University of Michigan

[lydibird]

I was a little surprised that there wasn't already a thread for UMich. I can't be the only one headed there this fall!

I'm heading into the Library and Information Science masters program. I'm apartment hunting right now, hoping to find something soon. Not having a place to live is stressful.

[ghanada]

I'm heading to UMich in the fall too! I will be doing a PhD in biomedical engineering. I'm also apartment hunting, unfortunately I don't live near UMich and will have to just sign a lease sight unseen. I am surprised there aren't more people with input regarding UMich...it is such a huge grad school!

[lydibird]

I've been looking from a distance as well. It's tough and a little scary. Luckily I finally found a roommate that I feel pretty good about and she's doing most of the legwork now. She lives in AA already so she can rule out any dumps that looked okay online.

[awvvu]

I'm starting on my PhD in EE this summer at UMich. I'm going to try co-op living for the summer: http://www.icc.coop/prospective/houses/northcampus/factsheet.php

If I don't like it then I'll find an apartment when fall starts.

[newms]

I'm starting on my PhD in EE this summer at UMich. I'm going to try co-op living for the summer: http://www.icc.coop/...s/factsheet.php

If I don't like it then I'll find an apartment when fall starts.

Careful with waiting until the summer to find an apartment for fall. A couple friends of mine did that last year and ended up with places that were relatively expensive.

[kldfweldsc]

I'm starting my MSW in the fall . I'm looking for an apartment this summer for fall, too. Only thing I could do since I'm in Florida (until next week!!).

[ghanada]

Any other thoughts on places to live? What do people think of living in Ypsilanti and driving in? I am an engineer so my lab will be in North Campus but I will have to take classes in Central. I know parking for students in Central is impossible, but how is it parking on North Campus and then just taking the shuttle to Central for classes?

[newms]

@ghanada Both are very doable. Lots of students live in Ypsilanti and drive to campus since housing is cheaper there. Also it's about a 15 min bus ride to Central from North Campus, so that's doable too.

[lydibird]

I'll probably end up living near North Campus even though I'll spend most of my time in Central Campus. The AATA website has a trip planner that gives an estimated ride time: http://routes.aata.org/

Since I don't know the area it was helpful in deciding how far out I was willing to live.

[michigan girl]

For apartment hunting, the further away you live from the campus, the cheaper the rent will be. If you're looking to move in August, start searching the apartment listings in May (do not wait until July because most of the good places will be gone). Don't live too far from campus (more than five miles) if you don't have a car because you'll risk limiting your transportation options. Bus service is already limited on the weekends, so you don't want to feel isolated. Look for housing that is directly on bus routes (especially if that route goes directly to campus or grocery stores).

[farhanqureshi]

Hey fellow Michigan people,

What happens if you live further away and choose to drive. Does winter cause any snow fall problems? I.e not able to drive? Is that an incentive to stay closer to the university?

Down under we're not really used to the snow problem so needed some clarification. Thanks in advance!

[lydibird]

I haven't had a Michigan winter yet, but I've always lived in a snowy climate. I'd bet Ann Arbor would be on top of plowing, salting, and such so if you're used to driving in snowy conditions I can't imagine there would be too many problems. If not it could be a little nerve wracking especially if you happen to be driving in heavily falling snow.

I'd be much more worried about finding parking near campus! With such a good, free transit system it isn't really necessary to drive, anyway. I've heard that people who live in Ypsilanti generally drive to the Ypsi transit center and then switch to a bus. According to the AATA website it's about a 45 minute ride from there.

[farhanqureshi]

Ahh cool.

Thanks!

[garmungo]

For those of you who may still be looking for a place from a distance, I just committed to a place next to campus that seems like a good deal (I live in San Francisco currently and couldn't take a look at places before renting them), and has some additional rooms available (the woman who owns it rents the rooms individually).  Might be worth checking out (PM me if that sounds good).

 

Or, hopefully this is allowed...

 

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/roo/3864081286.html

Edited July 13, 2013 by garmungo

[jmillar]

Thought I would revive this thread. Will be heading to UMich for Fall 2017 for the Program in Biomedical Science (PIBS). Very excited and now starting to look for housing.

[vroomfondel]

Very few UMich people on gradcafe.

I am heading there this fall for a PhD in Earth Sciences.

[Bellz]

@vroomfondel @jmillar any luck finding housing yet? I'm visiting this weekend and lining up a few places to visit. 

[jmillar]

16 minutes ago, Bellz said:

@vroomfondel @jmillar any luck finding housing yet? I'm visiting this weekend and lining up a few places to visit. 

I was thinking about some of the graduate housing options for the first year, at least until I get a better feel for the area.

[vroomfondel]

7 hours ago, Bellz said:

@vroomfondel @jmillar any luck finding housing yet? I'm visiting this weekend and lining up a few places to visit. 

Nothing yet. I am an international student, therefore can't visit. 

But I have explored extensively online. I need roommates before finalizing. Are you guys looking into north campus or central campus?

what budget are you aiming for? 

 

[Bellz]

On 3/19/2017 at 9:25 PM, jmillar said:

I was thinking about some of the graduate housing options for the first year, at least until I get a better feel for the area.

It does seem like a good deal. I'm not looking into the graduate housing because I need to bring my cat with me.

[Bellz]

On 3/20/2017 at 4:44 AM, vroomfondel said:

Nothing yet. I am an international student, therefore can't visit. 

But I have explored extensively online. I need roommates before finalizing. Are you guys looking into north campus or central campus?

what budget are you aiming for? 

 

Right now I prefer central campus so I can be closer to the town and walk to class. For the past two years I've been living in a neighborhood with nothing of interest to do in a walkable area so I'm looking to change that. I'm trying to keep rent in the $700s if I can - I'm surprised at how expensive even that is, although it's much cheaper than my current rent...

When I visit this weekend I'll be looking into some two bedroom places but I'm also looking at places that just have a room open in a 2-4 bedroom place. I can let you know if I find any leads you might be interested in! What housing preferences do you have?

[Katie6]

Hi all-- I might be heading to Michigan this fall (there or UNC). I'm going for information, so totally different field than the majority of you. @Bellz does the graduate housing not allow pets? I was looking at the graduate housing, which looks pretty nice! But I'm planning on adopting a cat at the start of my graduate career. 

Why did you all decide to go Michigan?

[vroomfondel]

7 minutes ago, Bellz said:

Right now I prefer central campus so I can be closer to the town and walk to class. For the past two years I've been living in a neighborhood with nothing of interest to do in a walkable area so I'm looking to change that. I'm trying to keep rent in the $700s if I can - I'm surprised at how expensive even that is, although it's much cheaper than my current rent...

When I visit this weekend I'll be looking into some two bedroom places but I'm also looking at places that just have a room open in a 2-4 bedroom place. I can let you know if I find any leads you might be interested in! What housing preferences do you have?

I have similar preferences. Central campus and rent within $700 sounds pretty much what I've been looking for. 

The internet tells me that kerrytown and old west side are ideal places for grad students, but they seem a bit expensive. 

It would be great if you can let me know about housing options. If you need flatmates, I am more than willing to join you.

I found out on reddit that brookside apartments fall within our rent range, and although it is not strictly in the central campus, it is pretty close by. 

And this website looks good for searching: https://www.padmapper.com/apartments/ann-arbor-mi/old-west-side/l-4225825/3-beds/under-2100?box=-83.7828259367,42.2512505504,-83.7440304655,42.2927234145

[jmillar]

1 hour ago, Bellz said:

It does seem like a good deal. I'm not looking into the graduate housing because I need to bring my cat with me.

There are some student coop housing options that allow pets:

http://www.icc.coop/index.php

[ghanada]

Welcome newcomers! For those seeking housing advice, I would highly recommend checking out the Ann Arbor city thread forum. I, as well as many others, across many years have been giving lots of housing advice and not much has changed over the years so old advice is almost certainly still relevant. We even just had a discussion about the pros/cons of living in graduate housing (Northwood) not too long ago.