My daughter was accepted EA and we have never been to campus so we are flying out next month. We have a tour and her department presentation set up. She also will be sitting in on a class. I hear the campus is huge so we are wondering what some of the must see spots are that the tour may possibly not show us. Also, where do the students hang out on the weekends in Ann Arbor?
@txmom16 I’m a current freshman and a double legacy so I’ve spend years and years on campus and know it well. The campus is integrated with Ann Arbor itself so students have lots of places to go. What does she like to do? There are tons of restaurants, shops, bars, sporting events, house parties and so much more. The campus itself can seem huge but central campus isn’t that bad and pretty contained. If you include North Campus and the hosptial area it gets a lot bigger. Ask any questions and I will try to answer as best as I can from a student perspective.
Definitely eat at a restaurant on Central to get a feel for the food in the downtown area if you have a bit of spare money. Tomukun Korean BBQ, Grillcheezerie, Pizza House, and Elevation Burger are my personal favs but any restaurant should be a good experience to see whats offered by the city of AA as well (at least what’s within walking distance).
And depending on what your daughter is looking to go into, maybe visit the professional school associated with it (i.e. the medical campus, Ross, Law Quad (although you will probably visit here on tour), etc.)
in terms of where students are on weekends, it’s totally depends on the person haha. It’s impossible to give a straight answer cause the only answer is everywhere.
If there is a s basketball or hockey game, that is a great time. May need to visit stubhub for tickets, but BiG Ten games are fantastic.
Thanks for the suggestions. @halibate When you say “eat on Central” do you mean Central Street or Central Campus? Korean BBQ sounds wonderful. We are looking forward to visiting.
Is Cottage Inn still a thing? When I attended I loved the Sicillian pizza! Campus is not as large as you might think, although much has moved to North Campus in the last decade+ 
*96blue I do have a question that you may be able to help with. Are OOS students accepted socially. I mean, being that Michigan only accepts about 20% OOS is it easy for OOS students to make friends easily or do a lot of the MI students stick together?
@2muchquan yes Cottage Inn is still there and thriving. Really good.
@txmom16 The OOS admission rate is 20% last year, but almost half of the undergraduates are from OOS. It is just the applicant pool from OOS is >4x of in state state.
@txmom16 Central Campus in general.
Zingermans!!
Ross School…wow. An amazing building.
I think HRSMom means Zingermans Deli next to Kerry Town. You can pick up some pastries there too. The main Zingermans complex is near Ann Arbor Airport.
There are lots of sports at Michigan with many games. Make sure to check out the athletic dept web site. I would try to see a men’s or women’s basketball game (the women are really amazing - check out the highlights of the Mi-Iowa game this week) , or a baseball or softball game if you come later in the semester. Get a free shake at Pizza house with your ticket.
Some places to see:
The Arboretum on Geddes st. A recital at the Music school (free!) or a performance at Hill auditorium or the Power center. The Ark - best folk venue in the midwest (at Main & Liberty) . Bon-Bon chocolates (5th near the post office). The Michigan Theater . The Kelsey, Natural History and Art Museums (all free) . The reading room of the Grad Library. Kerrytown market and the farmer’s market (Wed & Sat) near Zingermans on Detroit St.
Restaurants on State, Liberty, and S University are priced for students. The ones on Main St are for parents (mostly).
In addition to the other posts, check out Jerusalem Garden (really awesome ME food, best hummus in Michigan on Liberty, Totoro on State (Japanese) , Frita Batita on Washington (Cuban), Neo Papalis on William (thin crust pizza), Mark’s Carts for lunch (variety - check hours) )
@txmom16 Although many in-staters my remain in their friend groups from high school (especially if they were from a “feeder” high school), almost everyone makes new friends, and some even start afresh (this includes out-of-staters who may be the only one attending from their high schools). As an out-of-state student myself, I have found Michiganders very accepting and even excited to meet out-of-state students.
@txmom16 which unit is your daughter going to be in? LSA, engineering, etc. She will definitely want to spend time exploring central campus, but if she is in engineering, then she should also spend a good amount of time exploring north campus.
@txmom16 my roommate is OOS as are about half the people on my floor. We all hang out and I don’t notice anything cliquey at all.
I think you might be misconstruing this figure. The acceptance rate for OOS applicants is 20%. However, at least 40% of all undergrad students at the University of Michigan are from out of state. Clearly, there are many, many more applicants from out of state than from in-state.
@umcoe16 COE so she set up tours of both central and north campus.
Really helpful information. I had the 20% stat mixed up but good to hear the atmosphere sounds friendly and inviting. She can be a little quiet and shy at first so I am a bit concerned about her attending such a large school.
Yes, the Zingerman’s deli in town. The one on the outskirts is a pale imitation of the one in town – overpriced and not very good. You can’t easily walk from campus, though.
@txmom16 I think the larger school worked out, not only great but better for my shy son. He’s had so many opportunities to meet that many more kids; be it in the dorm, in classes or in the tons of clubs and activity choices.