Most U-M students aren’t from Michigan, but find a robust campus community in Ann Arbor

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series tracking the experiences of four graduating seniors at four different Michigan universities. It is a partnership between the Detroit Free Press, Michigan State University student reporters and the American Communities Project. 

Mia Cotton, latte in hand, walked through State Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan on a cold Saturday morning. Blue and yellow lined the streets, students walked around with backpacks and the stores were full of school merchandise.

Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan, and the city and university are deeply intertwined.

Like a slight majority of students at U-M, Cotton is an out-of-state student originally from Dallas, Texas. She is a flute performance major in her final semester. She wants to play the flute professionally and aims to pursue a master’s degree after graduation.

Undergraduate students come from all 50 states and more than 100 countries, according to the university’s website. In the fall semester of 2024, 26,778 of the school’s 52,855 students came from outside of Michigan. The university was ranked #2 in research among public United States universities by the National Science Foundation in 2020, and sees over $1 billion in research dollars annually, according to its website.

Randy Parrish, who owns Parrish Fine Framing and Arts downtown, describes the city of Ann Arbor as a tight-knit, diverse community.

“What I like about it is that there’s still mom-and-pop shops,” said Parrish.

There are a few chain stores, but a lot more small businesses on Cotton’s walk. Soon she turned past Graffiti Alley, featuring local artists’ work twisting through the cold alleyway. It’s one part of the city that’s a bit different from her hometown.

“It’s hard to park,” said Cotton. Compared to Dallas, Ann Arbor lacks public parking, she said, but makes up for it in walkability. Still, she could do without the cold.

Shu-Kun Thomas, a barista at Comet Cafe, where Cotton got her coffee, agrees. Thomas used to live in New York City and sees Ann Arbor as a nice community where residents and students are intertwined. Thomas thinks that relationship helps Ann Arbor as well as hurts it.

“It helps with ebbs and flows of traffic,” Thomas said, describing the school’s impact on business. “There’s a whole list of pros and cons.” The pace in Michigan is much slower than in New York, and Thomas noticed people will stop and ask about your day and talk to you.

It’s something Cotton has noticed, too.

“People are a little weirder here and I don’t know how to articulate that,” Cotton said. “I don’t feel like this would happen in my area.”

Lauren Bretzius did the reverse of what Cotton did, growing up in Ann Arbor but going away to college before moving back to the city. That’s given her some perspective. “It’s somewhat of a unique town. It’s a bubble,” she said. The fact that the university is right there gives the town a lot of opportunities, but at the same time, it can sometimes feel intrusive when the university expands, Bretzius said.

“There’s an acknowledgement that it makes the city different,” Bretzius said. “…[it] brings things that weren’t normal to have.” Bretzius said there is gratitude in the community towards U-M as residents know Ann Arbor wouldn’t be the same place without it.

Meanwhile, Cotton thinks the community is friendly and people have a desire to help both current and former University of Michigan students. She feels a deep bond throughout the community. She feels it during football games, especially when the university plays rival Michigan State University.

“Texas has so many schools [that] there’s not an equivalent of Michigan State versus Michigan. I didn’t think people cared so much about it,” she said. She noticed that there’s a big support network of alumni in Ann Arbor and while working at Pizza House, she would often encounter and talk with them.

Willow Sidlauskas is a cognitive science major at the U-M and has a similar idea. Sidlauskas works as a Retail Associate at BonBon and loves Ann Arbor because it is walkable and shows the differences between other Michigan cities.

“Everyone is so nice here,” Sidlauskas said.

Cotton took another sip of her latte on her walk as she passed the University Musical Society (UMS), where groups of musicians, dancers and actors perform. It’s one of the factors that solidified her choice of Michigan.

“There’s both good music education and a strong sense of community,” she said, excitedly describing famous musician groups that had come through the building.

At the university, she said, “there’s always an idea of being the best.” She told me that it is a school where everyone is focused on their goals. Personally, she has found a balance between her studies, practice and work, but some people haven’t found a good balance in managing the stress, she said.

“Michigan was my dream school,” she said. “I do have a more negative perception now, but nothing will ever top it as time goes on.” Cotton has seen all sides of Michigan and the glitter has worn off the school, she does not regret coming to Michigan. She now has a deeper appreciation for it than when she first started.

But she still can’t get used to the cold.

Do you have feedback on this article or project? Contact Detroit Free Press State Government & Politics Editor Emily Lawler: elawler@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: University of Michigan students find intertwined campus, community