to hear it! :D</p>

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<p>also, with my stats (3.85 uw, 4.6 w, 2140 sat i [will be improved], and 730/710 sat ii’s), would you say u of m would be a reach, match, or safety for me?</p>

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<p>Low match given that you’re OoS and didn’t apply ER.</p>

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<p>low match, as in…“match leaning towards reach” or “match leaning towards safety”?</p>

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<p>You need to know that Michigan is in the shape of a mitten and if you split off the little finger you make Grand Traverse Bay.</p>

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<p>"and if you split off the little finger you make Grand Traverse Bay. "</p>

<p>I didn’t even know that. Is that where Traverse City is or is Traverse City actually on Lake Michigan?</p>

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<p>u of m is very gay and bi friendly, something i look out for because my own sister is bi and she’s anticipating coming here.</p>

<p>but a really important thing to know, besides academics, is weather, and how to dress for it. i’ve been dealing with relatively cold winters all my life, but the thing with michigan winters is that one day it will be 30s, the next day will jump to mid 50s, and then two days later you’re in the 20s. sometimes i forget what to do with myself.</p>

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<p>As people have mentioned so far, Ann Arbor is a very liberal and progressive town, so there aren’t any dangers as a member of the LGBT community. Sure, with so many students, you’re going to get the homophobic bunch once in a while, but I don’t think that can be avoided in any colleges. I haven’t been harassed at all, and I haven’t heard of anyone being harassed for being gay or bi either.</p>

<p>Don’t worry about the sports. I hated sports before I came here, but now I’m a big fan of football just because Football Saturdays are so much fun. On the other hand, my roommate has not been to a football game since he got here, but he still has fun with his friends on Saturdays. You’ll find plenty of people who aren’t into sports too.</p>

<p>On that note, I’m surprised that no one’s mentioned school spirit yet. If there’s one thing Michigan’s not lacking, it’s definitely school spirit. Everyone here is so friendly and outgoing, and the school pride is really infectious.</p>

<p>Ann Arbor is a beautiful town. I explored Ann Arbor by myself one afternoon, and the town is just gorgeous. It has the charms of a small town, but is integrated with the university so that it seems bigger.</p>

<p>GO BLUE! You won’t regret it :)</p>

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<p>Traverse City is at the bottom of the bay. Very pretty area. Sleeping Bear Dunes, which are on Lake Michigan, are really cool and the area up to Leelenau is particularly nice. That section of Michigan - called “up north” for obvious reasons in the Detroit area - which runs around past Traverse City up to Charlevoix, Petosky, Harbor Springs is among the nicest vacation areas in the state for the more moneyed classes. </p>

<p>About Ann Arbor. It is one of the nicest small cities / large towns in the US.</p>

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<p>thanks, you guys! :smiley: u of m does sound really awesome, and i’m getting more and more sure that i’ll apply.</p>

<p>ooh, one question: how is financial aid? as an out-of-stater, i’d definitely need a lot.</p>

<p>oh, and one more: could you compare u of m to usc at all? i know they’re ranked similarly, both have school spirit/sports as big draws, etc. what are the major differences?</p>

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<p>USC and U Mich are really very different. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. </p>

<p>Maybe you should make a list of what’s really important to you for your college experience. For example, my D picked U Mich because it was considered one of the best places for her major, she would get research opportunities as a freshman and the residential college. Turns out the things she thought would be negatives there, are positives now…football (she had never been to a game before, but like others say…the school spirit and fun just draws you in), weather (she deals with it) and big university (she loves that there is always something going on and she can pursue all of her interests).</p>

<p>At least for us, as OOS, financial aid was non-existent. But she has a friend from home that got a full-ride there. So all you can do is apply and see what happens.</p>

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<p>thanks, 2forcollege!</p>

<p>well, it just sounds like usc and umich are similar cuz they both have the school spirit, sports culture, that sort of thing. what makes you say they’re “really very different”? like when you think of the two schools, what major differences do you think of?</p>

<p>also, what do you think it takes to get a full ride there?</p>

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<p>one more question: how does it compare to other elite public schools like uc berkeley, ucla, uc davis? would the heftier price tag for oos be worth it?</p>