The
University of Michigan is a special university by all accounts.
It is extremely strong accross all academic and professional disciplines
and its reputation in academe and the corporate world is
also very strong. The result is generally a great education
followed by excellent employment and/or graduate school opportunities. Michigan's Humanities,
Social Sciences, Engineering and Business programs are all ranked well
among the top 10 nationally. Even its pure Science programs,
such as Biology, Computer Science, Math and Physics, are ranked
in or around the top 10 nationally. For the driven
undergraduate student, the possibilities are endless.
In 2003, from
a class of 4,800 graduating students, close to 150 graduating
seniors chose to enroll directly into the nation's top 10
Law Schools. Another 150 chose to enroll into the nation's
top 10 medical schools. Hundreds more went to top 10
programs Engineering programs.
Employment figures were equally as impressive.
What makes the University of Michigan experience special is not
simply a matter of good academics or good graduate/professional opportunities
upon graduation. It is the town of Ann Arbor and
the school spirit that is inspired by the great mix
of lively campus life, great academics, dominating athletics and unmatched
intellectual ambiance.
The town of Ann Arbor is
unlike any I have ever seen, and I have lived
in 8 countries on three continents and travelled to over
40 countries on 5 continents. Although small in terms of
population, Ann Arbor has a very cosmopolitan feel. Roughly 10%
of the city is international and another significant portion of
the residents of the city come from every corner of
the US. The city is home to several large Fortune
500 companies, such as Borders, Dominos, Pfizer Research, Toyota Design
and a number od smaller high-tech companies. Many employees from
large companies in the Detroit area, such as Ford Motor
Company CEO, Bill Ford, also chose to live in Ann
Arbor. The streets are quaint but lively. Little boutique style
restaurants and shops are generally filled with patrons.
But
Ann Arbor is not for everybody. Students who want individualized
attention and campus-wide fame should not consider Michigan...nor should students
who want the average Joes of the world to be
impressed by their education.