Every August and January, the University of Michigan welcomes yet another batch of incoming students. Maybe you are reading this as a prospective student, maybe you are an incoming freshman, or maybe you’ve even been at UMich for years. No matter what stage you are at, I hope you can learn something from this guide!Â
Before I get started on my guide, you might be wondering what makes me qualified to give you advice. While Iâve only been a student at Michigan for a year and a half, and most of this is anecdotal experience, I have lived in Ann Arbor my whole life. I’ve also worked with incoming students for the last year to answer questions, provide support, and serve as a general resource making me well versed in UMich culture.Â
Classes
Classes are one of my favorite â and one of the most stressful â parts of college. At Michigan, there is a large selection of classes to choose from! Most classes tend to be an hour and a half, though I have taken two hour and three hour classes. There are some important things to consider when making your schedule. The first is time of day. Iâm sure you have been warned against taking an 8AM course, but I would replace this advice with âknow what time of day works best for youâ. My first semester here, I had a class ending at 7:30PM, and in my most recent semester, I had a class ending at 8PM. I know I am absolutely not a morning person, and late evening classes work best for me. So if you are a morning person, you definitely should try an 8 AM class and see if it’s sustainable for you.
I also wanted to mention some of the drawbacks of back to back classes. They can be appealing if you want shorter days and potentially shorter weeks. But that may mean three hours or even more of having your brain on, which can be incredibly tiring and hunger inducing.
Lastly, I want to address one of the most common questions I get at work: âwhat if I donât get the classes I want?â. Even though I’ve been through class registration four times, I still canât seem to escape the stress of it. My strategy is to always start with a plan and so far, it has never worked out. However, I have comfort in knowing that everyone, particularly underclassmen, are in the same boat. What I tell students is that 1) there is always next semester. Many popular classes repeat yearly or each semester so there will be another chance to take it. 2) If you donât immediately get into a class, the second most common way in is through the waitlist. Iâll be honest, waitlists do suck, but students are often changing their schedules until the drop/add deadline that occurs sometime after the first two weeks of school. I’ve even got off the waitlist the day of the deadline so, be patient and try to remain hopeful.
skipping + absences
Letâs talk about the elephant in the room: skipping class. There is a very practical reason not to skip class: mandatory attendance. Going to class consistently can be a very easy way to help your grade in classes like this. Many classes do record lectures, but there are quite a few that don’t and if you donât go, youâre out of luck. There’s also the case of being in a large lecture where the professor doesnât take attendance. Itâs easy to skip in the moment and to tell yourself you will review the slides and watch the lecture later. But, it is even easier to ignore lecture and classwork completely and end up falling behind. Long term neglect will come back to bite you, especially in the form of exams. While I absolutely think you should miss class if you are sick, exhausted, or need a mental health day, I strongly urge you not to get into the habit of skipping class.
taking advantage
One important piece of advice is to take advantage of what the campus has to offer. UMich tries to have everything you need and more to help support your success in classes and beyond. The top three things I would recommend taking advantage of are office hours, the buses, and gyms.
- Office Hours – Office hours can be a great way to develop a closer relationship with your professors and instructors, and to make this big university feel a little smaller. Additionally, my instructors have given me insight into what their educational experiences are/were like, which has been helpful as someone who wants to go to grad school. Office hours are the place to address further questions or concerns. I have found them especially helpful when I need to write a large paper for a class and want some individual guidance or clarity on the grading rubric.Â
- Buses – As someone who is from Ann Arbor, and doesnât have a car, how I can get around town is really important to me. There are two main bus systems; the first is TheRide, which is the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti bus system. It is free with the swipe of your M-card, and helpful if you want to go get groceries at off-campus stores, go to the local mall, or get from north to central campus. The second are the Blue Buses which are also free, though more specific to campus. I strongly recommend learning how to navigate these systems, especially for the days with bad weather or when you donât feel like walking.
- Gyms – One of my favorite parts about campus are the gyms. While I think many may have some fear around going to the gym, I have only had positive experiences at the on-campus recreational centers. I’ve always been able to find open equipment and quiet corners to work out in.
etiquette
Knowing some of the ârulesâ and common practices can help with navigating any new environment. Â
My first tip deals with arriving to class late and leaving early. Starting with the former, this may arise if you have back to back classes in buildings that take more than ten minutes to travel between. This happened to me during my second semester at the university. Though I could make it from building to building in 10 minutes, my second class was on the fourth floor resulting in me being late. I was lucky enough to have a professor that didnât mind my tardiness, though I also preemptively emailed my professor to let him know why I always came in late. On the flip side, if you are going to leave early, it is best to sit near the back and get out as quietly as you can. It is not unheard of for professors to call out students that leave early.Â
The next point of etiquette is emails. When writing an email to an instructor, make sure the subject line includes the class name (for example: ECON 101). To address the professor, itâs best to use Doctor (Dr.), or Professor if you are unsure that they have a PhD. If the instructor has stated to address them by their first name or something different, you should address them as such. If you are emailing an UMich Office, such as the Office of Financial Aid, you will probably get a quicker response if you add your UM ID.
Those are some of my insights to navigating the University of Michigan. I will not pretend that it is perfect, or absolute, though I sincerely hope that you learned something new or helpful!