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List of the Best American Universities

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Ann Arbor 

University of Michigan

One of the largest research educational institutions in the United States – Michigan – is known for its active scientific work, discoveries in chemistry, medicine, physics, and astronomy. The University of Michigan is an international university whose students come here from 115 countries of the world.

History of the University of Michigan

MU traces its history back to 1817, it is one of the oldest universities in the country. In 1837, he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he settled on 40 acres of land. Since its inception in Ann Arbor, the campus has expanded every year. This area still serves as the main university campus to this day.

The first research institution of the educational institution was the Detroit Observatory, opened in 1854. At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, programs in dentistry, architecture, and medicine were introduced here. UM was the first American university to use the seminar as a teaching method.

From 1900 to 1920, new hospitals, research centers, libraries and student residences were built by the university. In the 1920s and 30s, when many prestigious universities in the United States had certain quotas for the admission of Jews, the University of Michigan became a favorite place for Jews in New York and other cities: there were no restrictions on admission.

During the Second World War, research was carried out here for the projects of the US Navy. During the Cold War and the space race, UM became a major recipient of government grants for strategic research.

Like many other major universities in the United States, anti-war actions took place at UM in the 70s: politically active students held numerous strikes against the Vietnam War.

Building the University of Michigan

The educational institution is located on the campus of Ann Arbor, 56 km west of Detroit. About a third of the inhabitants of the town are students, so a friendly atmosphere reigns here. The city has theaters, galleries, museums and many cafes and restaurants – about three hundred.

The campus includes about 600 major buildings. If in the early years the campus occupied 40 acres, today the university site is much wider, it occupies about 800 acres of land. In addition to the main campus, the university has two more satellite campuses – the first is located in the city of Flint, and the second is in Dearborn (Michigan). Education is conducted in 19 schools and colleges.

The university has its own clinics and hospitals, golf courses, mansions: for example, the respectable Inglis House is used to receive distinguished guests and other celebrations. Next to the campus are the Matthaei Botanical Gardens.

The Duderstadt Center has numerous video and audio processing labs, multimedia workspaces and a 3D virtual reality room.

Scientific achievements of the University of Michigan

  • The University of Michigan is known for its economic forecasts and research. It regularly publishes the University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Index, one of the indicators of business life in the United States.
  • The scientist Asaph Hall, who later determined the rotation period of Saturn, began his scientific activity at the Detroit Observatory. Scientist Dean Benjamin McLaughlin, who taught at the university, discovered several comets, studied supernovae.
  • MU researchers have managed to simulate the most complex quasi-crystal yet. This is an icosahedral quasicrystal that does not have repeating structures, but at the same time retains rotational symmetry.
  • University scientists participate in NASA missions, in particular, in the Mars Science Laboratory project. As part of the Mars Science Laboratory, rovers, such as Curiosity, are sent to the red planet.
  • MU researchers have discovered a new way to regenerate a patient’s jaw using stem cells.
  • Within the walls of the University of Michigan, they have developed a revolutionary way to grow cancer cells outside the human body: in this way, scientists study the behavior of cells in certain conditions.
  • Within the walls of the university, they were able to identify the reason for the detection of food DNA in the blood.
  • University of Michigan researchers have grown pea-sized human stomachs from stem cells. Mini-stomachs have become a model for studying diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that cannot be studied in laboratory animals.
  • Research is underway at UM to find alternative energy sources.
  • From 1972 to 1980, the poet, essayist and playwright Iosif Brodsky worked as a visiting professor at the university. In 1988, a year after receiving the Nobel Prize, he gave his famous speech to graduates, which is now known as the Six Commandments of Joseph Brodsky.

Why should you go to the University of Michigan?

  • The University of Michigan is international, with students from 115 countries studying here. More than one third of the undergraduates of the university are foreigners.
  • The university has its own Michigan Stadium. This sports ground dates back to 1927 and hosts American football games for the University of Michigan sports teams. The stadium is capable of accommodating 110,000 people; important events of the university are held here, for example, graduations. Therefore, students call it “big house”.
  • Around Ann Arbor are picturesque valleys and hills, and the city itself stands on the Huron River, it is a beautiful place for hiking, cycling and small weekend trips.
  • About 1,400 clubs and interest organizations are open on the campus of the University of Michigan – this is one of the record numbers among US universities.
  • First-year students are guaranteed accommodation on campus, special services can help first-year students in resolving any issues.
  • There are about 30 libraries, 17 residences and 7 museums on campus.

Scholarships and grants at the University of Michigan

Like most US universities, the University of Michigan provides financial aid to students who need it. In addition, SAT or ACT scores may affect the decision to provide assistance .

International Academic Scholarship (International Academic Award) is granted based on the academic achievements of the student. It is open to students who have completed the first, second, third or fourth semester with high performance. The scholarship is $2220 per year or $1000 for the summer semester.

The University of Michigan is public, and most of the internal scholarships and grants are provided to citizens and residents of the United States, so international students can participate in external student programs.

Faculties and features of admission to the University of Michigan

The University of Michigan offers 250 undergraduate and graduate programs. A third of applicants are submitted for enrollment.

The application is submitted through the Common Application form http://www.commonapp.org .

For admission to an educational institution, foreign students must pass an English proficiency test ( TOEFL or IELTS ). For admission, it is recommended to score the following number of points: TOEFL PBT – 570-600; TOEFL iBT – 88-100 (at least 23 in listening & reading and at least 21 in speaking & writing); IELTS – 6.5-7.0.

The results of the General SAT test or the ACT test with a written part are required. The average scores of applicants are approximately as follows: ACT – 30-33, SAT – 2040-2260 (Critical reading: 650-750, Math: 690-770, Writing: 670-770).

You will need to provide a certificate or high school diploma with a transcript . It is also necessary to provide a progress scale, a recommendation from the teacher.

Documents must be issued with an official translation into English.

International exchange programs at the University of Michigan

The University of Michigan has exchange programs with the Bosphorus University (Istanbul).

Since 1994 there has been a collaborative research program in orthodontics and orthopedics with the University of Florence (Collaborative research with the University of Florence).

Engineering students can study subjects in their fields at the Technological University of Troyes (Engineering study abroad, University of Technology, Troyes).

UM has a Bilateral exchange program with the University of Western Australia. A bilateral exchange agreement with the University of Melbourne for social work students was signed with the University of Melbourne, in which students of social specialties can take part.

Notable University of Michigan Alumni

  • The 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford, is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
  • Stanley Cohen, who discovered nerve growth factor and received the Nobel Prize for this discovery, is a university graduate. The Nobel Prize was also awarded to geneticist Marshall Warren Nirenberg, who deciphered the genetic code. Economist Robert Shiller, who received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2013, also graduated from MU. Richard Smalley, who discovered a new form of carbon – fullerenes, received a bachelor’s degree from MU. Smalley is the recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize.
  • One of the developers of the Apollo program, NASA manager, engineer Joseph Francis Shih graduated from the University of Michigan. David Scott, one of the first dozen people to walk on the moon, is also an alumnus. In 1971, he placed the artistic composition “The Fallen Astronaut” on the Moon. Another astronaut and UM graduate, Alfred Merrill Worden, who flew to the moon, is known as the “loneliest” person: he got into the Guinness Book of Records for being 3596.4 km from the rest of the astronauts during the expedition (he flew the ship Apollo 15 while others explored the moon).
  • The University of Michigan is the alma mater of Apple iPod creator Tony Fadell.
  • Programmer Thomas Knoll, who created the core of Adobe Photoshop, graduated from the University of Michigan.
  • Google developer and co-founder Larry Page studied at the University of Michigan.
  • Adrenaline pioneer John Jacob Abel graduated from the University of Michigan.
  • Rock star Iggy Pop is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
  • Actor James Earl Jones, known as the “voice of Darth Vader” and honorary Oscar winner, graduated from the University of Michigan.
  • Madonna studied at the University of Michigan. Teachers noted her high intelligence and incredible physical endurance.

Interesting facts about the University of Michigan

  • One of the engineers at the University of Michigan created a nano-portrait of the President of the United States.
  • Within the walls of the university they proved: an unsuccessful marriage provokes cardiovascular diseases in women.
  • Researchers at the University of Michigan found that before the birth of a child, the hormonal background changes not only in expectant mothers, but also in expectant fathers.
  • In front of the entrance to the University of Michigan, the letter “M” is carved on the tile: freshmen try not to step on it, because it is considered a bad sign. According to legend, those who stepped on the letter are expelled from the university even before the first exams.
  • It is believed that if a couple kisses at exactly midnight in a certain place on the University of Michigan campus, then she is destined to get married.
  • Since 1986, the university has maintained the “Naked Mile” tradition, when several students run one mile naked. It has been banned many times, but there are always a few students who break the ban and continue the funny tradition.