University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

The University of Michigan was an excellent balance of distance away from home to learn independence, academics, sports, and extracurricular such as football games and traveling to see new parts of the country. I engrained myself into the competitive ultimate frisbee team and that helped me meet new people and experience new things. I met a lot of great friends through the nursing school and even orientation. The Greek life presence is strong for those who are looking to join a fraternity or sorority.... Read More It was also amazing having excellent sports that the school could build a community around. The campus is beautiful, with state of the art facilities, and is an excellent place of learning for both undergraduate and graduate students. The small towns within walking distance of the school create little pockets that give students different living experiences depending on what they’re searching for. I didn’t tour the school before I submitted my application because it was one of those schools I had a feeling would be the best fit for me.

I had a great time at the university of Michigan. It shaped much of my youth, and played a major role in shaping who I am today. It is a large school, but it leverages that for good, as there are a massive amount of student organizations and extracurriculars for any type of student. Truly anyone can find their niche at UofM. The large alumni network is also a huge plus. The instruction was also really good. Many teachers were incredible (there were also some bad teachers but every institution has... Read More bad teachers) and I still fondly remember my time under their tutelage. Because it is such a large school, it can feel a little impersonal to be a student there, but I think they also did a good job with student outreach and wellbeing. It could have been better, but they tried their best! Finally, the campus culture is wonderful. You really feel like you’re part of something greater. They really managed to create and maintain a Brand of UofM, and as a student you become a part of it.

Michigan has been amazing for learning, opportunities, and growth. You truly can get whatever you want out of this experience, both socially and academically, and you can find likeminded people no matter who you are. As someone who grew up in a small town, the atmosphere of Michigan has been transformative as far as meeting new people, understanding new perspectives, and understanding my own privilege. It's a great starting point for any future career. The alumni connections, university connections,... Read More and opportunities are endless.

The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a rigorous and competitive academic environment. I studied both at the college of Languages Arts and Sciences for my undergrad, as well as the business school for my master's. I found the undergraduate environment to be slightly more challenging, as students are expected to navigate the academic environment on their own, with little substantial support from counseling staff. Although in the moment this was frustrating and challenging, I now understand the... Read More value in pushing students to survive and thrive on their own. I felt extremely prepared entering the real world post-grad, and I am forever proud to have attended my university.

This university had excellent resources particularly for leadership development for undergraduates, for example there were numerous resources in starting one's own student organization/club on campus and organizing events and programs for fellow students. There were also a great deal of resources for entrepreneurship-minded students such as the entrepreneurship certificate program one could add on to any major, and several part time free bootcamps for student founders. The dining halls were always... Read More clean and provided healthy options, and a variety of options at each dining hall.

Umich is a very unique place that will always hold a special place in my heart. The people make the experience, and there is a diverse array of personalities and perspectives to meet. The humanities courses were fantastic and generally had very engaged lecturers who had a genuine care and passion for what they did. The STEM courses were a nightmare for a young student still learning how to study and manage time. If I could do it over again, I wouldn't change anything except for how I approached my... Read More STEM classes because they were certainly weeders and I was weeded when I genuinely wanted to excel. It took a few years to remedy that aspect of my transcript, but I will say the skills I learned from umich carry over in my academic life to this day. Game days and partying is obviously incredibly fun and provide a great respite on the weekends. It's always a fun environment when people grind M-Th/F and party hard Th-Sat. If you take advantage of the resources, take your time, and get to know as many people as possible, prepare for a college experience of a lifetime.

I felt that my experience at the University of Michigan was just the right amount of in-person practicum with local organizations. This is especially important for my program of Health Behavior and Health Education for an MPH. The two years of program did see many professors on sabbatical or some other type of leave though which resulted in many classes not offered during the semesters I was there. This was very unfortunate because Master's program was so short compared to undergraduate experiences... Read More and therefore I spent a lot of money on a program in which I was not able to take a fair number of classes that I really wanted to take and learn from.

Overall, I really enjoy and recommend University of Michigan as a school. Campus life is amazing, the quality of academics is very high and challenging in a good way, and I see passion within staff, students and faculty at this school. However, for the Art and Design program specifically, I have mixed thoughts about the education. I personally enjoyed the classes and projects and did learn a lot about myself as an artist and what I wanted to pursue. But the program is set up to provide a general... Read More Art and Design degree without specific degree pathways such as Animation or Graphic Design. Therefore, all the students had to pre-plan a combination of courses that aligned with the profession they wanted to pursue. The problem is that there isn't a balanced amount of courses and there seemed be a lot of graphic design and fine art classes. I personally wanted to pursue more video and animation, but the classes were limited. Overall, maybe look into what courses are offered ahead of time to make sure they are capable of teaching you the necessary skills needed, or maybe consider another school and program that specializes in the type of art you want to pursue.