University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Top Questions

Racial: I'm white-therefore I suck. Religious: I'm protestant therefore I'm a fundamental religious wacko. Economic: I'm poor and I have no family suppor therefore what the hell am I doing at this school and why don't I have a pair of UGGS? Students at U of M: a) rich kid from the suburbs whose daddy, grandaddy and great-grandaddy all were U of M alum and all have contributed financially to the school. b) ghetto kid recruited despite their 2.0 GPA because they are black and somehow contribute to diversity even though most of them never make it through the first year b/c lack of ability to read or handle basic math problems which were covered in the classes that DPS had to cut for budget reasons, isn't covered under Affirmative Action, c) Asian kid who sleeps while drooling on their books at the AAEL and who walks around the campus knowing that they could take over the world at any moment. Do different students interact? Rarely w/ out being forced to. Four tables in the dining hall: prep squad-the "Yea! I'm so happy to be at U of M now get me another Prozac!"-usually made up of dorm kids and greek society. Girls all under 110 pounds, under 100 if you don't include the UGGs, Northface or skin tight 80's pants, guys all counting down the hours to the next kegger and hoping to score. Table 2: The ghetto-girls lean forward and the whole room can see their neon blue thong, enough flashy fake jewelry to light up Las Vegas, guys wearing pants at the knees. Plenty of lovely Urban slang. Won't it be great to teach the naive rich kids cool new words like "Superman" and "Spiderman"? Loudest table in the room w/ screeching, guffawing and yelling that will intimidate the rest of the room. When everyone tries to avoid them-they assume it's just ignorance and racism. Table #3: nerdy girls mixed w/ some gay guys and lesbians and a few asian students. Usually the quietest table and the one most likely to actually do something w/ the education they are receiving. Table #4 the Muslim table: maybe it's the head scarves but they noticed the glares when they walked into the room and they aren't about to start trouble. People may pretend to be diverse but when a huge crowd of people who are obviously of Middle Eastern heritage walks into the room everyone suddenly remembers 9/11. U of M students: we're mainly from South Eastern Michigan unless you are a Law School, Engineering or Music Student. If you are-you probably only know the rest of Michigan as: "Detroit is that scary place where people have guns", Canton is the place w/ the IKEA and who the hell cares about the rest? Financial: mainly rich. If you aren't rich, you are here b/c of minority scholarships. If you happen to be poor and not a minority-you are screwed. Go back to community college. Everyone is politically active. Hardcore left, mainly still in the rebellion phase against mommy and daddy. These are mainly rich kids-they don't care about earnings. They ASSUME that they'll be fine.

Most students are pretty liberal, though that is a generalization. People seem accepting of different cultures, though there is a divide among different students groups. There's a fair amount of social awareness and political activism. It's impossible to stereotype the typical "Michigan student" because every single one is very different.

There's a place for everyone here except the extremely ignorant or close-minded. Come here with an open mind or don't come at all. I would say the University's commitment to diversity has paid off. There's a large spread of varying political, social, economic, racial, gender, and other backgrounds one can imagine. However, it does seem that these groups do stay mostly to themselves, which is unfortunate.

It is so difficult to answer any of these questions about the types of people at Michigan because there is honestly every type of person here. It isn't a utopia where everyone gets along with everyone and things are all peachy-keen. But there is no one type of student on campus. The student body is so diverse and so amazing, we really have the capability to be the leaders and best.

Not a whole lot, to be honest. Very few students would feel out of place here. It's a pretty diverse student body, and there are a multitude of student groups for any minority, ethnicity, religious affiliation, etc. Most students wear their worst clothes to class. This is especially true in the winter, where you have to put on more clothes. It is remarkable how much better girls dress--in terms of make-up and hair, as well as clothes--when they're going out than when they're going to class. A lot of students are politically active; however, many are ill-informed or just regurgitate what they've read in the New York Times and seen on CNN. Politics are very complicated, and a lot of students try to simplify them by simply taking a radical position and sticking to it. Hence the opinion section of The Michigan Daily. UM is definitely a liberal campus, though I know conservatives, republicans, and people who don't give a shit.