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| Bright |
As an in-state student, Michigan seemed like the only choice for me. It has by far the best reputation world wide out of all the state schools in Michigan, and was so much cheaper for me than the other schools of similar caliber I was admitted to. Unfortunately, I really am not enjoying my education or social life here at the University of Michigan.
In terms of education, the size of the institution has been, for me, a serious issue. All of my classes are taught by TAs (or GSIs as we call them), with a large lecture taught by a professor. The TAs grade all the papers and determine the overall grade for the classes. In terms of teaching and grading, TAs can really be hit or miss. Some are great, and some simply do not care AT ALL about the classes they teach. My spanish teacher for my upper-level spanish class spoke frequently in english and once spent an entire class period showing us Brittany Spears and Katy Perry youtube videos... no joke. She once answered her phone in the middle of class. My english instructor admitted to us that she is about to graduate and has "senioritis" so she might not attend lecture as much as she should. Really, your quality of instruction and GPA is based way too much on chance. There's also, in my opinion, too much grade inflation here, and people freak out if they get lower than a B+ in any class.
In terms of social life- at least in the first few years it is pretty much dependent on greek life. If you like to party and drink- great come to michigan! I, personally, do not and have found few other options on campus.... it's not that there aren't any options- they offer free movies and the like every friday- it's just that a majority of students have the sole goal on thursdays, fridays, saturdays (and often every other day of the week) of getting smashed and/or laid. If you want to find people to hang out with who aren't total dorks and don't engage in such debauchery you're really going to have to work for it.
But hey it's a great school... leaders and the best... and it's hard not to feel the school spirit. Michigan's a great school and many people love it here.
Basically, my advice is to not choose Michigan just for the reputation- don't be afraid to look at schools that might not be as "respected" but are a better fit. It's all about what feels right for YOU. If you don't like where you're at, you will get little out of your education, whether it's at harvard or community college. | Surrounding City: A-, Innovation: F |  | | |
| | Mar 15 2009 | 1st Year Male --
Class 2012 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Average |
Okay, I'm just going to address each issue that I did not give an 'A' and explain why.
Competitiveness gets a B because what gpa you get in a class is dependent ENTIRELY on how you do compared to the average class score. This is true in all engineering and science classes everywhere as far as I know. There's also a lot of cheating on stuff like homework, but again, that happens everywhere.
Faculty accessability gets a B because it really depends on the professor. Some are good, some aren't.
Creativity gets a C because there is a little room for creativity on the class projects, but that's about it, in the classes at least.
Busywork gets a B because it again depends on the Professor and how you chose to do the assignments. Secret: doing 'busywork' type assignments on a computer can save a lot of time thanks to cut and paste.
Scholastic success gets a C because understanding the material of the curriculum alone will not get you a good or even necessarily passing grade. The electrical department was even worse about this. Case in point: at MSU I took circuits and got a 3.5 with little effort. At UofM I retook the class and got a 1.7 despite devoting most of my life to it. The final exam was 28 pages long. The aerospace department is like a milder version of that. Sorry, I know I'm probably scaring prospective students here. But that's how it is. If you are very smart or if you have excellent study habits (as opposed to just 'decent study habits') then you might do better.
Quality of program gets a B- because while UofM college of engineering may be one of the most resourceful engineering colleges in the world (aerospace is ranked #3 in the country and the college as a whole is #6), incredible resources won't erase problems that happen in the classroom--a lot of good students getting bad grades. And while a 50% on an exam won't matter if 50% was the class average (the average usually gets a 2.7-3.3 depending on the professor), it's still not good feeling to get such a low score. MSU is the same way.
Resources gets a B simply because while the administration raises tuition because the 'budget is so tight', they spend lavishly at the same time. We're getting a new drama center right here on North Campus next to the engineering buildings. That's like one example out of many expensive projects that the University is currently engaged in.
Campus aesthetics gets a B+ because here on north campus, the walk-ways don't always provide the best routes between buildings so a lot of grass gets trampled on. With that said, there are some parts of campus (all man made of course) that are truly magnificant to look at, even after you've seen it a hundred times.
Individual value gets a D because no one, other than maybe your closest friends, is going to care or help you if you're failing a class or can't get a job.
Campus safety gets a B because while I always feel safe, there have been several strings of thefts this past year (2005-2006) and the police think that it could be due to organized crime. By keeping my doors/windows locked, I haven't had any problems.
The surrounding city gets a B for several reasons. First of all, Ann Arbor is horribly congested with traffic. People have told me that Chigago is worse, but still, bad is bad. Second, taking busses within campus is time consuming, and taking city busses outside of campus can be VERY time consuming. On the plus side, they are free to UofM students, whereas MSU students had to pay a lot money to use them. Third, while there is a lot that happens on UofM's campus (especially activism stuff), I haven't been as impressed with the school events here as I was at MSU. There, it seemed there ALWAYS something going on. Here, not quite as much. That could just be because I live on North Campus though.
Finally, I wouldn't say that the material is that difficult here (though solving the problems can be tedious), but getting a good grade sure is. | Campus Maintenance: A, Individual Value: D | | | |
| | Apr 11 2006 | 1st Year Male --
Class 2007 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Quite Bright |
As an out of state student, let's just say that I never imagined I'd end up at Michigan. In fact, I didn't even apply until the last day before the deadline - I think I spent 15 minutes on the application (literally). When I got my acceptances and rejections back from all my applications, I found myself "stuck" with Michigan and one or two other academically comparable schools. I visited and picked Michigan.
I knew of one person in the entire state of Michigan when I arrived on campus. 8 months later, I can't walk for 90 seconds without seeing a friend of mine on the sidewalk. I remember reading this site about a year ago when I was freaking out about colleges and the overwhelming worry I had about Michigan was that it would be impossible to meet people. Flat out not true. Yes, it takes a certain level of initiative, but you can find academic and social success if you really do want it.
As with any big school, if you need someone to tell you what to do and where to go, you will probably fall through the cracks and feel like a "number." But if you get here and join a student group or two, you'll be having a great experience before you know it. You've heard it before: approach your professors and get to know them; they're very helpful people and they want to see you do well (at least most of them).
Challenge yourself. The courses here can run the gamut, from easy to very, very, difficult. I aced everything I took at high school and planned to breeze through even the more difficult classes but the fact is that it's not a cake-walk. Consequently, I'm really, really confident that I'm not missing out on anything that I would be getting at a "Top 10" university. I can't stress this enough: Michigan truly is what you make of it. Work hard and associate yourself with the right people. It's worked out great for me.
Now, for some "review" material:
Ann Arbor is amazing. Great little shops and restaurants and everything you could want from a college town. WEATHER: Just so you all know, I'm from FLORIDA. It's not that bad. Really. It's pretty darn cold sometimes, but believe me, that's not something that should influence your choice of colleges too much. Everything else will more than make up for it.
The Greek system seems dominant for your first month of school. I remember feeling that I absolutely had to join a fraternity or I would have no social life. It's true that frats do throw a lot of great parties, but know that there are other options there. I'd strongly suggest waiting until second semester to rush a fraternity or sorority. Not because they don't have a lot to offer, but because there's no way you'll really know what you want out of your 4 years at Michigan in the first month. Really, think twice before you rush first semester. But again, that doesn't mean you shouldn't ever rush if you really think it's something for you. I know a lot of kids whose social lives consist of getting drunk every night. I know a bunch that go to plays and exhibits every night and never drink. I think there's a great opportunity to have balance here if you can discipline yourself.
I'd just like to close by saying that you should never read sites like these and base your decisions off of them. You can be happy at a lot of places if you make good decisions while you're there. I used to come on this site and see which schools had the most positive reviews; it's not a smart way to do things. That said, I hope my comments have been helpful in making your own decision.
Oh, just don't get on North Campus. ;) | Surrounding City: A+, Collaboration/Competitive: B+ | | | |
| | Mar 26 2005 | 1st Year Male --
Class 2008 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Quite Bright |
For someone without a business degree, getting an MBA is very much like going to a trade school in a postive sense. Personally, I was able to utilize every single course from U of M during business within the first five-years. That was not the case with my engineering undergraduate degree.
I can't say enough good things about my experience at U of M Business School. It's like anything, you get out of it what you put into it. What I valued was the actual education, rather than the post-education networking, although that is available to those who value that aspect of the experience.
To a large degree, my particular experience was influenced by two professors: Hosmer and Prahalad, both of whom had recently joined the faculty. They were teaching in fields of interest to me, small business and strategy and had practical, ethical perspectives which appealed to me.
If you are actively participating you will gain much more from this school, than if you sit back and simply absorb what is going on around you. | Starting Job: Marketing Manager, Preparedness: A+, Reputation: A+ | | |
| | Jul 09 2006 | Alumnus Male --
Class 2000 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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