University of Michigan - Flint

Often people are torn between in person and online classes. The NetPlus! graduate program is the best of both worlds. You get the learning experience of being in the the classroom, giving presentations and participating in group projects and discussions, without having to be there every week. I would say there is a much higher respect for class time because the program only meets 4 days a semester (Friday/Saturday twice a semester 8:30-5:30). Students really participate and engage because they won't... Read More get the chance often. The workload is moderate, and likely commensurate with others in the same field. It is necessary to break the larger projects into smaller components and set internal deadlines within a group to ensure completion. In that sense, the program can be a bit Darwinian, since there is a large component of self direction needed to orchestrate assignments on schedule without instructor oversight. Also, every project or presentation is a group project. While it can be frustrating, I feel I've learned more about directing a group from that, than can ever be taught via course material. Though I'd like to be judged by my own work, I know things will rarely end up that way in real life, so this is likely better way to prepare for a leadership role. The more difficult classes (e.g. Statistics and Economics) often offer additional resources like a site called Aplia which digests materials into notes and quizzes. There is also a tutoring center open to any student at any level. Flint, MI may not be the most desirable location, but the NetPlus! program does limit campus visits to 4x per quarter. By nature of the fact that the entire NetPlus! student body comes on the same days at the same times, there is some security in the fact that we all arrive and leave at the same time. In addition to that, the university police department works very hard to ensure the campus structures and buildings remain crime-free. If it matters, classroom diversity is a bit lower than I would have expected in Flint. I would say there is close to a 70/30 split caucasian/ethnic and a 50/50 split between men & women. In any case, at the grad school level everyone is respectful and just here to learn.

Being in the NetPlus program, we only meet in the classroom every 6 weeks. This is nice, as working on my own and studying on my own terms is something that works well for me. The only drawback would be that when I have a question, it may be hard to explain over an email; where if I were in a class, I might be able to better make my confusion more clear. The networking capabilities that come with the University of Michigan name are endless, and so are the resources available. New research and technology... Read More are never-ending as well!