Blog

I was never really a big art fan. But years ago, when I was a freshman at the University of Michigan, a couple of guys in my residence hall decided to check out the U-M Museum of Art, and they invited me to tag along. It was great – I saw amazing things. Truthfully, I didn’t really know a lot about what I was looking at, but I knew that I liked it.

It broadened my horizons. And it was the just the beginning of my college life. That’s one of the advantages of attending a large university like Michigan – experiencing things on campus that are new and exciting to you.

Because yes, U-M is big, no doubt about it. There are four areas of campus – Central, North, South and Medical. There’s a freshman class of about 6,000, and about 28,000 undergraduates.

Michigan may be just the 10th largest university in the Big Ten. But it’s sizable. And that can be intimidating. But it shouldn’t be – it works in your favor. Our academic options are incredibly expansive; we have multidisciplinary programs, dual major options, liberal arts classes, professional programs, and mini-courses that allow you to sample electives from a variety of schools and colleges.

Also, studies have shown that students change their majors an average of two times before they graduate; with this many options, there’s no worry if your interest changes midway through your academic career.

You won’t get lost in the crowd here, either. At Michigan, we want our students to succeed. We have peer mentors, academic resources, and cultural and emotional support systems in place. We have special first-year seminars for freshman, with smaller class sizes and more faculty interaction. We have our Michigan Learning Communities, which help you transition from high school to college by building friendships with individuals who share your interests.

And speaking of friends, chances are good you’ll find plenty here. You’ll meet students from all over the state, the country, the globe – people you’ll remember forever. You’ll grow socially and culturally, maybe even travel abroad. At Michigan, you can truly become a citizen of the world.

Think of it this way: You can make a big university small, but you can’t make a small university big. At Michigan, we encourage you to expand your comfort zone and reach your true potential; that’s what college is all about.