The University of Michigan - Dearborn

Date: Aug 26 2008
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I wish I had never transferred to the University of Michigan - Dearborn.

I am a senior and have been attending this school for two years. Every single solitary semester, the financial aid office has messed up my loans. The only person in the office who I don't mind working with is Marsha; I talk to her one time and things get resolved. I'm sure there are other valuable staff members in that office, but by the results I've had, I wouldn't be able to find them easily. The school recently reported to my private loan company that I didn't even attend the school - which has resulted in a great big financial mess! No one called to tell me there was a problem with my financial aid. I have spent two days on the phone (yet again!) trying to resolve this situation. I had to call back today because the woman who answers the phone told me yesterday,

We're really busy. We can't do anything about this today. Check back tomorrow.

Excuse me? I spent big bucks at your University and the University is the one who made the error and created my problem! I should be very high on your priority list - and I felt like I should just wait in line with everyone else that needs to be dealt with.

When I first transferred, I was having to call some department of the University every 4-6 weeks (that is not an exaggeration) to fix SOMETHING about my records, my classes, my financial aid - it was always SOMETHING. That should have been my first clue, but I had hope because it's the University of Michigan and I expected more.

The professors, however, are wonderful. They are always available to help you out and they will go over things with you in class or after class to ensure that you understand the material. There are options for lecture, online or email classes and you can tell that the professors love their job and they aim to help students do well. Most of them have a great sense of humor and that helps on those tough days…or with tough material.

The campus is well kept and there is a security staff available, although my classes are always in the evening and I just see them sitting in their cars in the parking lot overlooking everything. I know our campus doesn't have a very high crime rate and that makes me feel relatively safe. Due to the increase in school shootings as of late, the University has an option where you can register to get emergency alerts sent directly to your cell phone so if there is ever a situation, students can be alerted immediately. I don't know a lot of school that do that.

The students - most of them are rich kids who have mommy and daddy paying for their education. Dearborn is a epicenter for the Muslim/Arabic community and yet they still get credits for taking "Intro to Arabic". Go figure. A lot of the younger students are snobby and way into their clothes and their cliques - but the older students who come to actually get an education are more approachable and easy to get along with. A lot of students are using laptops to take notes so even though the class sizes are small, it's hard to pay attention sometimes when the people in front of you are chatting on AIM or Yahoo messengers or the people in the corner are having a private conversation and don't really care if they are too loud. I prefer online classes because I don't have to deal with the people who seem to think that $1000/class isn't that much money. I go there to learn - not to be judged, distracted or, in the case of one professor, hear about how great Notre Dame is and how much better it is than my school.

There are sports events, although they aren't very well known.

There are "social events" and sororities and all those "make friends instantly" type of institutions, but again, we are a commuter campus so you get what you pay for.

The library is a bonus and there are counseling and health benefits that you are eligible for by attending the University of Michigan - Dearborn. There's a student health insurance plan through the school as well and you can even use your financial aid refund to pay for your insurance. It's pretty expensive, but it's an option.

There is no student housing.

Parking is HORRIBLE. They need more parking, especially by the CASL and University building, which are considered "main" campus.

I'm considering transferring, even though I'm in my senior year and I might have to go to school longer than I already am. I have a full time career, go to school part time and am completely independent, but this school drives me absolutely batty every single time I turn around. It's not worth the stress or anxiety anymore. I had much higher expectations when I first started to go here and thought it would look great on my resume. By now, I can honestly say that I don't care how great it looks on a resume. I just can't deal with this school anymore. I would encourage you to consider Eastern or Wayne State first.