Thursday, October 16, 2008

Definitive Guide to the University of Michigan

By J. Vincent Burr

The University of Michigan is one of the premiere universities in the world. It is one of the original eight "Public Ivy's", placing it in exclusive company as a university on par with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. It has 3 campuses - the main one being in Ann Arbor, with the others in Dearborn and Flint. U of M has one of the largest research expenditures of any university in America, and has the largest number of living alumni at almost half a million. This large base of support has contributed to U of M having the 9th largest endowment in the United States at over $5.5 Billion.

The university was originally founded in 1817 in Detroit, and was moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 when the city offered up free land to entice the school to move there. It was the first major university to enroll women, beginning in 1870. The University of Michigan also has a place in history as the location of the historic speech where President John F. Kennedy proposed what became to be known as the Peace Corps. More recently, it was the defendant in two court cases that were heard by the United States Supreme Court involving the use of affirmative action in their admissions policies. The State of Michigan also passed a law banning the use of affirmative action in university admissions.

The University of Michigan has around 40,000 students enrolled in over in 600 academic programs. Students come from all 50 states and over 100 countries. U of M ranks very highly in every college ranking system, with more than 70% of their 200 programs being ranked in the top 10 nationally. The Ross School of Business is considered to be one of the best in the world, and the Medical School is as well. These high rankings and national reputation has led to extremely high tuition rates for students not considered "in-district". Tuition for Michigan residents is very reasonable considering the prestige of the university and quality of education. However, if you are an out of state student, expect to pay roughly what you would pay to go to Harvard or Yale.

U of M recently joined with Michigan State University and Wayne State University to create what's been dubbed the University Research Corridor. The purpose is to highlight the capabilities of Michigan's three major research institutions in an effort to help spark the transformation of Michigan's economy away from the fading automotive industry.

Aside from being one of the world's most prestigious universities in terms of education, U of M has a long history of athletic dominance in most major sports. Known as the Wolverines and recognized by their trademark maize and blue colors, U of M has produced hundreds of professional athletes with several current and future hall-of-famers among them. It's also launched well over 100 Olympic medalists, including the most recent one - Michael Phelps.

The list of notable alumni is astounding, including President Gerald Ford, several Supreme Court Justices, 25 Rhodes scholars, 7 Nobel Prize winners, and a Field's Medal winner. On the other hand, it's also known as being the school that the Unabomber earned his PhD from. That aside, you can't beat U of M for an education - see the links below for even more info.


About the author: J. Vincent Burr is the creator and chief educational writer for the college review site MyNextCollege.com, which contains plenty more information about The University of Michigan including reviews by actual U of M students.

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