The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

This advice is mainly for out-of-staters. Last year, I wish a freshman guy at UM, and left in January. I've spent a lot of time thinking about my experience there, and I wish it could have been great. I had one friend from HS go to UM with me, and she made great friends right away, and loves the school. Academically, the school's fine. If you do a reasonable amount of work you will get good grades. There's a ton to do on campus, lots of parties and restaurants and stores and events make UM a fun place. It was the 'social experience', however, that makes UM tough for so many out-of-staters. My experience was different, and I feel that a lot of other out-of-staters had tough experiences at Michigan. Since I've left UM, I've heard a good deal of stories of out-of-staters who left UM because they wern't happy there (of course, for all those out-of-staters that leave, several more stay and like it).

There are a couple reasons that so many out-of-staters have a hard time at UM. First off, so many in-staters at UM spend most of their time hanging out with their high school friends, and a lot of out-of-state kids feel left out. Also, since the campus is so large, even if you make a friend in a class, there's a very good chance you'll rarely see them around campus (one of my good friends from class lived a 20 min bus ride away ... I didn't see him too often). Greek Life is a good way to meet people, but it also isn't for everybody. There's a reasonable amount of kids that just feel lost at UM. Had I made good friends in my dorm from the start (which didn't happen), I really feel like I would have had a good experience. But for the many students who have a tough time fitting in from the start, things never change.

I do think the size (UM's campus is twice as big as comparable state schools like U-IL) plays a big factor in making students feel accepted. The students aren't the friendliest or most outgoing (they mainly keep to themselves and their 'set' friends), which is probably how it is at a lot of huge schools. All this being said, I still would encourage people to consider UM. A lot of out-of-staters are there and love it. If you're lucky to fit in there, it can be a great time with the exciting sports and crazy social life. I just want you to realize that the environment of UM can present a lot of challenges.

1st Year Female -- Class 2010

Education Quality: B+, Education Quality: B+