The Satellite Campuses - Flint and Dearborn

They are a cheaper alternative to the Ann Arbor campus, and an easy way to transfer to the Ann Arbor campus if you dont get in outta high school.  Its not like people think less of UofM because of Flint and Dearborn.

Go Blue!!!!!!!!

This is based almost exclusively on what I've heard, as I've never attended nor even been closer than the front driveway to either sattelite, but it is to my understanding that UM Flint is suppose to be meh, but UM Dearborn is actually pretty nice. That is, this is what I've gathered from minimal observation and a lot of other people, not necessarily my own solid opinion based on my own personal findings.

Academically, Dearborn offers a lot more last I recall. In fact, I believe a year or two ago they added their fist doctoral programs. Sounds to me like Dearborn is actively trying to position themselves as UM Light and a place to go if you can't afford Ann Arbor or if you're looking for something smaller.

I've also gone to a couple of events held at the nearby Hyatt in Dearborn, and from the outside, the campus looks pretty nice, too. There would also be quite a bit to do in that area, but its location doesn't appear to have impacted the quality or the style of the campus in any way (By which I mean that it isn't a bunch of huge city-like buildings ala Wayne State).

Flint, although I've never seen it up close, seems smaller and has far less to offer. They don't have the student-life being in Flint and, as you said, a commuter school, and they don't have the range of fields that Dearborn does. Plus, going off of the pictures I've seen here and there, the campus doesn't look quite as nice either.

That being said, neither of them are Ann Arbor, by any stretch of the imagination. Either way though, it is true that they grant you the same degree without distinction to campus. Whatever your reason for going to one of them, you could simply not mention the part about which campus unless you were specifically asked in conversation.

Degrees are worth the same after college, but you just lack the experience and some of the connections you'd probably build at the main campus. At least on the undergrad level. If anything, you're still getting a very good education, but with smaller class sizes and a more personable atmosphere, depending on the level of commuter.

Texas has a similar situation with all the University of Texas schools. UT has over half of it's attendance mandated through the state's Top 10% rule (top 10% in any public high school gets their pick of state university with automatic acceptance). Some of the kids at smaller suburban schools who end up number 51 out of a class of 500 sometimes have to go to a satellite school and transfer over.

I'm actually in a satellite school in the UT system right now. I'm doing far better than I would here than in Austin just because I'm on a first name basis with all of the professors and staff in my department. I'm one of only 70 CivEs. Compare that to when I was at UM and I was one of 110 in just my statics class. It's drastically improved my performance and understanding of the topics.

I'm extremely greatful for my experiences at UM, but the cost and my struggles weren't worth it. I've got a full staff of English as a primary language professors in a university that is teach first, research later, where at UM, I always felt like my professors were generally busy with research and hundreds of other students.

Just one perspective.

many new facilites.  Very tightly connected with companies in the area.   Smaller classes with close interaction with the facility.  Yes, close to West Dearborn and local entertainment.  Basically as commuter college.

I wish UofM would cut ties with the Dearborn and Flint campuses.  They tarnish Michigan's reputation.

I grew up in Dearborn and I watched the U of M Dearborn campus grow over the years. I had many classmates that attended U of M Dearborn that never even applied to U of M Ann Arbor. I was/am upset that the diploma does not designate that it is a satellite campus. I am also upset that despite the fact that the Dearborn campus has a hockey team and a basketball team (as well as others) the students are still allowed to get "student" tickets for University of Michigan Football and Basketball. For some reason, I think if you go to a satellite that has it's own sports programs you shouldn't be able to "double-dip".

Some of the teaching faculty at U of M Dearborn were parents of friends of mine and to be kind, looking back they were not the top of their fields or anyone who would have held a similar position in Ann Arbor. I'm happy to hear that they have stepped-up the academics of U of M Dearborn with the addition of doctoral programs. Maybe it will make me think differently of them, but I doubt it.

I went to UMD for a BSEE. The degree is NOT the same as UMAA, though you have to look close to notice it states UMD.

UMD is a commuter campus. For me this was OK since I had a full time job while taking 14-16 credits a semester. The smaller class size is a plus and there were many good professors in the program. As noted above the class sizes are small and the professors make themselves available and encourage students to come to them for support.

At least for the motivated student there is good opportunity to get a top notch education at UMD. Unfortunately I also witnessed several people float through the program with very little effort/learning taking place. As with any program you get out of it what you put in.

I don't know if this played a role in the regents' thinking with Flint and Dearborn, but originally, the idea that got the ball rolling for the University of Michigan included a territory-wide eductaion system with several university campuses.  High schools were even going to be a part of the system and fall under the same funding and planning mechanisms.  The same plan called for an agricultural school, and if it wasn't for a Detroit Horticultural club that lobbied heavily for its separation, MSU could have been part of the University of Michigan system too.

I went to Dearborn, it's a great campus. Most of the buildings are newer and a lot of the professors teach at both institutions. I know that at Dearborn at least there are a lot of majors that UM-Ann Arbor doesn't offer. I know 1 for sure was criminal justice. One of the reasons I went is that I transfered from EMU after three semesters. So I had something like 40 credits. UM-A2 didn't have a program that accepted as many of my credits as the Dearborn campus did. UM dearborn also has smaller class sizes and a much smaller student body. Most of my profs when I went knew me by the end of it.

They are also a few thousand cheaper than the Ann Arbor campus. It's definately not the same but it's pretty close. The main thing I noticed is that you don't get the same sense of being a UM student sense you just drive in and drive out vs. living here in ann arbor and being on campus. The on-campus living is the difference IMO. My brother went to Ann Arbor and we've lived here our whole lives and that's the one thing I wished I had done. I loved everything at Dearborn though.

I went to Dearborn and don't regret it one bit.  I was able to get great internships junior and senior year and found that to be most important.  In addition to the experience gained through these internships, I was also able to graduate debt free and with a job in hand.  The first thing I tell people when they ask where I went to school is University of Michigan-Dearborn.  I always point out that I did not go to Ann Arbor and that Ann Arbor was a better school than Dearborn.

Now that it has been 5 years, I am glad that I went the route I did.  That UofM Ann Arbor name is great, but graduating debt free and with valuable internship experience was more important to me.  Living in NYC now I relate to Ann Arbor grads when we discuss football games and establishments in Ann Arbor where I spent alot of my weekends. Now I am at a point where I am thinking of getting my MBA and would be looking to go to Ann Arbor given my current financial position.