The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Date: Jul 19 2005
Major: Computer Science (This Major's Salary over time)
Well well, the University of Michigan! Where to start? I was also a Computer Science graduate student getting a master's and I have some comments.

I read the comment from the Army guy above and wanted to make a few comments.

Making friends - I also wondered about this. After a couple months talking to lots of people, I realized what the problem was. The people are not antisocial freaks, but there are other factors at work (though they do spend most of their time doing work of course, it *is* grad school) All of the graduate students fall into four categories:

1) International student - Only friends with international students

2) From Michigan or went to the U of M undergrad - Already knows tons of people and has friends

3) "Settled" transplant - Someone from another state who has been there for a long time and has befriended people in that time

4) "Unsettled" transplant - This was me (and you). A small minority that will find it hard to fit in to the mainstream. Some will stay at the U of M and become 3, but I bailed as soon as I completed the MS requirements as most of the other "unsettleds" did. They moved back to California or wherever they were from (or would have rather been).

Yes, it is a huge place. This is worse for undergrads but still stinks for a grad student. My advisor was there for me but I ultimately had problems because U of M expects you to figure out everything on your own and I needed more guidance than that. I was getting chewed out by profs for things I did not know I was supposed to be doing. But it's also part of the adjustment from undergrad to grad.

If I could do it over again I probably would not attend the U of M, but having done it doesn't feel so bad, and it definitely is the right place for some people. Just not me.