Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michiganis right in the heart of Ann Arbor and is bordered on allsides by main roads. The campus is divided into three areas:North, Central and South Campuses. The South Campus containsthe athletics with three arenas, an 18-hole golf course, twostadiums (housing one of the greatest college football teamsin the nation), more than five specific sports fields and atennis and track building. The Central Campus has over 30buildings housing students, lecture halls and smallclassrooms. There are four libraries, an art museum, a nuclearpower plant for nuclear studies and a full-sized hospital withan adjoining medical school. The Naval Architecture andAerospace Engineering buildings are located on the NorthCampus, along with two more libraries.

The school wasfounded in 1841 as a liberal arts school and offers over 15specialized colleges with majors including aerospaceengineering, athletic training, psychology, radiology,pharmaceutical chemistry and social work/public policy, justto name a few. There are 24,000 undergraduate students, over10,000 graduate students and about 3,000 First Professionalstudents. The College of Literature, Science and Arts boasts afaculty of 800, 3,200 different courses, more than 70 specificmajors and over 10,000 students. Though I visited the schoolduring break, the few students I spoke with talked endlesslyabout the school. Each had a different reason for loving theuniversity.

Although the school may sound very large,the feeling of security formed by the closeness of thebuildings is very comforting. This type of university isn'tfor people who enjoy quiet Saturdays during the fall (footballseason!) or like to know everyone's name, but if you're thetype who enjoys hustle and bustle as part of everyday life,this is the perfect school for you!


Reviewed in 1999