Michigan was not one of my top schools at all, but it is sounding more and more like I will have to go there since I can’t afford the cost of my dream school (which costs well over twice as much…). After loving someplace else so much more, it is hard for me to fall in love with another college. Why do people love it? I am looking to major in Biomedical Engineering specifically.
For one thing, Ann Arbor is less than 15 minutes from my house, so it is too close to me to feel new or exciting. Also, I don’t like D1 Sports because despite playing sports intensely year-round for the past 4 years, I prefer a focus on academics. I think sports are way too overconcentrated there. The school’s giant size is also very intimidating to me, and I don’t know why people love attending someplace where after 4 years of attending, you could walk through graduation next to someone you have never even seen before in your life. Also, classes are super spread out, and I dislike the idea of going back and forth between central and north campus all of the time. The alumni network is extensive, but is it too big? As in, with more alumni than any other university, can a U of M degree really set anyone apart? Besides, I’ve heard that U of M engineering is less collaborative and more cutthroat competitive because of harsh grading curves. And finally, I felt miffed when on the engineering tour here, I literally heard more about the “squirrel-feeding club” than about biomedical engineering. No joke. I’m not saying this to sound offensive, since I know it is regarded as a great university. It’s just that I’m having a hard time understanding why it’s so popular.
I must be missing something important, because tons of people see this as their dream school. What do you guys see in it?
I think the atmosphere here is what made me fall in love with the school. You can feel the energy and passion everyone here has for UM, even outside of the sports perspective. Honestly, you can come to campus not feeling any love, but I’ve seen so many of my friends convert to UM fanatics with no connection to UM whatsoever before college. Just be open to the campus and you’ll find a way to love the school.
The most important dimension in choosing to attend a school is the ever elusive “fit”. You should go to a school which you’ll love to attend. It sounds like you’ve thought the situation through and Michigan won’t be a fit for you. Don’t try to force the fit or have anybody else sell you. Pick a school you’ll love, not a school that some random collection of strangers tried to sell you on.
I was more academically inclined too, despite playing competitive sports in HS as well. I still don't really like watching all the sporting events on TV, but the atmosphere of game days is unique - it unifies everyone
Size is a preference. I too, idealized a smaller university size (10,000ish was my ideal max), but you get used to it quite quickly
Classes aren't as spread out as you think. Since you're an engineer, most of your classes will be on North Campus. If you live on north, you should expect to walk 5-10 min to all your classes
How in the world is an alumni network "too big"??? A UM degree is being compared to OTHER college degrees, not each others!
I don't know where you heard about the "cut-throat" nature of engineering. If anything, they bond the most because everyone is worried about their grades together. If you're looking for cutthroat, I'd like to point out the Ross School of Business's FORCED curve which guarantees 10% of the people in each class get a C or below regardless of score.
I think the tour guide was trying to show the diversity in club offerings at UMich. I heard the same things on my tour, and I thought it was pretty cool a college would have so many clubs that one would be dedicated just to the squirrels here. If you are looking for deep insight on your ideal program(s), why would you expect a tour guide to know? They are students, not the administration! I'd suggest asking the faculty or admissions - the people whose job it is to know everything about their programs - rather than someone who learned his/her facts during a week-long orientation for an on campus job.
I forgot to answer your question lol oops, here it is:
Fantastic Career Resources: I’ve gone to specific recruiting events by Google, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs. I’ve also gone to more general recruiting events where I’ve talked to reps from Citibank, Amazon, the CIA, Optimum Nutrition, etc. And this is just for my freshman year.
Sports: Tailgates and the game-day electricity energize like no other. We also have one of the best football teams in the country.
Academics: I’m in Business. Ross is considered one of the the top programs in the country. So is the Engineering School, so you should be fine in this regard as well. UM’s key strength is it has A LOT of top 10 programs, so if you change your mind, its all good.
People: All sorts of people to make friends with.
Fun: There’s parties going on literally every night if you’re into that. Or if not, there’s the bars, clubs, IM/Club sports, or free movie nights where you can see pre-release screenings like Hunger Games Part 2, or Steve Jobs (both played first semester 2 weeks before opening night nationally).
Alumni: Michigan alumni are fiercely loyal. Many recruiting events have alumni volunteer to come back so they can recruit more UM students into their company ranks. I’m actually meeting with a Goldman Sachs recent hire because I just emailed him asking about his division and he wanted to meet in person to talk about it.
I met more smart people at Muchigan than at any other time in my life. Also, there were more great/interesting classes than I could possibly squeeze into four years. If you really want to get out of Ann Arbor for a bit, work with your advisor starting freshman year to structure your courses so you can go abroad for a semester.
I would not be concerned about the size of Michigan. You will have to work hard to take advantage of opportunities but they are out there. CoE admits about 1600 freshman, by the time you graduate you will know most of the other 100ish students at your level in your BME program quite well. The size also make it possible to participate on the big student teams like solar car and human submarine.
You will spend time on both central and north campus during your first year or two; then on north campus alone as you progress. The bus takes about 10 min and classes are staggered by 30 min between North and Central so you will have time to travel between them. Most classes only meet 2-3 times per week so it should not be too much of an imposition.
You are saving lots of money staying in-state. That may give you the opportunity to graduate without much (or no!) debt. This may not mean much now, but it will in the future.
Being a student and living on campus is not all that dissimilar from going away for school. 45% of the students are OOS or international. You will make lots of friends from other places. You can go home in 15 min too for laundry and or breaks or if your roommate is driving you crazy. I’d highly recommend a summer or semester abroad to get more of an away from home experience.
Thanks guys! Anyone have any stories about falling in love with U of M, or finding it better or worse than expected? How did you keep from feeling lost in the crowd? What are the best/worst parts of the University that you didn’t know about it going in?
Just the wide range of things to do have made me fall in love with Ann Arbor. It’s no New York City, but the mix of quiet atmosphere and city life within a walking distance of a few minutes give you everything you want and an amazing college town atmosphere.
You keep from feeling lost in the crowd by joining clubs/organizations. Whether it’s Greek Life or getting close to the people in your hall, there will be plenty of opportunities to make it seem smaller. Be open to new things and people and you’ll find your group.
I lived in coop the last couple years I was there. That was a great way to make close friends with a smaller group. If you are female, consider living in one of the women’s dorms. Good locations and tight knit groups of friends.