University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Top Questions

What is the stereotype of students at your school? Is this stereotype accurate?

Alexander

As far as I know if there is a stereotype it's that students like to party, and that would be correct.

Alyssa

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Alyssa

The stereotype is that everyone is very smart, pretentious, and rich. The stereotype is sadly accurate. I mean, is it really necessary to have a Marc Jacobs backpack? Really? Long story short, some people tend to flaunt their money in material item form. I have seen people be very judgmental...like I watched a girl watch stare another girl down for what she was wearing. But, I digress. Every school has people like this. We might have more.

Angela

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Marikha

Students at U of M are typically stereotyped as intelligent, open-minded, and well-balanced individuals. This is definitely true! All of the students I have met at the University of Michigan are extremely smart and passionate about their chosen field of study. We have an extremely diverse student body, which develops an open-minded and tolerant mindset that spreads throughout the campus. Furthermore, the University of Michigan has the perfect balance of work and play - in addition to challenging academics, the university provides many activities for students to participate in. No matter what your interests are, you are guaranteed to find a club or organization of interest to take part in! I have also heard stereotypes of our students being somewhat unattractive - don't worry, I can assure you that this particular stereotype is COMPLETELY untrue!

Alexandra

Hippies, Hipsters, Greek life and Asians

Mike

None

Monica

The stereotype is that students here are very booksmart and have no time for other extra activities. This is inaccurate! Students at the university of michigan work hard, but are also very well-rounded. Whether its sports, clubs, or even having a good time with friends, the people I have met at this university balance their education with life experiences.

Bradley

A common stereotype is that of the Jewish, East Coast frat boy. This stereotype is somewhat accurate in that there is a noticeable presence of them (I lived in a hallway that was half-full of them my freshman year and they were very rowdy, attended frat events, used marijuana), but the university is not filled or saturated with them. Another stereotype is that the engineering students here are antisocial, but this is generally untrue in what I've found; though there are a few engineering students I've met who have poor social skills, these kinds of students are distributed pretty evenly across all majors, and I've rarely been able to predict that someone was majoring in engineering based simply on the way they interact socially.

Bashar

The first stereotype that comes to mind is the Greek System. Something like you should join a frat or sorority to get friends. Another stereotype is that everyone goes to the library. They think that everyone there is a geek. Also, since Ann Arbor is a pretty liberal city, they are not very strict about marijuana. Because of this people think we are all stoners

Max

Very wealthy, very snobbish Greek community. This stereotype is pretty accurate, although joining can be an excellent opportunity to make friends and have fun.

Jordan

Well, what is great about going to a massive university like MIchigan is that there is no one stereotype that you can use. Michigan prides itself on its diversity. I have never once had a class where I could generalize every student in it by saying that everyone in it is a "hipster," or "bro." One thing that i will say about the student body is that everyone here is incredibly passionate and ambitious. Everyone here chooses something to be incredibly dedicated to and they stick to it. Some only care about the football team and they focus entirely on it; some love working for the newspaper (The Michigan daily) and they never leave the office.

Myckaela

There are definitely multiple stereotypes when it comes to U of M. Greek life is huge here and of course, with Greek life comes stereotypes. I would say that main frat stereotype here is: only caring about partying, not the smartest people in the world, and some are viewed as being jocks. The stereotype does vary by individual frat, though. I would say the partying aspect of the stereotype is true; however, most of the frat guys I know are extremely intelligent (i.e. many of the frat guys I know are in the Ross School of Business, Ford School of Public Policy, etc.). It's as if they're so smart that they're able to get away with partying all the time while still doing well in school. As far the jock aspect goes, I would say there are many frat guys who are athletic and act like jocks, but at the same time there are quite a few who aren't athletic at all. Sorority stereotypes, like frats, vary by sorority. I would say the general stereotype is similar to that of frats - if you replace the word jock with slut. Before I say whether this stereotype is true or not, know that I'm a sorority girl who's trying to be unbiased. The intelligence aspect is the same as I said for frat guys - most of the sorority girls I know are very smart (i.e. some have 4.0s, some are in the Business School, etc.) The girls in some sororities go out 4 nights a week, while other sororities barely party. The slutty stereotype varies just as the partying one does. There are some sororities than are more known for being slutty than others; however, there are girls in every sorority that do sleep around and girls in every sorority that don't. In addition to Greek life stereotypes, there are also athletic team stereotypes. It is a known fact here that athletes only hang out with other athletes. There's even a joke that athletes call us non-athletes "muggles." There is sort of a stereotype that athletes think they're better than everyone else, and I would say that's accurate, but only with a mob mentality. When you meet individual athletes (in class, for example), they are nice to you. However, if there was a group of hockey guys (or any other sport) somewhere, they would likely be in a group of only them, wearing their clothes to make sure everyone knew they were athletes. There are two more main stereotypes here - international Asians and reallllllly Jewish people. The stereotype that international Asian students that can't speak English well set the curve in science and math classes is true 99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the time. In addition to the Asian stereotype, there is the jappy stereotype (jap stands for Jewish American princess, but we use the term for boys too). A jap is someone who is not even necessarily a practicing Jew, but just a cultural Jew. Some characteristics of a jappy girl are: only associating with other Jewish people, long, brown hair, having a Blackberry, always wearing boots with leggings and a Northface coat, and expecting everyone to wait on her. A guy jap would be someone who wears a black v-neck shirt with a Star of David necklace and just makes it very known that he's Jewish. Going back to Greek life, there are certain frats and sororities with the jappy stereotype and it's, for the most part, true. Although the word jap has a negative connotation, I've heard people admit before that they knew they were jappy.

Myckaela

There are definitely multiple stereotypes when it comes to U of M. Greek life is huge here and of course, with Greek life comes stereotypes. I would say that main frat stereotype here is: only caring about partying, not the smartest people in the world, and some are viewed as being jocks. The stereotype does vary by individual frat, though. I would say the partying aspect of the stereotype is true; however, most of the frat guys I know are extremely intelligent (i.e. many of the frat guys I know are in the Ross School of Business, Ford School of Public Policy, etc.). It's as if they're so smart that they're able to get away with partying all the time while still doing well in school. As far the jock aspect goes, I would say there are many frat guys who are athletic and act like jocks, but at the same time there are quite a few who aren't athletic at all. Sorority stereotypes, like frats, vary by sorority. I would say the general stereotype is similar to that of frats - if you replace the word jock with slut. Before I say whether this stereotype is true or not, know that I'm a sorority girl who's trying to be unbiased. The intelligence aspect is the same as I said for frat guys - most of the sorority girls I know are very smart (i.e. some have 4.0s, some are in the Business School, etc.) The girls in some sororities go out 4 nights a week, while other sororities barely party. The slutty stereotype varies just as the partying one does. There are some sororities than are more known for being slutty than others; however, there are girls in every sorority that do sleep around and girls in every sorority that don't. In addition to Greek life stereotypes, there are also athletic team stereotypes. It is a known fact here that athletes only hang out with other athletes. There's even a joke that athletes call us non-athletes "muggles." There is sort of a stereotype that athletes think they're better than everyone else, and I would say that's accurate, but only with a mob mentality. When you meet individual athletes (in class, for example), they are nice to you. However, if there was a group of hockey guys (or any other sport) somewhere, they would likely be in a group of only them, wearing their clothes to make sure everyone knew they were athletes. There are two more main stereotypes here - international Asians and reallllllly Jewish people. The stereotype that international Asian students that can't speak English well set the curve in science and math classes is true 99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the time. In addition to the Asian stereotype, there is the jappy stereotype (jap stands for Jewish American princess, but we use the term for boys too). A jap is someone who is not even necessarily a practicing Jew, but just a cultural Jew. Some characteristics of a jappy girl are: only associating with other Jewish people, long, brown hair, having a Blackberry, always wearing boots with leggings and a Northface coat, and expecting everyone to wait on her. A guy jap would be someone who wears a black v-neck shirt with a Star of David necklace and just makes it very known that he's Jewish. Going back to Greek life, there are certain frats and sororities with the jappy stereotype and it's, for the most part, true. Although the word jap has a negative connotation, I've heard people admit before that they knew they were jappy.

Emily

There are two different stereotypes at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Within the students, we are considered to be nerds. Everyone is passionate about their major or career path, and we are unafraid to admit our passion. While some people might call us “losers,” students at Michigan are fascinated by complex chemical reactions, psychological developmental theories, or will spend hours debating the inequalities of society. We enjoy the simplicity of an elegant math equation and the complexity of computer graphics. Students are ready to spend hours at the library studying and are unafraid to ask their professors questions. Academia is a unanimous priority within the student body, and we are prepared to take on its respective workload. To other universities, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor comes off as arrogant. Non-wolverines stereotype us as arrogant. However, this is a misconception of our passion. We put in the effort to do our best in our classes and activities outside of the classroom. Wolverines are driven to succeed in our classes and are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed – long hours in the library, extra review sessions, or sleepless nights. When we put in extra hours to later succeed, we are very proud of ourselves for succeeding. It is this pride that is often seen as arrogance.

Angela

Naomi

The University of Michigan Ann Arbor is one of the largest universities in the nation; "stereotypes" are difficult to identify at such a diverse campus. However, it is rather clear that despite external "stereotypes," the students at Umich are definitely academically driven. Michigan football is a big part of the university, though college athletes are clearly in the minority. Greek life is rich and there are many different frats and sororities.

Samantha

One of the most common stereotypes of the students at the University of Michigan is that we're all nerds who spend every waking hour of every day working. While it's safe to say that most of us are incredibly intelligent, the "nerd" image is incredibly false! There are lots of people here who, although they are smart, spend plenty of time doing activities other than homework. Another stereotype of this university is that everyone here is rich and stuck up. Although there certainly are a few kids like that, they're at every school - and no more than any other school are here. We're all pretty laid back students who like to have fun. This school is diverse enough to find both the richest of the rich, and the not-so-well-off, and that's what really makes this school special.

Jonathan

When I first arrived on campus, I was told by those older than me that I would not have a social life at this University if I didn't join a fraternity, and this is usually the common stereotype portrayed to most outsiders. Since then, I have joined not only a fraternity but also a variety of student groups, and while it was definitely helpful to be in a fraternity to make the campus smaller, my main social life these days is totally independent of the fraternity. Given this, I would say that stereotype is wrong. One true stereotype is that students who attend the University of Michigan have tremendous school spirit and consequently can be a little bit ostentatious. I wouldn't say the campus is overly cocky, but people do take enormous pride in the school and will take any opportunity to tell others how awesome Michigan is.

Alexandra

Most of the students at Michigan are serious about their studying and doing their work, but they also love to have fun and participate in school activities and sporting events

Erica

People definitely refer to students at Michigan as "Nerds who don't know how to party." This is completely false. I never understood why and how people could stereotype everyone at a huge university in such a way. Yes, some students at UofM study all the time and don't like to drink, but there are also students who go out and party every night of the week. Another common stereotype at UofM are "JAPS" aka Jewish American Princesses. Check out the Pursuit of Jappiness video on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fvP4OACmWw) to get a feel for the stereotype. This one is somewhat accurate considering some students at UofM do look and act like the people depicted in the YouTube video.

Adam

I'm an in-state student, and I would say the U of M stereotype within the state is that we are all a bunch of quiz-bowl, library-freak nerds. THIS COULD NOT BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH. Are there people like that here? Absolutely. But Michigan has a great social scene, way better than other in-state schools like Grand Valley, Western, Central, and even State. It's not all just Frat-bros either. U of M is a perfect balance of studying/hard work and a party school. And, since its so big, you're not forced into one group; like I said, don't want to join a frat or sorority? House parties are way better anyway.

Jonathan

When I first arrived on campus, I was told by those older than me that I would not have a social life at this University if I didn't join a fraternity, and this is usually the common stereotype portrayed to most outsiders. Since then, I have joined not only a fraternity but also a variety of student groups, and while it was definitely helpful to be in a fraternity to make the campus smaller, my main social life these days is totally independent of the fraternity. Given this, I would say that stereotype is wrong. One true stereotype is that students who attend the University of Michigan have tremendous school spirit and consequently can be a little bit ostentatious. I wouldn't say the campus is overly cocky, but people do take enormous pride in the school and will take any opportunity to tell others how awesome Michigan is.

Eleanor

Liberal is definitely a huge stereotype, and there are a lot of liberals here. But there are also a lot of conservative students, and a lot of political organizations for all ranges of views. People also generally think of us as being super into school spirit and football...that's definitely true.