<p>I am currently a Freshman at the University of Miami and was recently accepted as a transfer student to UMICH- ann arbor LSA.</p>
<p>To be honest, I hardly know anything about UMICH. I am a pre-med Biology major but am thinking of switching to neuroscience and might want to take a research path instead of medicine (still not sure). I find UMiami to be more socially-based than academically-based and I want a more challenging academic environment and a larger emphasis on studies, with fun on the side but not dominating the experience.</p>
<p>I am worried that I will not easily make friends at Michigan (many people seem to imply that people establish groups as freshman and tend to stay in those groups), I like big cities like Boston for the atmosphere and opportunities and don't know if the city of ann arbor will satisfy that want, I don't know if I will be receiving as much advising/guidance/help at such a large public school compared to my private school of UMiami, and I wonder if I will be able to survive in the harsh weather without getting depressed (I've lived in Florida my whole life and don't know what it is like to experience a frozen tundra for months on end)</p>
<p>With that said, I would like to ask what your favorite aspects of UMichigan are, and if cost is not an issue, does transferring to Michigan seem like a good idea for me?</p>
<p>Feel free to ask me any questions you need to help answering my questions. Thanks!</p>
<p>Mango, it is always easier to make friends as a freshman than as a transfer. That being said, Michigan has 27,000 undergrads, hundreds of fellow transfer students and over 1,000 clubs and organizations. Making friends is not difficult.</p>
<p>Advising is good at Michigan, although I am not sure how it compares to Miami. </p>
<p>As for the weather, only you can know if you can adjust to Michigan winters. I grew up in Abu Dhabi, which has a hotter and sunnier climate than Florida, and I found Michigan’s winters perfectly manageable. It depends on the individual.</p>
<p>What happened Mango? You posted this on the Miami board last year:</p>
<p>“If I had to choose between U of Michigan and U of Miami I would def. pick U of Miami because the weather is amazing (I cannot study in the blistering cold; all I think about is cuddling in bed with a blanket) and also I feel that Miami would have more opportunities since you are in a major city. Finally, U of Miami has a student body that cannot be beat. The people are always laughing and smiling and talking and they just seem, in general, very happy. The students are very friendly and you can make a friend anywhere you go.”</p>
<p>What has caused you to sour on Miami? If weather is a major factor for you, Michigan is COLD in the winter. There is no sugar coating it.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say there’s no sugar coating it, rjk. It’s all about how you spin it: </p>
<p>OP, Ann Arbor isn’t exactly a frozen tundra, and it tends to be warmer than the rest of the state. Feel free to transfer, and you will bring me mirth as you walk around in your parka when it drops below 60 degrees. </p>
<p>But really, I guess your post confuses me a bit–you applied to transfer to Michigan, but you don’t know anything about it? What motivated you to apply there, then? You want a better academic experience, you say, but what made you choose Michigan rather than a host of other schools who could offer that experience?</p>
<p>As a 40-something mom, I’m not well versed in the social aspects of UofM. From what I’ve seen, though, it looks like a place where it would be easy to make friends with a little effort.</p>
<p>As a frequent sufferer of Seasonal Affective Disorder, I do feel qualified to speak to the winter concerns. Some people (maybe most) sail through winter with only an occasional grumble. They enjoy winter sports, find the snow pretty and the lack of sunlight doesn’t mess up their brain chemistry.</p>
<p>I’m not one of those people. I survive through a combination of light box therapy, Wellbutrin and spending February in Florida. One might wonder why we don’t just move south. We tried once, just as the economy was starting to tank. My husband has a good career here in SE Michigan in a field that isn’t found throughout the country. We decided that maintaining his lucrative career when he has a large family to support is paramount.</p>
<p>You have the advantage of only needing to live here for a few years and then the world’s your oyster. You might find that you thoroughly enjoy all four seasons. Whatever you decide, I wish you all the best!</p>
<p>rjkofnovi, I am very happy here, but there is a part of me that feels like something is missing. Most people look at me like I am crazy when I say that I want to transfer from UM because everyone is so happy here. I can’t say that I have properly identified what that missing piece is yet, but I think it might have to do with my great want to leave home. I have lived here my whole life, and as a senior in High School I applied to like 10 schools out of state and was excited to start a new life somewhere else, but I didn’t get into the out of state schools I wanted to. I think that desire to experience some place new has never left and it is holding me back from appreciating where I am. Also, I feel like I’m just not flourishing in this environment, in High School I held officer positions in 3 honor societies, got 500 volunteer hours, played ice hockey, tutored, etc. Here, I have done nothing. I go to class and get good grades, I have a great social life, but I am not as academically serious as I want to be. I don’t know if it is college that has made me like this, the freedom to hangout with friends til 4 am and randomly get drunk on a wednesday, or if I need a more serious atmosphere with more rigorous courses to make me pay attention more (I can study a few days before a psychobiology test and get an A). I don’t know if I can stay here and make these life adjustments to make myself more into school or if I need a change of environment. I’ve been trying to figure out what I want and what needs to change, whether it is a personal problem that can be fixed on my own, or a personal problem that can be fixed with a different environment, or if it is an issue with the school itself that provides a distracting environment.</p>
<p>I kind of feel the same way here at NYU. Though it’s probably not as pronounced as it is in your case. Could the “missing piece” be precisely that academic challenge and fulfillment you get by achieving academically and extracurricularly? </p>
<p>Though I can’t say for sure, but from what I’ve heard, Michigan will have a higher percentage of motivated, driven students to help you push yourself to become a better person. </p>
<p>Yeah Mistasuggs, I do think that is part of the missing piece. I want to be surrounded by other motivated students. I want to be challenged to get good grades instead of just getting a good GPA without having to work much for it. I know that I don’t feel as happy if I am not happy academically and I think that is the problem. </p>
<p>I am visiting UMICH this weekend and I hope that will clear things up a bit more.</p>
<p>Enjoy your visit to Ann Arbor! It is supposed to be sunny and 52 on Saturday. Sunday they are calling for rain. Things may be closed on Sunday, anyway, because of Easter.</p>
<p>I’m warning you ahead of time… nothing has bloomed yet so the landscape is a little bleak. But that will soon change! Just not in time for your visit.</p>
<p>I made friends as a Freshman but the more lasting friends were those I made in my field of study (business school). This was due to being in many of the same classes and group projects. At the time Michigan’s BBA program was a 2 year program so we had a ton of transfer students (which were my best friends in the end). I don’t know much about Miami but Michigan sports are also a great student mixer experience. About half of the students are from the midwest which ranks as a pretty friendly area.</p>
<p>But Michigan is damm competitive. There are people here who will outwork you, who are smarter than you. If you love a challenge then it is a good place, if not stay where you are.</p>
<p>Well just in case you guys were interested, I visited but I didn’t really fall in love with the school. I think the biggest issue for me was that the city of Ann Arbor really isn’t much of a city. I didn’t get that excited feeling when I was there, it just felt kind of plain and boring. And the students I met were nice but I found a lot of them to be kind of socially awkward. It might be because I’m from Miami and was raised surrounded by hispanics, who are very friendly and affectionate. I didn’t like the large industrial feel of the campus (some buildings were beautiful though). Just my thoughts to help out future applicants, I can see other people being happy at that school but not myself.</p>
<p>“I didn’t like the large industrial feel of the campus (some buildings were beautiful though).”</p>
<p>I assume you were referring to the engineering complex on the North Campus? The Central Campus is much older and has a much more integrated feeling with the city. It also has a very “collegiate feel” to it. Perhaps you missed that part of the university? In any case the architecture is quite a bit different than at Miami. I have been to the Miami campus. To me the whole campus feels very suburban and isolated a bit from its surroundings. If you like all of your buildings made out of dryvit, with the accompying St. Augustine grass that is used in Florida, then it is nice enough I suppose.</p>
<p>Sooo quick advice: I went to the main Biology advisor at UM to get advice on which school to transfer to and she was pretty helpful. But then a week later she calls me into her office and tells me that she wants to offer me the opportunity to be a Dean’s ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences at UM (without even applying). I feel like this is a ploy to keep me at UM since she saw I am getting a 4.0 this semester. But my question is, is this as highly distinguished as it seems to be, and is it a factor I should take into consideration? I mean I love this school and am having a great time but wanted to move out of Florida and get more academically challenged, but this seems like a great opportunity and something good to have on a resume (especially if I can get a letter of rec. from the dean)</p>