@mom2collegekids
Are you here to debate the legitimacy of the OP’s desires or are you here to give helpful information?
For the OP, here is a link to another thread that was started about punk, alt., etc.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/770512-where-do-the-punk-alt-rock-scene-kids-go-to-school.html
I know UMich is known for its engineering program, which might make it in your sense having a “fairly smart” student body. However, its football scene might be too big (as their football stadium is larger than Penn State’s and they have a good football team). I’ve also never heard of any horror stories coming out of Michigan about the academics.