The University of Michigan was established in 1817 as one of the United States' first public universities. The campus was originally in Detroit1, but was soon relocated to Ann Arbor when officials there donated a large plot of land.
The most striking figure of the University of Michigan is this: 23,321. That's the total number of full-time undergraduate students. Yes, UM is a very large school, and this fact has its pros and cons2. With so many students, class sizes tend to be large, especially for freshman-level introductory courses3. If a student needs personal attention from a professor, this may present a challenge.
But on the positive side, UM's large size ensures a wide range of courses, taught by professors with an even wider range of backgrounds. The professors, all 3,000 of them, include former Pulitzer Prize4 winners, Supreme Court Justices, an astronaut, and several world-famous authors. As you would expect, UM also has a diverse student body. Fully 15% of the students are Asian American, and 5% come from abroad. The students are definitely academically5 motivated6; 50% of UM's freshmen graduated in the top 5% of their high school classes.
Because of its large size, the university is divided into three campuses. To save students' time walking across the 8,000-plus acres, each campus has its own area of specialization. The North Campus is devoted to engineering and music; the South Campus is home to most of the athletic departments; and the Central Campus (the largest of the three) is home to all other departments and most of the administrative buildings.
As for academics, UM offers all of the specializations normally found in large state schools. The most popular choices for undergraduates are English, economics and mechanical engineering. A complete list of undergraduate degrees can be found on the UM website.
The town of Ann Arbor is an attraction in itself. As one of the country's best-known “college towns”, Ann Arbor has a great selection of restaurants, bars, theaters, shops, and pretty much anything a UM student could need. However, students coming from warmer climates should take note: sandwiched between two of the Great Lakes, the state of Michigan is famous for its cold and windy winters.
密西根大学于1817年成立，是美国最早的公立大学之一。校区原来在底特律，不久之后因为安娜堡市官员捐出了一大片土地而搬迁到该市。
密西根大学最惊人的数字是：23,321，这是所有全日制大学生的数目。没错，密西根大学是所非常大的学校，这有好也有坏。学生这么多，班级规模也会比较大，尤其对于大一新生的基础课程，学生如果需要教授给予个人关注，可能会有困难。
但从好的一面看来，密西根大学的庞大规模确保了课程种类的多样化以及指导教授的背景更加五花八门。密西根大学共有3000名教授，其中有前普立策奖得主、最高法院大法官、一位宇航员、以及几位世界知名作家。正如你所料，密西根大学也拥有多样化的学生群。足有15%的学生是亚裔美国人，还有5%的学生来自海外。他们绝对勤奋好学，密西根大学的大一新生有一半高中毕业时，是班级排名前5%的学生。
由于规模庞大，密西根大学分成三个校区。为了节省学生穿越8000多英亩校园的时间，每个校区有自己的专业领域。北校区主要是工程学与音乐；南校区则是大部分运动系部的家；中校区（三者中最大的一个）包含所有其他的系部，行政大楼也大都在此。
至于学术方面，一般大型州立大学的专业密西根大学都有设立，本科学生选择的最热门专业是英文、经济学与机械工程学。在密西根大学的网站上可以找到所设大学本科学位的完整资料。
安娜堡市本身就极富吸引力。它是美国最有名的“大学城”之一，有各式各样的餐厅、酒吧、剧院和商店供人选择，密西根大学的学生日常所需应有尽有。但来自气候温暖地区的学生要注意：密西根州地处五大湖中的两湖之间，以寒冷多风的冬季而出名。
1. Detroit n. 底特律，美国密西根州东南部城市
2. the pros and cons 正反两方面
3. introductory course 基础课
4. Pulitzer Prize普利策奖，由纽约哥伦比亚大学授予的多项目年度奖金，授给在美国新闻界、文学界和音乐界为公众服务成绩突出或成就卓著者。
5. academically adv. 学术上
6. motivated itid] adj. 有动机的