shima Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I found out that you are accepted by UM ( which program? ) and your boyfriend is accepted by columbia ( which program? ). Is it correct? like my fiance and I :wink: Why don't u try to transfer your universities? Are u now in ann arbor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sashababie Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 hi shima, no I'm not in Ann Arbor right now but I will be in August , my boyfriend and I have already accepted our offers from the respective schools, I am in Comparative Literature PhD and he is in MS Urban Design, I'm sure he did a lot of research and decided that Columbia was more worth it, so despite having a hard time with this decision I'm not holding any grudges against him. But! I really think what you said in another thread is going to be true for me as well, I have always enjoyed a big city lifestyle too and cannot fathom living in a small town for 5 yrs or more. I do believe that I will be able to get away to larger cities once in a while and hope those visits will keep me going, I should be too busy to think about shopping sprees anyway! By "like my fiance and I" do you mean you will be doing long-distance too? AA vs NYC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erin85 Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I'd recommend living closer to campus as the ann arbor busses can be unreliable. I did the buses one year during undergrad and was late to about 2/3rds of my classes, even when I took the earlier bus. In snow storms or rain storms they sometimes forget to arrive... The north to central campus ones are not bad, so for the couple dealing with that--north campus is quiet and sometimes cheaper, but away from the restaurants/fun stuff (and no busses on weekends), so thats a good option, but many north-campus goes live on central and use the UMICH busses as they are usually alright. Most grad students I know live right by central campus too, its not that bad if you find the right neighborhood. Mine is a 5 minute walk to campus, and is quiet as a mouse (the neighborhood behind the union/LS&A building if you look at a map). I have friends that live a little north of the rackham building (once again on a map its roughly ann st. and thayer I think?) and its also silent. Just live somewhere where you cant hear the frats/sororities. I'll be honest, I'm VERY happy to be leaving ann arbor, but to me the city is boring, a touch crazy (and I'm a liberal too...), and well... did I mention after a few years it's boring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iskonomist Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 how about living in a coop house (say Baker graduate house or the Northwood coop houses)? can anybody share their thoughts or personal experiences living in this kind of setup (i.e. with board and lodging but with chores to do on a weekly basis)? many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yem2808 Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I'd recommend living closer to campus as the ann arbor busses can be unreliable. I did the buses one year during undergrad and was late to about 2/3rds of my classes, even when I took the earlier bus. In snow storms or rain storms they sometimes forget to arrive... The north to central campus ones are not bad, so for the couple dealing with that--north campus is quiet and sometimes cheaper, but away from the restaurants/fun stuff (and no busses on weekends), so thats a good option, but many north-campus goes live on central and use the UMICH busses as they are usually alright. Most grad students I know live right by central campus too, its not that bad if you find the right neighborhood. Mine is a 5 minute walk to campus, and is quiet as a mouse (the neighborhood behind the union/LS&A building if you look at a map). I have friends that live a little north of the rackham building (once again on a map its roughly ann st. and thayer I think?) and its also silent. Just live somewhere where you cant hear the frats/sororities. I'll be honest, I'm VERY happy to be leaving ann arbor, but to me the city is boring, a touch crazy (and I'm a liberal too...), and well... did I mention after a few years it's boring? haha, i felt the exact same way when i was leaving ann arbor! though now that i haven't lived there for almost 2 years i miss it .. guess the grass is always greener, eh? and i second the neighborhood north of rackham as being a good place for grad students .. my boyfriend lives on kingsley and its usually pretty quiet (save for the medical helicopters and the occasional party .. but i used to live in the packard/east u ghetto and its SO MUCH nicer than that). its a good mix of undergrads/grads/young professionals, not to mention close to kerrytown and downtown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sashababie Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I'll be honest, I'm VERY happy to be leaving ann arbor, but to me the city is boring, a touch crazy (and I'm a liberal too...), and well... did I mention after a few years it's boring? oh my :cry: I had hoped the town itself wasn't so bad, is it a hassle to get to larger cities (Detroit, Chicago, Toronto etc.) by public transportation? Not to mention the cash I'll have to chuck out for airfare to NYC, the boyfriend will be probably too busy to visit me in AA :evil: (can't imagine life without fall recession and spring break travel) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yem2808 Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 sashababie said: oh my ? I had hoped the town itself wasn't so bad, is it a hassle to get to larger cities (Detroit, Chicago, Toronto etc.) by public transportation? Not to mention the cash I'll have to chuck out for airfare to NYC, the boyfriend will be probably too busy to visit me in AA :evil: (can't imagine life without fall recession and spring break travel) the town isn't bad .. you just might start to get a little bored/restless toward the end. and not everyone is like that .. some people could never imagine leaving. don't know about toronto, but there is a megabus that goes to chicago or detroit for only a few dollars. there's amtrak and greyhound stations too, but the megabus is much cheaper/faster. Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shima Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 Would you please tell me the advantages and disadvantages of these apartments: 1-GreenBrier Apartments 2-WillowTree Apartments 3-Hurton Tower I want to rent a 1-bedroom apartment near the NorthCampus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erin85 Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 ok, so dorky as it is, I'd recommend people with "ok I'm moving to Ann Arbor now what" questions post here: http://community.livejournal.com/umstudents/ Get a livejournal account, and check it out. It's very active, and as long as your post doesn't repeat something a moderator already placed under memories, you'll get some good answers usually. PLUS it's ALL UOFM STUDENTS! (undergrad and grad level). They even have memories about bad landlords/housing (http://community.livejournal.com/umstudents/73969.html)! Hope it's ok to post that, seriously though, its a HUGE help. That community answered a million and one of my questions about housing/landlords/courses/requirements over the past few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belevitt Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Hey Sashababie, the bus from Ann Arbor (or at least from Detroit) into Toronto is super convenient and short. Bad news about the worst case scenario plan you mentioned - I have never heard of a "fall recessional" and while they may exist in some places, the midwestern university I went to had no fall break or anything. Hope that wasn't too much of a downer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeble Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 So I'm wondering how friendly Ann Arbor/UM is to gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender students, on campus and off. Is it safe to be "out"? What are attitudes like towards gay couples with kids? What are good neighborhoods to live in? Are hate crimes common? I'm really not interested in clubs or bars or anything like that, I just want to know if this is a safe place to be a gay grad student or young professional. Thanks for any advice you have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timuralp Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 weeble, I haven't seen any reports of hate crimes targeted at the gay community or anything like that. I've been here only 3 months though, so take my advice with a grain of salt. I live on the west side and it's just a quite residential community. I don't think anyone would hassle you there. Kerrytown may be more friendly since it's mostly populated by students/gradstudents, so tends to be more liberal in that regard. Sorry this isn't too helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabana15 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 hey all, i'm seriously considering moving to ann arbor (even though it's SUPER cold there) and was wondering what good (quiet) neighborhoods I should look for houses in? We're thinking 150k-200k some moderate fix-er-upperness is fine, with a good neighborhood close to shops and the U. Any suggestions? thx! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timuralp Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I wouldn't say it's super cold, unless you're from the south. Coming from Massachusetts, I found it to be the same, and compared to NH, it's even milder, but anywhooo... I bought a condo on the west side (South Maple Road area) and was pretty happy with it. You could look for houses there. It's quiet, since it's all people with real jobs and few students. It's about 2 miles from central campus and there are a bunch of buses. You could try looking to the north too (Plymouth rd and north off that). In general, the closer you get to central campus, the louder it'll be and the more students will live there. You can also look at Ypsilanti, which is a bit farther, but cheaper. I could send you a realtor's name. PM if interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabana15 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I might look near maple then. I've heard not-so-pleasant things about ypsilanti (although I've never been to MI, so I have no real basis for this), but i'd like to live in town. My huz and I are still considering about 3 other cities, but I might take you up on your offer, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mia11 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Been a little while since posts on here, hopefully we can get this going again! Much useful info so far, but I want to bring up the big question for me: HOW COLD IS COLD...???! I hate to sound precious, but I was born in/grew up in the tropics...spent most of my life in really really warm climates. I absolutely suffer (feel down etc) when I have had 'harsh' winters by my standards (i.e.40-50 degrees F/ 5-10 degrees C) I generally operate 100% better when it is summer, and running outdoors is a passion of mine. ...BUT...given that the academic side of life promises to be very very fruitful for me in Ann Arbor, am I crazy to be so concerned about the climate..? Is it really that cold? How cold is cold guys? THANKS!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feisty Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Not going to lie, I grew up in the region, and the Upper Midwest is brutal in the winter. Below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, though not common, happens (as it did for weeks in Chicago during January). When it's that cold it's actually unbearable to be outside, but things like schools shut down if it gets too extreme, so you won't go outside. Expect it to stay pretty constant between 15-40 degrees from November to April, but Midwestern weather, especially by the Great Lakes, is unpredictable so expect anything, really. Michigan gets a lot of snow (I think usually more than Chicago, where I grew up). I would imagine college towns are good about clearing the roads though. Invest in an ugly but effective down coat, wear a hat. It sucks but people have been living there for a long time, and it's character-building. It is "that cold" but Michigan is a great school, and Ann Arbor is a great town, so it's worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdilks Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, though not common, happens (as it did for weeks in Chicago during January). When it's that cold it's actually unbearable to be outside, but things like schools shut down if it gets too extreme, so you won't go outside. Michigan hasn't had classes canceled for weather in about 30 years, and I don't think they've ever canceled classes just because it was "too cold". At least for me, below 0 just means it's time to put on long underwear, and add a layer between t-shirt and winter jacket. You'd need to hit 30-40 below before the University would even think about shutting down for the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feisty Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Michigan hasn't had classes canceled for weather in about 30 years, and I don't think they've ever canceled classes just because it was "too cold". At least for me, below 0 just means it's time to put on long underwear, and add a layer between t-shirt and winter jacket. You'd need to hit 30-40 below before the University would even think about shutting down for the day. 30-40 below was what I had in mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timuralp Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Having almost spent one winter here (yay, spring is coming), I'll say it wasn't that bad. Then again, I lived in MA before this, so could be used to it. A few times it got really cold (below 10), but the teens weren't bad. Also, if you're close to campus, then it's just a matter of finding a path that goes primarily through buildings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liszt85 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 30-40 below was what I had in mind But that would be celsius, not farenheit? I guess you were right in the beginning about 0 F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdilks Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 There's not much of a difference. -40 Fahrenheit is the same as -40 Celsius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackassjim Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Question about the housing market for you all: If I were to move to Ann Arbor in August/September, when would I have to start looking for an appartment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timuralp Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Hey man, I'd say start early. Maybe June. You'll be competing with undergrads for housing, so beware Depending on which program you're in, you'll be looking in different places of town probably, unless you want to drive. Driving would definitely lower the rent for you, since anything close to campus is expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElusiveMuse Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 What is parking like on/around campus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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