Great Atmosphere (if you are talking about the overall campus experience, facilities) Stellar academics (Top 25, comparable to ND/UVA) Very good lacrosse
Yes Michigan's motto is "Work Hard, Play Hard" but I would definitely not call it a "Party School". And I totally agree.. All schools are Party Schools for the kids that want to party. Serious D1 Athletes are not doing too much of this in the Spring.
It is a high academic school with an incredible alumni base and athletic culture. Ann Arbor is a really great place to go to college. with a TON of school spirit and ranks as one of the best college towns/cities. To my surprise as a New Yorker... it really an easy flight into DTW from LGA, JFK or even White Plains.
At this point I would not call the women's team an "average lacrosse team". This year is only the team's 10th season and each year they improve and recruit better players. They have made the NCAA 2 of the last three years and likely would have been more successful on 2021 if it had not been for COVID. No they are not in the same class as Maryland and Northwestern... yet... but they are getting closer each year.
If your daughter is interested in playing at a "BIG", high academic university in a competitive conference for a program that appears to be "on the rise" then its worth a look...
Interesting perspective, here are a few other items to chew on. They were completely outmatched vs Denver in season--Michigan fell flat on their faces. Michigan had a great first quarter (5 goals) until Denver settled in and made them look incompetent on offense. It was also similar for their game with SC--both of those were home games for Michigan.
They've also lost two really good assistants this summer, with one going to Notre Dame (Adam Sears) and the other taking over the reigns at Central Michigan (Emilia Ward). Those two are huge losses for the program. The a large portion of the roster never touches the field, so I honestly don't think the recruiting they've been doing is all that great, as I'd expect more kids to see the field or at least get a few touches, but they just don't.
While I think they are a top 20 team, they certainly aren't a top 10 team.
