Freshmen are mostly satisfied with their residence hall placements, are less likely to wear masks if they plan on going out and chose the University based on its academics, according to a recent survey conducted by The Michigan Daily of the University of Michigan Class of 2025.

The survey was sent out Aug. 16 to 7,003 members of the Class of 2025 and received 1,625 responses.

Here are the results of those who responded:

Demographics

Out of 1,528 responses, 49.6% are from Michigan, 43.1% are from another state and 7.3% are from another country.
Each circle represents 8 people.
Half of the freshmen who responded ranked UMich as their first college choice and around a quarter ranked UMich as their second.
Of the freshmen who ranked UMich as their first choice, 64.4% of them are from Michigan. 42.9% of out-of-state freshmen and 27% of international freshmen ranked UMich as their first choice.
A slight majority of freshmen applied to Ivy League+ schools (Ivy League, Stanford, MIT) but weren’t accepted. Just less than half did not apply, and only 3.6% were accepted to these schools but chose UMich instead.
Almost all in-state freshmen applied to and were accepted by other universities in Michigan (MSU, Michigan Tech, etc). Conversely, most out-of-state and international freshmen did not apply to other Michigan universities.

Residence halls

Of those who responded to the survey, South Quad Residence Hall, Mosher Jordan Residence Hall and Alice Lloyd Residence Hall residents were most satisfied with their resident hall placements. 99.54%, 99.49%, and 99.00% of residents, respectively, gave 6 through 10 rating of their satisfaction. Baits Residence Hall and Bursley Residence Hall residents were least satisfied with their residence hall placements, with 33.81% and 26.77%, respectively, giving a 1 through 5 rating. 

LSA freshman Callie Brand lives in an Alice Lloyd and is a member of the Lloyd Scholars living-learning community. Brand said she is very happy with her placement so far.

“I think (the dorm is) very nice,” Brand said. “The AC is much appreciated … it is definitely 10 out of 10.” 

Of the residence halls on campus, Alice Lloyd, Mosher Jordan, Couzens Residence Hall, East Quad Residence Hall, North Quad Residence Hall, Stockwell Residence Hall and West Quad Residence Hall have central air-conditioning, while the remaining residence halls only have heat.

Socializing on campus

The Class of 2025 are also arriving on campus at a time when off-campus parties — some connected with Fraternity & Sorority Life — are experiencing a resurgence. 10% of those who responded to the survey said they were very interested and 25.3% said they were somewhat interested in joining Fraternity & Sorority Life.

Of those who responded to The Daily’s survey in the Class of 2025 who were most interested in Fraternity & Sorority life, 81.58% said they had their first drink in high school. 

A plurality of the people who responded who were least interested in Fraternity & Sorority Life reported that they either planned to only drink after turning 21 or to not drink at all (47.91%). 

LSA freshman Zach Brzezicki said while it has been recommended to him a number of times, he does not plan on rushing.

“I just don’t feel comfortable with (Fraternity & Sorority Life),” Brzezicki said. “Party life … it’s just really uncomfortable to me.”

Choosing UMich

The Daily also asked the Class of 2025 why they chose UMich in particular. Of those who responded to the survey, 56.92% do not have a legacy connection to UMich. 

Brand, who does have a legacy connection, said it deeply influenced her decision to attend. 

“I think that having my parents bring us here to visit as often as they did influences how much I enjoy Ann Arbor, just as a city in general,” Brand said. 

Though UMich wasn’t his first choice school, as an in-state student, LSA freshman Heeweon Kim said he is happy with his decision to become a Wolverine.

“The tuition for the level of education (was important) because Michigan offers very high-quality education for a relatively lower price for in-state students, so it is a great deal for in-state,” Kim said.

Brzezicki said UMich was his first choice because of the balance between an active social life and academic rigor. 

“It’s the social life with all the clubs and activities that are on campus, as well as the football games and every event that’s going on,” Brzezicki said. “It (also has) fantastic academics; it’s the number one public university in the country.”

Like Brzezicki, many other Class of 2025 students are focused on the academic rigor of UMich. 44.78% of respondents plan on studying 11 to 20 hours a week, and 38.30% of respondents plan on studying 21 to 40 hours per week. 

Go Blue!
Surveyed freshmen speak 47 different languages. The above graphic does not include American Sign Language.


Senior Web Editor Alex Cotignola can be reached at acotigno@umich.edu. Data Journalist Eric Lau can be reached at ericlau@umich.edu. Daily Staff Reporters Paige Hodder and Varsha Vedapudi can be reached at phodder@umich.edu and varshakv@umich.edu.