University of Michigan--Ann Arbor | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Andrew

Class: Senior
Major: Other
Gender: M

High School: Forest Hills Central
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

The best thing about Michigan is the Spirit and Tradition. There is a huge commitment to academic excellence, but that commitment pales in comparison to the depth of the University's traditions - academic, athletic and extracurricular. Once you're a Michigan Student, You'll always be a Michigan Student. There's an intangible element of Pride that becomes part of you and can never be removed. Ann Arbor has its ups and downs. It's beautiful but overpriced. It's Progressive but stubborn.

Academic Life

For me, there was a large difference between general education classes and classes within my major. Freshman and Sophomore year classes consisted of lectures of 100 and discussion sections around 20-25. My average class size for my junior and senior year was around 16 and the largest class was a lecture of 90 people that divided into discussions of around 10. Professors in large lectures won't know who you are unless you make an effort to know them but by and large they are willing to spend time. My Profs for classes in my major know my name and my personal interests and were generally available for any and all type of discussion, whether it pertained to class or not. The academic environment as I experienced it was highly competitive, but the competition mostly kept a healthy and positive nature that contributed to my overall learning ability. In the end, an experience here is what you make of it. If you take large lecture classes and never make an effort to meet your profs or other students, you will be miserable. If you make a concerted effort to know your professors and peers, you can succeed on academic, social and professional levels.

Student Body

There's a place for everyone here except the extremely ignorant or close-minded. Come here with an open mind or don't come at all. I would say the University's commitment to diversity has paid off. There's a large spread of varying political, social, economic, racial, gender, and other backgrounds one can imagine. However, it does seem that these groups do stay mostly to themselves, which is unfortunate.