My parents’ words, not mine
To answer your original question, No. University of Michigan is not a good school for you. I would look at your other options, but I’d avoid looking them up on social media .
“My parents’ words, not mine”
OMG, Chigginator, don’t you see that makes it worse not better? What that excuse says is that you are nowhere close to being ready to handle the adult responsibility associated with college.
You’d have been better not commenting at all. This is something else you might have observed by lurking for a while. Offensive posts are usually forgotten quickly – unless the one who posts them comes back with a lame excuse.
At least you have repudiated the ideas. That’s to the good. I suggest you leave it at that.
I agree that OP shouldn’t call people slutty, vapid, worthless, etc. As harsh as his post is, I have to say I understand what he is saying. I was also accepted to LSA as an out of state student and while I know that Michigan is a reputable institution, it doesn’t give off the same serious academic vibe that its peer institutions do.
I’ve been in the Facebook group for a few weeks and have talked to many other accepted and current Michigan students. Over 90 percent of the girls who have posted in the group are planning to rush, which was surprising to me because only 25 percent of Michigan students participate in Greek life (according to Michigan’s stats). There is an overwhelming emphasis on football, partying, etc. which is expected, since sports are a big deal at Michigan, but I am a bit turned off at the fact that they completely dominate the culture of the university.
@Chigginator28, I know exactly what you’re talking about, and although your post was brutally honest, I have some of the same concerns that you do.
"Part of the strength of the school is the quality of your peers, and how you interact with them. But I feel Michigan is not a school that attracts a high quality of peers, unless they are like me and were rejected from their top choices.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
@Chigginator28 well then wait until you hear back from the other schools you’ve applied to (which I assume includes Northwestern and Cornell), and then try to decide. No point wasting time debating options which may or may not exist.
Also, if you’re going pre-med, then UNC-CH is arguably better than U.Michigan - a very high percentage of pre-med students are accepted to med school.
I don’t need another message in my Inbox telling me I’ve been warned, so I will simply say: Go Blue!
25 LOL. Voice of experience.
If you are using Facebook for an accurate representation of the student body at Michigan, be aware that this represents a very small fraction of students attending the University. Use those critical thinking skills that got you into Michigan in the first place!
Sometimes, first impressions are correct. Like right now.
OP, I think you will need to learn to distinguish between the surface persona of a high school student and their underlying character. College gives kids the chance to re-invent themselves after the conformity of high school .There are lots of types of kids at Michigan because the class is so large (5500 freshman!) and you can find most any kind of group you want to.
You are going to find different flavors of the same vibe in most every college you look at.
Cornell is a great school, but there are a LOT of parties- do not be fooled. Both of my kids have several close friends at Cornell. One of them was going to transfer because she could not handle the intense party scene. She decided to stay and has “found her people.”
One of my kids has two close friends at Northwestern. There are parties there as well; they do not participate.
We need, not only a “dislike” button, but an “Are you out of your mind??” one as well.
Lesson number one for anyone hoping to be an adult one day: Don’t speak as an authority of something you know nothing about. You don’t come off well.
No doubt that a holier-than-thou “traditional Indian guy” like you who wants to"keep good moral company" thinks that that student in New Delhi a couple of years ago, who was gang-raped on a bus and disemboweled with a tire-iron, deserved it.
I have a lot of good Indian friends, and I feel sorry for them that people like you & your parents make Indian people look really bad.
@Chigginator28, because you are so opposed to fraternities and sororities, you really need to attend a school that does not have a Greek presence. It seems like the day-to-day presence of anything Greek-related would eventually become an even bigger issue for you. There are plenty of schools without a Greek system.
@Chigginator28 You need to figure out a way to ignore what’s around you and follow your own path. The University of Michigan has 28,000 students–surely you can find like-minded students. You must know that there are party kids at all colleges–you can’t avoid it completely.
^ I actually hope he can’t find like minded students. Unfortunately a few probably exist.
Obviously, most colleges have Greek life and parties. But there’s a difference between going to a school that has a lively party scene, and going to a school that is completely dominated by it. For a lot of people (like myself), college is about so much more than “finding your people” — it’s about being immersed in a community where there is diversity yet an overall tangible passion for learning.
Yes, Michigan students are intelligent. But the culture of the school gives off a rather superficial air, which is most likely caused/perpetuated by the sports culture. I think the location the school also contributes to it, as Michigan is not the most diverse state. Compare to the UC’s — for example, UC Berkeley is a state school, and they actually have a higher in-state population than Michigan. But California is so diverse that there is quite a bit of of diversity in the in-state student population. Michigan, however…well, it doesn’t exactly feel like a melting pot.
Greek life is also very different from school to school (looking past participation rates). I’m a girl, so I don’t know much about the frats but the majority of the sororities at Michigan are almost all white. As a minority, this is a bit disheartening. Look at Northwestern, JHU, Cornell, etc. — yes, a large percentage of sorority girls are white, but there are plenty of minority students too. I do think this is reflective of Michigan’s culture in terms of diversity and inclusion.
I think everyone needs to calm down and look past the brashness of the original post — this could actually be an interesting and productive discussion.
One thing to consider is that the Facebook group is somewhat self selecting. The type of person who is more active on Facebook and more likely to join and be active in a college’s Facebook group is probably more extroverted and social. This type of person may be more interested in Greek life or partying (though not necessarily), resulting in the 90% of people being interested in Greek life. In addition some of those people may be expressing interest to follow the crowd and they may not rush or they might not get a bid. A lot can change between a college acceptance and rush.
That being said the OP’s ideas about frat and sorority members is worrying. In order to participate in Greek life one must meet minimum GPA requirements. Many Greek organizations do community service and the members study together.
Finally promiscuity does not change someone’s worth as a human being.
Diverse? Michigan has students from 112 countries and all states. It’s OOS % is greater than any UC.
Not sure what you mean by superficial air. Michigan students are very welcoming and inclusive. Only 15-20% of students are part of Greek life and those students also add a lot to campus life with charitable activities.
Thought it was funny this popped up on my news thread:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-30-most-fun-colleges-in-america-2016-1
And, no Michigan is not even listed…