Need an HONEST opinion on the campus.

es2642 · April 21, 2009, 10:43pm

Ok, so I was waitlisted, and if I am accepted from the waitlist I will not have any opportunity to visit the campus. I was wondering if anyone can give me an honest opinion on the campus, is it attractive? Is it well designed, good layout? Are the buildings appealing? Are there a lot of activities/dining/etc. on campus and nearby? Please give me anything you have and don’t hold back, I really need an honest assessment of the campus. If it resembles other colleges or settings, please make comparisons as I have seen many colleges excluding UMich.

kmccrindle · April 22, 2009, 9:46am

Is there any way at all you can rationalize the expense of a visit? It’s a big decision to make blind and I feel that your own gut is the best judge. But I can tell you what my son felt during his various campus visits, with the healthy disclaimer that you and he may not value the same things.
So first – background: My son is highly creative, fairly straight-edge in terms of lifestyle but very tolerant of all lifestyles in a bonhomie/60s/bohemian kind of way. He attends a gifted-talented program with 100 students per grade in a midwestern city, so his educational experience to date has been small and socratic (the school is now in process for IB certification.) So on one hand, he is accustomed to rigor, and at the same time, he is kind of laid back in demeanor. I actually expected him to prefer a LAC instead of a large state school. Next, here’s a rundown of his likes/dislikes of other schools: he quite liked University of Chicago, but for entirely different reasons than umich. (Mainly liked the calibre of and emphasis on writing and critical thinking…didn’t at all mind the social quirkiness…) He liked NYU quite a lot, particularly Tisch. He liked Jacobs School of Music at Indiana and loved the town of Bloomfield, but didn’t like the vibe of the rest of the campus – felt more like social high school to him. He disliked the Princeton campus, which for some reason he found to be “highly homogenous” (I think he meant socioeconomically.) Perhaps at that point he was already highly biased in favor of U Mich. because that one surprised me a lot.

SO, here’s what he LOVED about U Mich in terms of the physical campus and general feel. He loved that even though the campus is large it feels smaller and is wholly integrated into the town of Ann Arbor, which essentially radiates from the campus like spokes. He loved the mix of very old architecture with new and highly modern, state-of-the-art facilities. He loved the trees, squirrels, the casual-comfortable dress of the students, the consciousness of the students (very friendly everywhere you go) and the fact that just about anywhere you go on central campus there are little cafes and shops just around the corner. He liked the school spirit the students showed. He really liked the sense of diversity – not just in terms of culture, but in terms of socioeconomic status and political orientation. He loved the beautiful, quiet, and smaller setting of the north campus, where engineering, art and design, and the school of music reside – and the fact that its only a 10 min bus ride and that class times are staggered between central and north. He liked the conversations he overheard people having.

Academically and particular to his case, he found the perfect program with instructors he highly admired in the School of Music. Unless you’re SOM-bound though, that would have no bearing for you as it is a highly personalized fit thing. He is also pursing a simultaneous degree at LSA, and enjoyed everyone he met there and seminars he’s attended to get a sense of the flavor.

If you are a person who LIKES season changes (including winter, which can be brutal) I would expect you’d find the campus both intimate feeling, in parts highly beautiful, and generally enjoyable despite the high population. (I don’t know what other schools you’re considering.) If you are a person who likes a balance of social life with academic rigor, you would likely be happy here.

In terms of activities, I can’t imagine you lacking for same at U Mich. We get newsletters regularly outlining more events than one person could possibly attend. There is always music, theatre, local bands, programming like UMix open mic nights at the union, frat parties, rep films, readings, exhibits and the like. I think this is one of the stronger features of the school – it has the population to support a highly robust slate of activities with a captive and centralized audience!
The layout of the city in terms of driving is not a stellar testament to engineering (particularly considering UM’s rep:) but the layout of the campus is well done considering it has constantly expanded since the early 1800s. Some of the buildings are quite aged but seem well maintained. New facilities are gleaming. Medium-aged buildings are at times a little ragged as one might expect. The resident halls are not especially spacious or high tech but I don’t find them less appealing than any of the others I’ve seen…and they renovate one or two a year so many have wifi and newer interiors, etc. The size of the school means it has the economy of scale to deliver some services really well, such as computing access. The downside of the size is that the administrative structure is, as one would expect, “larger” and perhaps more bureaucratic in feel.

My only other caveat is that all of the foregoing are personal observations and opinions informed by multiple visits and dealing with and sitting in on classes and knowing students who attend, HOWEVER I should note that said son does not attend until the fall.

I hope this has given you some sense of flavor, and I hope that others will make thoughtful and more informed contributions.
Cheers,
K

vinceh · April 22, 2009, 10:44am

Disclaimer: I live in Ann Arbor and my wife is a UM Alum.

I agree nearly 100% with everything that kmccrindle has said, (I disagree with the winter being brutal part, but then I’ve lived in Minnesota and Vermont, being from Arizona you might have a little trouble adjusting that first year).

To my thinking, Ann Arbor is the ultimate college town. Campus is fully integrated into the city and it’s often difficult to distinguish which events are University sponsored and which are independent. The University and the Medical Center employ a large, well educated, well paid population that drives a countless number of entertainment, educational and dining options. Events that aren’t free to students have tickets at greatly reduced prices. Dining options are limitless, from the mundane Subway/Buffalo Wild Wings to countless Indian, Ethiopian, Italian, Sushi etc options, (go to Le Dog, a curbside stand, and try the Lobster Bisque, it’s outrageous, just don’t ask the owner what’s good today?; he makes Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi look like Ghandi).

It might help if you tell us where you’ve visited so that we can compare Michigan to something you’re familiar with.

Good Luck with the wait list.

UMDAD · April 22, 2009, 1:21pm

I graduated from U of M in 1975. W graduated in 1976. W and I love Ann Arbor and go back as often as we can for all kinds of events. My best friends from my graduation year in my fraternity feel the same way. D will be starting graduate school in the fall and we can’t wait for more opportunities to go back.

Ann Arbor is a special place. That’s really all I can say. It has stayed that way with me for over 35 years.

Coolbrezze · April 22, 2009, 7:58pm

Well I would also look at google street view in the Ann Arbor area.

Ann Arbor is ranked as a top college town, and there are obvious reasons why. Though, the campus has not been ranked, it is Ann Arbor. I think University of Michigan- Ann Arbor campus ( from what I was told/ seen on street view) is nice, but also smaller than it is laid out on map. Speaking of layout, I’m not a hudge fan of it. I basically see two campuses, and almost 2 universities ( 3 if counting Eastern Michigan University) within the city metro. Northern campus seems to basically focus on one area, and I think the division is noticable. Central campus ( I don’t really think there is a southern campus, besides passing a few homes to get to the stadium) seems to be more clustered, though I think in reality it may be a little clustered in a attractive way. I wouldn’t rank University of Michigan- Ann Arbor campus above a 7, as I would for Ann Arbor being a college town. To me, it seems like central campus is the campus, and…

rjkofnovi · April 22, 2009, 8:15pm

^^^^^Please ignore coolbreeze es2642. He has never been to Ann Arbor in his life, even though he says he lives less than 100 miles away from it. Why he would comment on an area he is “basically” clueless about I have no idea.

es2642 · April 22, 2009, 9:04pm

Those above who have said I should visit, believe me, if I could afford to and could pick up and go the minute I got off the waitlist (if I do) I would definitely visit the campus. But its just not reasonable as you need to book at least 7 days before a flight to get them at a reasonable price.

Keep the comments coming, I find them fascinating. Even if you have just taken a tour (as an incoming freshman), I would like to hear what you have to say; I am soaking it all in.

And thanks, Coolbreeze, I did drive through the campus on Google Street View.

urcuzinvinnie · April 22, 2009, 11:14pm

I really love how the campus is molded into the city to the point here crossing a street takes you from central campus to downtown ann arbor just like that. Also, it’s cool how all the buildings are different styles and architecture yet they unmistakably combine to form umich (not only is the variety different but it personifies a lot of what mich stands for). Also there’s a ton of cool restaurants, and don’t even get me started on how awesome the big house or yost arena are.

CoffeeAddict9716 · April 23, 2009, 12:11am

To get a better feel for some parts of the campus, you can go to ecampustours.com and check out 360 degree panoramas of the school…you’ll have to set up a free account, though, but that takes 2 seconds…

Also, just go to ■■■■■■■■■■ and type in stuff like “university of michigan” campus (put u of m in quotes to narrow the search) and look at what the buildings look like.

You get the idea…

I found Michigan’s campus to be quite beautiful including the builings, quads with fountains, etc. The energy/vibe on campus was great-everyone smiling and talking, lots of coffee shops, stores, restaurants, etc. right by—the food is amazing everywhere you go!!!

I honestly feel like nobody could hate the campus or Ann Arbor. Hope this helps!

NYerr · April 24, 2009, 12:48am

check out you tube for University of Michigan on election night. the students are in the ‘diag’ cheering as if it was a football game. the Diag is in the center of campus and the paths intersect in the middle as you cross from building to building. On a nice day, there are lots of frisbees and people hanging out. There is “the hill”, where the track is and tennis courts and many dorms. there is Main St. which is more upscale, about 5-6 blocks parallel to the campus. On google maps, street view, check out State St., South University and North University.

Michigan used to have a DVD, narrated by James Earl Jones. I wonder if they still have it and can send you one. It would really give you an idea.

It’s semi-urban, you can walk everywhere. and because of that, there are always people out and about even when its cold. everything is at your doorstep or you can get it delivered from mgoblue (visit that site and get an idea of how well fed you can be without leaving your dorm).

urcuzinvinnie · April 24, 2009, 6:38am

that James earl jones video is on the website under prospective sudents

Need an HONEST opinion on the campus.

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