alanc

You’re getting bad advice, I assume from other people who are applying to grad school. There are way too many applications and if there’s an anomaly which you do not acknowledge you will go in the reject pile at any good school. It doesn’t matter the explanation as long as it’s sincere. “I didn’t take it seriously and realized I needed to” or “I hated school and almost dropped out to work at Walmart but then discovered my true calling” are fine answers. Ignoring it is trying to hide it in the hope that they’re too stupid to notice and insulting the committee won’t get you far. Of course, make sure it really is an anomaly like C’s and D’s. If your first year average was a 3.0 and you raised it to a 3.7 it’s not an issue.
I’ve been involved in the process at two top 20 schools. 

You’re getting bad advice, I assume from other people who are applying to grad school. There are way too many applications and if there’s an anomaly which you do not acknowledge you will go in the reject pile at any good school. It doesn’t matter the explanation as long as it’s sincere. “I didn’t take it seriously and realized I needed to” or “I hated school and almost dropped out to work at Walmart but then discovered my true calling” are fine answers. Ignoring it is trying to hide it in the hope that they’re too stupid to notice and insulting the committee won’t get you far. Of course, make sure it really is an anomaly like C’s and D’s. If your first year average was a 3.0 and you raised it to a 3.7 it’s not an issue.
I’ve been involved in the process at two top 20 schools. 

You’re getting bad advice, I assume from other people who are applying to grad school. There are way too many applications and if there’s an anomaly which you do not acknowledge you will go in the reject pile at any good school. It doesn’t matter the explanation as long as it’s sincere. “I didn’t take it seriously and realized I needed to” or “I hated school and almost dropped out to work at Walmart but then discovered my true calling” are fine answers. Ignoring it is trying to hide it in the hope that they’re too stupid to notice and insulting the committee won’t get you far. Of course, make sure it really is an anomaly like C’s and D’s. If your first year average was a 3.0 and you raised it to a 3.7 it’s not an issue.
I’ve been involved in the process at two top 20 schools. 

There are plenty of apartments within a short walking distance of central campus for that price. They will be in divided older homes, not apartment complexes. There is no reason to ride a bus if you're willing to pay $6-700/bedroom. Any apartment complexes are far from campus and a complete pain. The charm of Ann Arbor is living in Ann Arbor. Believe it or not, the best way to find a place is to just walk around and call the numbers on the signs. A huge amount of apartments are not run by large companies and are not advertised.

Nobody can answer these kind of questions for you. You got in so clearly they think you're qualified and it won't matter to the future where you choose as long as you are successful. Are the financial offers similar after considering cost of living? Have you visited? They are very different places. Would you rather live in a city or out in the woods? What about snow? Ithaca gets three times the snow per year. What is your particular interest? Is there anyone who actually does something you find interesting? Experimental condensed matter can be a lot of different things. What are their exam policies and course policies and offerings? I would go to Cornell in a heartbeat if I had to choose but the next person who answers will probably say the opposite.

I can't tell you much about actually living in Woodland Mews but the place has a bizarre history. It was built as an upscale condo complex but the recession hit and they sold over 200 unsold units for next to nothing. The people who bought the original condos lost massive amounts of money when they started renting but that's not an issue for you. The location is fantastic. You can walk to Busch's for groceries and you have 2 bus routes, one on Main which takes you north to town or south to the mall, and one on AA Saline Rd on the other side of the complex which also takes you north to town or south to Whole Foods and the Meijer in Pittsfield Twp (only a mile or two). You have an easy bike ride to central if you do that. You can walk to the stadium in about 10 minutes. The units are not really old and they were built to be nice but the reviews seem to be mixed. Some of the units have issues because they were sold unfinished and quickly finished so they could be rented. Try to talk to people who live there to find their experiences but you really can't beat the location if the price is right. Besides, you only have to live there for a year at a time.

I can't tell you about the complexes themselves but Liberty Grand is far from campus in Scio Township. I think it's fairly new. There is a bus (route 29) but you'll likely have to slog through snow to get to your stop and you'll get a bus about once per hour. You can see the apartments from the xway and it is loud so I would make sure you're not signing for an apartment in the back facing the xway. It is not convenient to town and there is nothing within walking distance. If you have a car you can do your shopping within about 3 miles in Scio Township.
Spicetree is almost to Ypsilanti, past Arborland, which is the most congested intersection in the area. Good news is you can get a bus (route 4) every ten minutes by walking out your door any time of day. The apartments get mixed reviews and I hear they are very loud, mostly undergrads from UM, Eastern, and the CC which is within a mile.
Arbor Hills is near Spicetree  but on the Ann Arbor side of the expressway so you get the same bus route but avoid the congestion near the expressway.
You didn't say whether you will bring a car. You can't drive it to campus during the day because there's no place to park it but if you live away from town you will be able to use it for everything else and it would make your life a lot easier. If you do, my choice would be Liberty Grand because it's fairly secluded if you can get a unit up front away from the xway. You would avoid the nightmare traffic of the other places. It is very pretty, almost semi-rural on that side of town. If you don't have a car just going grocery shopping would be a nightmare and I would go with one of the others.
I also wouldn't get stressed about having to do it now. The "filling up fast" thing is a marketing ploy, there are always apartments for rent. Of course, knowing what your life will look like is reassuring in itself.

If I were you I would look here: https://www.thepondsatgeorgetown.com/
It's on Packard south of Stadium which means you are past the undergrad ghetto but still on a busy bus line and within easy bicycling distance, even walking distance if the weather's nice and you like to walk. If you don't like to walk it's probably too far. There is an area within short walking distance where undergrads live and rent is, in my opinion, unreasonable for the really old buildings. Then there is the ring beyond that where rents go down, buildings are newer, bicycling is okay, but walking might be a bit far. I would go for that. The Ponds is an example, you should also check Woodbury Gardens which is in the same area but a half mile closer. Then you have the really far away stuff where you really have to plan your day because you live too far to go home until you're completely done for the day, some don't get buses. That would be the case with the others you mentioned.

That's where the problem arises. A lot of new students rent whatever they can find from afar for a year and then move for their second year. Yes, there are always rentals available in August but it's more or less a crap shoot as far as what you'll find. Sometimes you get lucky and find a great place, sometimes not, but there is always something available. On the bright side, even if you don't find something you like in August you can always fall back on an apartment complex with a bus ride. Just make sure that the bus actually goes by the apartment because you will not be driving a car to central campus because you can't park it. The AA bus system is very good and you ride for free with a student ID but there are places you won't get a bus after a certain time of day and some where you won't get a bus at all. You should use the route maps while looking to make sure you can actually get where you need when you need. http://www.theride.org/Schedules-Maps-and-Tools

There are plenty of apartments within a short walking distance of central campus for that price. They will be in divided older homes, not apartment complexes. There is no reason to ride a bus if you're willing to pay $6-700/bedroom. Any apartment complexes are far from campus and a complete pain. The charm of Ann Arbor is living in Ann Arbor. Believe it or not, the best way to find a place is to just walk around and call the numbers on the signs. A huge amount of apartments are not run by large companies and are not advertised.

Maybe you should quit thinking you're a victim and do what your advisor asks. Assuming you are receiving financial support, it's quite reasonable to ask you to show up to work. Assigning you to collaborate with another person is standard and a skill that you might need to develop. It sounds to me as if you think that you know better than faculty when, and under what circumstances, you should be awarded a degree. If they don't think your work is up to their standards you are not going to get your degree and I would honestly believe that faculty are a better judge of the quality of your work than are you. I don't know where you are but in the US contacting someone else to complain about your advisor is a really bad idea, I've never seen it result in anything except more problems. If you mention the word lawyer you may as well just leave now because courts give academic institutions extremely wide latitude in accepting students and granting degrees. You don't have a contract that guarantees you anything, it is entirely up to the faculty. The best thing you can do, if you haven't already burned all your bridges, is just agree to part ways and find another advisor. Unfortunately, there's a good chance that you now have a reputation as a problem and you won't find anyone else to take you.

Another thing I liked about it was that all apartments have private entrances directly to the parking area. You don't have to walk through a building to get to your apartment. I really isn't at all like any typical student housing.