What's it like at UMich? Forum
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What's it like at UMich?
I always thought that I wanted to go to law school in a big city, but some of my friends who have started med school and law school in cities like NY, DC, and LA have all told me about how lonely it is and how expensive everything is.
Therefore, I've started to think more seriously about big collegial law schools like Michigan, Virginia, and Berkeley. I find Michigan to be intriguing because after attending a small undergrad college with no school spirit, the idea of a massive public school with Saturday morning football seems to be a welcome change.
So does anybody have any reliable knowledge of what studying and living at UMich would be like?
Thanks!
Therefore, I've started to think more seriously about big collegial law schools like Michigan, Virginia, and Berkeley. I find Michigan to be intriguing because after attending a small undergrad college with no school spirit, the idea of a massive public school with Saturday morning football seems to be a welcome change.
So does anybody have any reliable knowledge of what studying and living at UMich would be like?
Thanks!
- verdandi
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
Greetings,
I am a 2L at the University of Michigan Law School and I absolutely LOVE it here. People are wonderful, professors are top notch and approachable, and I really enjoy the work (although there is always too much of it!). Football is a blast and honestly I think this is one of the few schools where everyone can find a niche and be very happy.
I have also lived in small cities (Durham, NC) and big ones (downtown Chicago, IL) so I can give you some perspective from that angle as well. I found that students that live in large cities tend to commute longer to school and have more established social lives outside of school. The upside of this is that you have a wonderful big city to explore; the downside is if you are going to school to meet people, be prepared that many students will have established social groups that exist outside of school and you will have to break into that. This isn't always the case but I think it is a more common phenomenon at schools in very large cities.
Please PM me if you have any specific questions about Michigan. I know that sounded overly glowing and brochure-esque but Michigan really does have a special culture.
I am a 2L at the University of Michigan Law School and I absolutely LOVE it here. People are wonderful, professors are top notch and approachable, and I really enjoy the work (although there is always too much of it!). Football is a blast and honestly I think this is one of the few schools where everyone can find a niche and be very happy.
I have also lived in small cities (Durham, NC) and big ones (downtown Chicago, IL) so I can give you some perspective from that angle as well. I found that students that live in large cities tend to commute longer to school and have more established social lives outside of school. The upside of this is that you have a wonderful big city to explore; the downside is if you are going to school to meet people, be prepared that many students will have established social groups that exist outside of school and you will have to break into that. This isn't always the case but I think it is a more common phenomenon at schools in very large cities.
Please PM me if you have any specific questions about Michigan. I know that sounded overly glowing and brochure-esque but Michigan really does have a special culture.
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
. . .
Last edited by oppotomus on Thu Apr 25, 2013 11:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- thalassocrat
- Posts: 488
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
+1 Also a Mich 1L, and it's fantastic here so far. Admittedly, classes don't start until Tuesday, so I can probably give a more substantive answer in a few months. Michigan was my top choice at the start of my cycle last year, and one of the reasons was the collegial attitude I had heard so much about. I transferred during undergrad and found it really hard to make new friends at the school I graduated from, so I wanted a place where I didn't feel I'd have the same sort of problems (pita commutes, everyone already having their own groups, etc).oppotomus wrote:I completely agree. I just started and I already love it. Everyone is super nice and really smart.
Oppotomus, you know we have a thread in the Class of 2013 forum? You should join us, we don't bite.

- verdandi
- Posts: 86
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
oppotomus wrote:I turned down much higher ranked schools to come here and I now know it was the right decision.
I also did this. Completely and utterly worth it.
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- gtang_hls13
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
O man I went to UM for undergrad and am definitely missing it a little. When I was at Stanford for my Masters I could feel that the atmosphere was really different, but it was still equally interesting and comfortable for me. I mean I've only just started here and I don't live in the dorms so maybe I'm missing out on something, but the general feeling of school spirit I felt at Michigan is just simply unbeatable.
On a separate note, **** the Irish!
On a separate note, **** the Irish!
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
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Last edited by holborn on Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
Do you think that the school spirit and huge alumni network are real tangible benefits for your career?
I just want to know that if I do choose to go to Michigan for the collegial atmosphere, it won't only be due to my wanting to continue to live in a college bubble and go to crazy football games every Saturday :p.
Also, I think I may have a strong chance of trying to find work in LA after I graduate from law school. One of the things I like about UMich is that it seems to place well everywhere in the country. Would it be relatively easy for me to find work in SoCal after attending UMich law?
I just want to know that if I do choose to go to Michigan for the collegial atmosphere, it won't only be due to my wanting to continue to live in a college bubble and go to crazy football games every Saturday :p.
Also, I think I may have a strong chance of trying to find work in LA after I graduate from law school. One of the things I like about UMich is that it seems to place well everywhere in the country. Would it be relatively easy for me to find work in SoCal after attending UMich law?
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
how often do you get free stuff like UMich t shirts etc?
- kaftka juice
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- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:49 pm
Re: What's it like at UMich?
I went to UM undergrad and I must say Ann Arbor is ridiculously awesome. It really is the perfect college town for a number of reasons:
1) Cutesy little downtown area to walk to. There are restaurants, bars, specialty shops all within perfect walking/biking distance
2) Study areas. There will be an awesomely gorgeous study area to suit your needs. Absolute quiet? Grad library stacks. Some noise? UGLi. Lots of noise? Espresso Royal. Awkward dorky people-watching? The Dude (that's where the engineers are).
3) The law school is the most beautiful building EVER. I'm not kidding. I think it was on the list of possible areas to shoot the movie Harry Potter. Also big plus--no Voldermort.
4) There's lots of stuff to do, but you're still in a town, not a big city. So if you want to be all anti-social and hibernate with your blanket and homework for a week, you can do it without feeling like you're missing out on everything.
5) The DPS reports. 75% of them are hilarious. I have my friends forward them to me.
Bad news:
1) Law quad right next to central campus, so if you hate undergrads you better suck it up.
1) Cutesy little downtown area to walk to. There are restaurants, bars, specialty shops all within perfect walking/biking distance
2) Study areas. There will be an awesomely gorgeous study area to suit your needs. Absolute quiet? Grad library stacks. Some noise? UGLi. Lots of noise? Espresso Royal. Awkward dorky people-watching? The Dude (that's where the engineers are).
3) The law school is the most beautiful building EVER. I'm not kidding. I think it was on the list of possible areas to shoot the movie Harry Potter. Also big plus--no Voldermort.
4) There's lots of stuff to do, but you're still in a town, not a big city. So if you want to be all anti-social and hibernate with your blanket and homework for a week, you can do it without feeling like you're missing out on everything.
5) The DPS reports. 75% of them are hilarious. I have my friends forward them to me.
Bad news:
1) Law quad right next to central campus, so if you hate undergrads you better suck it up.
- kazu
- Posts: 1600
- Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2009 9:35 pm
Re: What's it like at UMich?
This list makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside... and starting to consider ED-ing to Michigan.kaftka juice wrote:I went to UM undergrad and I must say Ann Arbor is ridiculously awesome. It really is the perfect college town for a number of reasons:
1) Cutesy little downtown area to walk to. There are restaurants, bars, specialty shops all within perfect walking/biking distance
2) Study areas. There will be an awesomely gorgeous study area to suit your needs. Absolute quiet? Grad library stacks. Some noise? UGLi. Lots of noise? Espresso Royal. Awkward dorky people-watching? The Dude (that's where the engineers are).
3) The law school is the most beautiful building EVER. I'm not kidding. I think it was on the list of possible areas to shoot the movie Harry Potter. Also big plus--no Voldermort.
4) There's lots of stuff to do, but you're still in a town, not a big city. So if you want to be all anti-social and hibernate with your blanket and homework for a week, you can do it without feeling like you're missing out on everything.
5) The DPS reports. 75% of them are hilarious. I have my friends forward them to me.
Bad news:
1) Law quad right next to central campus, so if you hate undergrads you better suck it up.
- ShuckingNotJiving
- Posts: 266
- Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 11:24 am
Re: What's it like at UMich?
kaftka juice wrote:I went to UM undergrad and I must say Ann Arbor is ridiculously awesome. It really is the perfect college town for a number of reasons:
1) Cutesy little downtown area to walk to. There are restaurants, bars, specialty shops all within perfect walking/biking distance
2) Study areas. There will be an awesomely gorgeous study area to suit your needs. Absolute quiet? Grad library stacks. Some noise? UGLi. Lots of noise? Espresso Royal. Awkward dorky people-watching? The Dude (that's where the engineers are).
3) The law school is the most beautiful building EVER. I'm not kidding. I think it was on the list of possible areas to shoot the movie Harry Potter. Also big plus--no Voldermort.
4) There's lots of stuff to do, but you're still in a town, not a big city. So if you want to be all anti-social and hibernate with your blanket and homework for a week, you can do it without feeling like you're missing out on everything.
5) The DPS reports. 75% of them are hilarious. I have my friends forward them to me.
Bad news:
1) Law quad right next to central campus, so if you hate undergrads you better suck it up.
This is all good info. To add, there is a "north campus" that, although farther from the law quad, is where a lot of older students reside. It's much quieter -- you won't risk the possibility of being awoken to Soulja Boy at 5AM on a Saturday in the fall. But I guess that could be a drawback or a benefit, depending on your mood. I've heard that living a distance away from the main campus action makes you feel like you're "going home" at the end of a stressful day, which is a plus for those who don't want to be perpetually surrounded by it all.
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
. . .
Last edited by oppotomus on Thu Apr 25, 2013 11:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- kaftka juice
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:49 pm
Re: What's it like at UMich?
+++1 for the alumni network. Again, I just went to UMich for UG, but I can fully attest to the extent to which UM grads are in love with their alma mater. I think it's partially because we all have an inflated view of our intellectual superiority (smug alert!), but that will be a great asset to you considering the diverse regions that UM grads practice. There is nothing UM grads love more than talking to fellow UM grads about Ann Arbor and the current state of football (I would avoid that subject right now, though...)oppotomus wrote:kpuc wrote:Do you think that the school spirit and huge alumni network are real tangible benefits for your career?
I just want to know that if I do choose to go to Michigan for the collegial atmosphere, it won't only be due to my wanting to continue to live in a college bubble and go to crazy football games every Saturday :p.
Also, I think I may have a strong chance of trying to find work in LA after I graduate from law school. One of the things I like about UMich is that it seems to place well everywhere in the country. Would it be relatively easy for me to find work in SoCal after attending UMich law?
Quick answer: I think the collegial atmosphere makes the alumni network more aggressive than other schools--i.e., they like to do whatever they possibly can for MI students. I went to San Fran and two alumni's took me out for dinner and talked up their firms (I hadn't even enrolled yet!).
Yes, MI places well all over. LA included. I think a good portion (a majority?) of the class goes to the coasts during the summers and upon graduation.
Another point: the professors here are just as good as HYS. Primus, for example, could get a job at Yale tomorrow if he wanted it, as I imagine Friedman could. But don't take it from me. Look at the profs a little before you choose a school. I did, and it--along with the overall feel--pushed me toward Ann Arbor.
- Entchen
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
Oh Michigan. Why do you make me love you so much?
Seriously, threads like this weaken my resolve not to ED. If I got into every school I'm applying to, including ones ranking higher than Michigan, it's still where I'd go. I'd just prefer to go with some money, and my chances are decent, so I feel like I should hold off.
Argh.
Seriously, threads like this weaken my resolve not to ED. If I got into every school I'm applying to, including ones ranking higher than Michigan, it's still where I'd go. I'd just prefer to go with some money, and my chances are decent, so I feel like I should hold off.
Argh.
- Patriot1208
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
--ImageRemoved--


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Re: What's it like at UMich?
How generous is UMich? I've read that the school likes to give smaller awards to as many people as possible, as opposed to giving big awards to just a few people.
I have a 3.56 GPA and am expecting to score at least 172 on the LSAT. Any idea what kind of, if any, scholarship I might be looking at?
Thanks!
I have a 3.56 GPA and am expecting to score at least 172 on the LSAT. Any idea what kind of, if any, scholarship I might be looking at?
Thanks!
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
Why would you ED, kazu? You have a shot at some serious money from Michigan.kazu wrote:This list makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside... and starting to consider ED-ing to Michigan.
- kazu
- Posts: 1600
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Re: What's it like at UMich?
Haha, I won't, I won't. I'm just worn out already (even though it's just September!!) and I just want to know where I'll be going next year ASAP. I won't actually do it, although it is temptingd34dluk3 wrote:Why would you ED, kazu? You have a shot at some serious money from Michigan.kazu wrote:This list makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside... and starting to consider ED-ing to Michigan.

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