Ann Arbor, MI

[jackassjim]

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.

Thanks a lot for the answer. Yeah, I guess I'll have to go there pretty early then. I'm also thinking about a car, but I heard parking is awful on campus. We'll see...

Thanks!

[timuralp]

The thing with parking, if you're on North Campus (that's where all engineering stuff is) it's not too bad actually, since the lot's about a half a mile walk from all the buildings. Don't know anything about central campus, but there are buses from the lots for sure. Also, you probably want to do something like my friend did: look at places online, if you find a few, visit in July and try to get a lease that starts in the end of August. Also, Michigan does the whole summer institute thing, which would make it pretty easy to find housing, since you'll be here in May/June anyway.

[babaababo]

I am heading to a recruitment visit at Ann Arbor this coming weekend. Is there anywhere near (or on) campus that I should definitely visit (or any areas that I should stroll through?).

Also, what areas within walking distance of central campus would you recommend for housing options (1 bedroom) that are not too undergrad crazy? Not sure I will end up there, but thought I would at least browse around at housing while I am there. Thanks!

[timuralp]

Well, walk around Central Campus, obviously. Walking around will give you the feel of the place. I'm only saying this because so many programs just give a bus tour to their students and that's silly.

Then, depending on your interests, there are a few notable places. Ashley's (State St, between William and North University), Grizzly Peak (Washington St and Ashley St), and Arbor Brewing Company (Washington St, between 4th and Main St) all are good beer places and have decent food. Might be of interest if you're looking for dinner and a good beer. Arbor Brewing Company and Grizzly Peak are less populated by students and are farther from campus.

Then you want to walk around Kerry town (the square formed by Ann, 5th Ave, Kingsley, and State st). This is where a lot of students live, grad and undergrad. A lot of houses are not in a great shape and are overpriced. If you get a chance, stop by Zingermann's deli (Kingsley and Detroit St).

Also, you could look at housing heading south on East University St from Hill St (close to business school and sociology, as well as the main quad). Essentially, you'll be competing with undergrads all around campus, since they all generally want to live within walking distance. I know quite a few students living in Kerry town and they all seem to like it, so I would try to find something decent there. The last housing you could look at is in the triangle formed by Geddes, South University and Elm.

Finally, walk around South university (up to Washtenaw, after that is housing pretty much), check out the Michigan Union on State St (it's pretty neat inside), check out the libraries on campus (Undergrad (Shapiro) and Grad). Check out the Law Quad: State St and South University. Hope this helps

If you have specific questions, let me know. Hope you enjoy the visit

[Inspekt]

I heard ann arbor is kind of expensive. Is a stipend of $16,500 going to be enough to live comfortably? It's a 9 month stipend.

What are typical stipends U Mich students have recieved in the past?

[timuralp]

Well, my fellowship was 8k per semester and I still managed to save about 2-3k in the fall and hoping to do the same in the spring. My mortgage+condo fees runs about $820/month. If you rent and have roommates, you can do it for around $600 around campus. The summer funding is usually available, but you gotta get your advisor to pay you. The pay is usually $2k/month, at least that's the case in computer science. I found that it's possible to live on it comfortably and didn't feel constricted in any way.

[AlwaysWorried]

Is it possible to go snow shoeing in Ann Arbor or nearby?

[timuralp]

Google says yes

[Inspekt]

Good grief I don't want to hear that you can go snow shoeing there. haha, I knew it was cold but !!!!! I have some other options with a little better funding so now I"m just trying to find the best match. We'll see.

Thanks for the info on housing. I didn't even consider trying to purchase a place during grad school, but it might not be such a bad option these days with the housing market and interest rates so low. And being there for 5 years...Hmm...

Thanks!

[timuralp]

Haha, well, you'd have to drive out of Ann Arbor a little and go to one of the wetlands. I thought the winter was tolerable, but my perception was probably affected by 7 years in New England.

[scintille]

Is it possible to go snow shoeing in Ann Arbor or nearby?

One of my professors goes cross-country skiing on the weekends, I've never been but I'd guess that means snow shoeing is a go as well.

[TMP]

I thought the winter was tolerable, but my perception was probably affected by 7 years in New England.

Brr... this winter was very cold. The temps wouldn't ordinarily bother me but good grief, I hated the winds. I hated the winds. I can't wait to graduate with my MA in December and live with my parents in upstate NY for the sake of better weather (and free food). When things quiet down, I'll go back to A2 and enjoy the spring and live out the rest of my lease unless i get someone to sublet my place.

I heard ann arbor is kind of expensive. Is a stipend of $16,500 going to be enough to live comfortably? It's a 9 month stipend.

What are typical stipends U Mich students have recieved in the past?

I'm fairly frugal but live quite a comfortable life. Maybe that's just me- I'm pretty low key person. So I can live a minimum of $800 a month with a roommate in a 2 BR apartment across from North Campus and pay only electricity and cable/Internet on monthly basis on top of other expenses. But I would say I'd be a little happier with $1,000 so... a $!6,500 stipend is more than enough for me! Not to mention, that you just need to look very hard and be extremely patient for housing on central campus (as I did for next fall, yay!!!).

I'm not kidding about housing, people, start looking once you've accepted Michigan's offer. If you don't have a car, it's worth bucking up a bit for higher rent prices around central campus because the public transportation system here SUCKS at night and on weekends.

[timuralp]

Brr... this winter was very cold. The temps wouldn't ordinarily bother me but good grief, I hated the winds. I hated the winds.

Hehe I'd say that it's subjective, so people interested should just look up the average temperature by month and go by that

...and live with my parents in upstate NY for the sake of better weather (and free food).

Haha nice. For me Ann Arbor's actually a better place, since my parents are in NH - yikes.

[scintille]

Hehe I'd say that it's subjective, so people interested should just look up the average temperature by month and go by that

Haha nice. For me Ann Arbor's actually a better place, since my parents are in NH - yikes.

I'm from the upper peninsula and I thought the winters in ann arbor were awful. It's not so much that they're cold (which they are - especially when you're walking everywhere) but they're SO gray. Something about being between the two lakes and lots of cloud cover, I swear we get 1 sunny day per week. You get used to it but it's nice to know ahead of time so you can start saving up for a much-needed winter vacation.

[h&h1986]

Anyone have questions about Ann Arbor or the University of Michigan? I've been here for 15 years, I'm afraid.

Question re: housing???

What documentation(s) necessary for signing a lease?

Are on campus parking permits difficult to obtain? Cost?

Which UM affliated apts are recc. for grad students? (close to the N. Campus...)

[TMP]

Question re: housing???

What documentation(s) necessary for signing a lease?

Are on campus parking permits difficult to obtain? Cost?

Which UM affliated apts are recc. for grad students? (close to the N. Campus...)

1) For most leases, they want your driver's license and some places want credit score. Others ask for parents' signature (in case you can't pay...). I THINK that they do want social security....Internationals definitely need to show their visa form. But it's dependent on the landlord- apartment complexes require more documentations. Individuals not so much.

2) On-Campus parking is a nightmare, especially if you're looking for free parking. There is parking in the structures but it takes forever to find 30 open spots in a garage that holds 450 cars... You do need to pay (it's relatively cheap compared to cities). I think permits are given to faculty and staff and students living out of Ann Arbor. If you can use the public transportation, you will be in better shape and less stressed. I'm not jealous of anyone who has a car at UM.

3) There aren't any UM affiliated apartments. UM does have an apartment complex- Northwood- for grad students. Preferences tend to go for families and internationals. But my roommate, an international, lived there last year and thought our apartment was a much better deal. So you're best off looking at Willowtree Apartments, the Courtyards (brand new, luxury, more expensive), and Broadview (allows pets) which all are within 10 minutes walk to North Diag on North Campus.

[TMP]

Hehe I'd say that it's subjective, so people interested should just look up the average temperature by month and go by that

Haha nice. For me Ann Arbor's actually a better place, since my parents are in NH - yikes.

I don't know. I'll see how far I get with my thesis! Temperature is a relative thing, I know, but the wind chills are another story. They're what really gets to me. I don't mind 10-15 degrees if there's a calm wind...

[timuralp]

Are on campus parking permits difficult to obtain? Cost?

On North, parking isn't too big a deal. The two lots for students are about a 10 minute walk from the center of north campus. The key is to get the after hours permit, which lets you park in all of the parking garages and lots after 3 pm - really convenient. The permit will run about $130 for the year, which overall isn't that bad. As far as I can tell it's really easy to get - just go to parking services and they'll give you one right there.

[danubecities]

I visited UM last week. Ann Arbor seemed like a nice college town. I liked the coffee shops and the ambiance of the town, but I'm not sure if I could spend 4+ years there. It's bit far from Chicago and I'd like to be able to meet people outside of the university, which would be tough in such a small place. Anyone a current grad student at UM? How do you like living there?

[timuralp]

I visited UM last week. Ann Arbor seemed like a nice college town. I liked the coffee shops and the ambiance of the town, but I'm not sure if I could spend 4+ years there. It's bit far from Chicago and I'd like to be able to meet people outside of the university, which would be tough in such a small place. Anyone a current grad student at UM? How do you like living there?

My perception obviously will be skewed, since I have to spend a lot of time in the lab. There are a few things happening in Ann Arbor where you can meet people outside of U-M, like the Art festival and the film festival. There is a regular comedy club, where some of the comedians that ended up on comedy central presents appear once in a while. There is a whole bunch of people who are professionals and work, but they tend not to be close to campus, since all the jobs are on South State and Eisenhower. Overall, I like the town, because there is good cultural diversity and I can find ethnic food, good beer, good running trails. Also, make sure to partake in some student activities. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you might have...

[flyinglion]

I am an international student newly admitted to UMich~ thinking of getting there in Mid-August..

Where do people buy furnitures? How about supermarkets?

[TMP]

Google any mattress store- they're reliable. A cool place to buy furniture is TreasureMart on Detroit street (just near Zingerman's deli)- it's fairly priced. People also sell stuff off Craig's List all the time. The stuff I've gotten from Craigs have showed up at my door in good shape.

Supermarkets... you get either Kroger (they do serious bulk sales) and Busch's (a bit pricier but fresher produce). We do have Whole Foods (national chain, excellent but the running joke in Ann Arbor is that it's really called "Whole Paycheck" ) and Plum Market- both relatively a bit upscale and nicer. Meijier's is another place but I haven't been there....

[michigan girl]

Basically what ticklemepink just stated.

Major chains: Target (not exactly a grocery store, but you will save $$ on items), Kroger, Meijer (you may notice that locals always add an "s" to the end of the store names), Busch (more expensive, higher-quality food)

Expensive Chains: Whole Foods, Plum Market

Just outside Ann Arbor: Wal-Mart, Costco (you'll need a car to access these places)

[timuralp]

then you should also mention sam's club.

[Inspekt]

Is there a trader joes in ann arbor?

I'm trying to decide between Philly and Ann Arbor. Has anyone lived in both places that could give me some insight into how you liked both? I can see myself living in both a city or a college town so any advice would be helpful.

Thanks!