<p>After visiting Umich just this past week, I'm really leaning toward attending in the fall. I've taken many factors into account, but for some reason I didn't like the vibe I was getting. Coming from Los Angeles, I'm used to big city atmospheres with an abundance of things to do, wherever, whenever.</p>
<p>I don't mean to offend anyone here, but even before I landed in the airport, almost all I saw were fields of grass and.. fields of grass. As I drove toward Ann Arbor on the 94, I saw more of nothing. When I got to the Courtyard Marriott, by the 94 and State St., there was more nothing, although there were houses and small buildings. As you drive north toward Umich however, there's more city..</p>
<p>This past week was unusually cold, there was a little snow. I was there from Sunday to Tuesday. I don't know if it was the cold, but the campus was very empty besides a few students walking to class. I spent two days walking around downtown Ann Arbor, and I feel like I've all of.. Ann Arbor. And what's more, it seems like all I saw were resturants, bars, art galleries, small boutiques, and museums.</p>
<p>PLEASE REPLY:
1. Is UMICH campus really lively on the usual or is it always this dead?
2. Is there more to Ann Arbor? I can't seem to find anything even in visitor guides.
3. What do you do for fun around here??? (besides eat, drink, and visit galleries)</p>
<p>The thing is, while Ann Arbor is a great town, you really have to look for what you want. This is just my opinion, but what makes Ann Arbor great is that it's basically a part of the University. When some Universities like to seal their campus from other parts of town, Ann Arbor basically is U of M. There are lots of things to do once you're actually in school, and joining the clubs, so... as just a city, and since you're from LA, I guess there's not that much other than drinking/eating/galleries</p>
<p>Keep in mind, I've not really visited the city as much as I would've liked, but I've been on campus quite a few times (I'm a transfer student for next semester) and I've always found myself busy with things to do.</p>
<p>I'm about to finish my first year at Michigan and I would have to say that really depends on what lifestyle you pursue here like the social scene you become involved in. For example, my friends, in the Greek system, live's pretty much revolve around their frat. But then some of my more artsy friends may devote a lot of time to art performances, poetry slams, etc. One of the things I do is try to eat at a different restaraunt every weekend. I've also found myself taking a stronger interest in digital photography. Again, it all depends heavily on your social scene. Now if you'll excuse me it's 3am and I'm in the middle of exam prepping.</p>
<p>It's funny--I know people who previously lived all over before coming here, and the only ones I've heard complaining about Ann Arbor were the ones from LA! Mostly complaining about the restaurants, though--not the other aspects. </p>
<p>You can't underestimate the role that exam week can play. A lot of activities just stop because people are holed up hitting the books. Plus this godawful cold snap that has just ruined April doesn't help, either, because it keeps people inside. It's been a strange spring and I hope we never have a repeat of it.</p>
<p>You also have to understand that the state of Michigan itself is much different from Califonia as a whole. It's nowhere near as populated, and the only thing we have that can be considered a metropolis is Detroit, which has < 1mil at this point.</p>
<p>Ann Arbor has about 120,000 people in it whereas LA has 3 million+ it's naturally not going to be as active or lively.</p>
<p>Last year around this time it was sunshine and in the 70s or 80s. Pretty much the entire campus was out enjoying the sun on the Diag. Snow in April is relatively unusual.</p>
<p>I don't know if people complain about this much, but one drawback is unless you know somebody with a car, it's difficult to get to Detroit. I know there are a few different plans in the making to increase public transportation around Southeast Michigan, but nothing that seems like it'll be coming to fruition in the near future.</p>
<p>But if you do visit the museums, they're awesome. The art exhibit is wonderful right now...</p>
<p>Search around for activities. I really enjoy writing articles for the Review and doing church/volunteer stuff purely for doing these things. It's a lot different from high school when half the people doing activities are for resumes. Also, a lot of these activities are accessible and top-notch at the same time. The Review was ranked the 4th best campus reactionary paper in the country this year and Relay for Life is consistently one of the top three in the nation every year.</p>
<p>One of my friends who visited me in Ann Arbor said the thing that he thought made it so fun is that it has all the appearance and shops and restaurants of a big city, just without the skyscrapers behind them...</p>