Child struggling to decide UVA vs UMich

[Anonymous]

This thread is really making me miss Ann Arbor. Here’s Joseph Brodsky’s commencement address, given in the Big House. An extraordinary meditation on life from a man who saw a lot of it and also loved Ann Arbor. https://bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/commence/speeches/1988-Brodsky.pdf

[Anonymous]

Why wouldn’t you go to UVA?

It's this stated outlook which motivates students to look elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Visit the campus to see if Michigan is a fit. We visited Michigan twice last year. While we had fun, I was surprised to see homeless men hanging around near restaurants a block away from campus, pot shops, etc.

Ann Arbor is a college town, but it is also a real city where people live. If that bothers you then maybe it isn't right for you.

As a male student at U-M I have never been worried for my safety walking around at night on campus and in downtown Ann Arbor, as with anywhere else just be aware of your surroundings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Visit the campus to see if Michigan is a fit. We visited Michigan twice last year. While we had fun, I was surprised to see homeless men hanging around near restaurants a block away from campus, pot shops, etc.

Ann Arbor is a college town, but it is also a real city where people live. If that bothers you then maybe it isn't right for you.

As a male student at U-M I have never been worried for my safety walking around at night on campus and in downtown Ann Arbor, as with anywhere else just be aware of your surroundings.

It is a concern when groups of homeless males hang around a block away from student dorms, the Union, etc. Glad you are a male and feel safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty similar schools in terms of social, sports, and academics. We have an overfunded 539 even then would hesitate to pay private school tuition for a public school. But, you say not a consideration, so just let kid choose. There is not wrong choice here.

Not sure I would say the schools are similar with regards to sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child had this choice last year and chose UVA over Michigan. UVA is half the size and that appealed to her (large but not huge). Also, Michigan is a real PITA to get to from DC as there are very few flights to Detroit and they can be really expensive if you're not buying well in advance or if you're buying on a popular weekend. My child got off the waitlist for Michigan last year in May and we literally could not visit to tour that week (before the decision was due) for under $800/person. We looked at flights from all 3 DMV airports and even considered driving to Philly or Richmond or Newark to save money but there was nothing. In contrast, UVA is a $18 Amtrak ride away (and yet feels like a different world to my DC kid).

My kid went to UM and you’re wrong about the flights. Couldn’t be easier. Tons a day. Inexpensive.

We have one DC in a small place on the West Cost and now that’s a disaster and super annoying.

If he had been a VA resident and was deciding he’d go with UVA for the cost savings alone.

(Though I’d would have to hold my nose for all the insufferable UVA boosters.)

[Anonymous]

Visit Ann Arbor now in February. Not just in April when that spring weather is not representative of the time your kid will spend there.

[Anonymous]

UVA, no brianer.

[Anonymous]

Way more jobs in VA than Michigan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Visit Ann Arbor now in February. Not just in April when that spring weather is not representative of the time your kid will spend there.

It’s currently 28 degrees in A2 and 44 degrees in Charlottesville. Too cold for you? I don’t think most teenagers are as fixated in living in cold(er) weather like their “old” parents. Virginia is not exactly in the tropics either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Visit the campus to see if Michigan is a fit. We visited Michigan twice last year. While we had fun, I was surprised to see homeless men hanging around near restaurants a block away from campus, pot shops, etc.

Ann Arbor is a college town, but it is also a real city where people live. If that bothers you then maybe it isn't right for you.

As a male student at U-M I have never been worried for my safety walking around at night on campus and in downtown Ann Arbor, as with anywhere else just be aware of your surroundings.

It is a concern when groups of homeless males hang around a block away from student dorms, the Union, etc. Glad you are a male and feel safe.

I’m a woman, and if I were a student, I’d worry a lot more about the guys at fraternity parties than random guys on the street.

[Anonymous]

I only applied to UVA ED back in the 90s and got in and went because I felt like I couldn’t let my parents pay a lot more to go somewhere else (I wasn’t going to get into an Ivy).

While overall I had a solid experience at UVA, I wish I had spread my wings. I think if he is struggling to decide it means he is might be more into Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Virginia given child’s interests!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Visit the campus to see if Michigan is a fit. We visited Michigan twice last year. While we had fun, I was surprised to see homeless men hanging around near restaurants a block away from campus, pot shops, etc.

Ann Arbor is a college town, but it is also a real city where people live. If that bothers you then maybe it isn't right for you.

As a male student at U-M I have never been worried for my safety walking around at night on campus and in downtown Ann Arbor, as with anywhere else just be aware of your surroundings.

It is a concern when groups of homeless males hang around a block away from student dorms, the Union, etc. Glad you are a male and feel safe.

NP. The homeless situation was not different from other campuses we looked at including Pitt, GW (pre-Trump-surge), and Indiana-Bloomington among others. I hear that AU also faces issues due to Tenleytown Metro being sketchier than when I was a Red Line commuter.

As a woman, I feel prudence is always warranted at night when alone and there are not other people about. Even rural campuses have issues. I was at PSU (State College) the year that a co-ed was murdered by a stalker in her apartment during spring break. Police found evidence that she was surveilled from a nearby building but it has never been solved. And there was a previous still unsolved co-ed murder in the PSU library 20 years before. (Police had a grad student suspect but couldn't prove their case.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Way more jobs in VA than Michigan

The OOSers go home. Not hard to understand. Most of them are from:

1) Chicago area loosely defined (largest Midwest regional job market)

2) NYC metro

3) California

All large job markets.