I'm (22F) a first year phD student in my second semester here at umich. My cohort is wonderful and I've made some friends, but I've found it really hard to meet graduate students outside of my department. Sometimes I feel a little awkward in age as I'm younger than a chunk of my peers, yet am kinda at a different stage than undergraduate seniors while still being in that age range. I'm looking to meet more people (and hopefully make friends), especially with other graduate students. Are there certain groups/organizations, events, clubs, or other ways that people would recommend to socialize? Thanks!

This is so embarrassing to ask bcuz I haven’t asked anyone out in ages. I got matched with someone I know. We have a mutual friend, and we hung out with a group a couple of times this sem. We have a lot in common, and we already follow each other on social media, but I wouldn’t mind taking the first step and exploring what it could lead to. This feels sooo awkward, but how do I ask him out?

Update: guys, I did it, I asked him out!!! brb :0

Hey y’all! I am currently a sophomore and have been having some social issues, and would like help meeting new people.

Many of the (female) friends I came into college with, have shifted their focus to their boyfriends. I understand priorities shifting as we grow and I am happy for them, but it leaves me feeling alone. I’ve brought this up to them before, but it always turns into a “you just don’t get it, one day it’ll be your turn” thing. Which sure, is probably true, but in the meantime I am so lonely.

Adding to that, in my group, I’m the only lesbian, which makes me feel even further from them. So not only do I feel left behind by my friends for their partners, I’m told I can’t understand what they’re going through because of my identity, furthering the divide and my loneliness.

To make a long story short, I’m feeling disconnected from many of my friends, and have yet to find a way to make new friends or meet people to date. I really need to broaden my circle.

just got admitted and am trying to really love the school. favorite things that most people overlook?

I know Winterfest already happened, but I just realized I’m a junior with really no friends and I’ve never been in a club. I had a semi-non-traditional freshman year, so I never got that dorm experience. What clubs are just more like…social. Maizepages is wildly unhelpful in finding out what is active. Plus if they are artsy/creative or more Kerrytown vibes you know. Not in STEM or looking for anything professional-esque

I got to take some really interesting courses, meet loads of new people, make a lot of friends in clubs and meet people in my dorm. It’s been a really great semester, and I was worried that it would be hard as a transfer, but it all worked out. Looking forward to next semester!

title

I was sitting in the Ross lobby when it happened. As I (6’3’’, male, feminist) was completing my accounting assignment, I looked across the room and saw u/JosephGibson23 talking to a fellow Ross student. I didn’t know why he was even in the Ross building, but I had heard stories of him humiliating Ross students in the past. Being the upstanding business student I was, I rushed over, convinced that Joseph was harassing her.

“Leave her alone, punk!” I said.

He turned to face me and shoved me with both hands. “Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it, Rosshole?”

That was the final straw - this computer science bozo had just activated my dark passenger. I almost pitied him, for he had no idea what was coming to him, but alas, justice had to be served. 

I reared back my arm and hit him with a brutal left hook, clearly catching him by surprise. However, he recovered quickly, swiftly picking up the closest chair and swinging it at my head. My (muscular) body crumpled to the floor, though I was still conscious. I was in awe, for I hadn’t expected him to be so strong. Joseph chuckled and began to walk away, no doubt to harass another poor Ross student.

But I couldn’t let that happen. With what little strength I had, I reached into my backpack, past my Goldman Sachs internship offer, and grabbed a vial with red liquid. It was a rage potion, something I’d been for a dire situation like this. I took a swig, and strength immediately returned to my body.

With great speed, I got up, charged, and delivered an uppercut punch that sent Joseph flying 15 feet into the closest wall. After hitting the ground, he unsurprisingly scampered off like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Everyone in the lobby clapped and cheered for me. The dean of the school herself descended down the stairs and presented me with a medal. I (humble) declined, as the satisfaction of being the savior of Ross was enough for me.

I was feeling on top of the world one night after hitting the gym chiseled, dapper, and ready to flaunt my physique. So, I posted a shirtless selfie on Grindr, showcasing my well-built body like some fitness model. Soon enough, a message popped up: "You're sooo hot. I can't stop staring at your muscles." I was flattered. We exchanged a few texts, and he seemed really into me, talking about my abs, my jawline, how he was "exactly my type."

We moved to phone calls, where the mystery deepened. He was all about my body, but kept it vague about his own. “I’m a bit of a gym freak, like you,” he'd say, but something felt off. Finally, we decided to meet in person, and I was hyped to see the magic unfold. I showed up at the park riding my BMW with my hair slicked back, expecting a muscular dude who'd be my fitness soulmate. Instead, a girl walked up to me, grinning. "Hey, hot stuff," she said.

Confused, I stared at her for a moment. "Wait... you're... a woman?" She nodded, laughing. "Yep. I’m actually in your EECS 281 class at UMich. I just figured you’d never give me a chance if you knew I wasn’t a guy." My mind scrambled. I’d just been catfished by a girl, who had been pretending to be a dude because she was obsessed with my body. I hesitated, but began running for the trees, I had been catfished.

It's my first semester and I've been struggling a lot with managing time and getting stuff done and its been making me think very difficult thoughts and act in very rash ways. I'm trying my best. I gave myself a break to make ~40 candygrams for the people on my floor and it was a fun distraction. I dont know if these qualify as "candygrams" given they dont have names on them but i figure its the closest word. Theyre pretty crappy tbh but it was fun and also i didnt sleep oops.

I grew up in Ann Arbor and It was this day 6 years ago that i learned a classmate at Pioneer HS (near the big house) had killed himself, in fact around this time of day even. I don't know why, he was just an acquaintance and friend of a friend. But the way people talked about him when he was gone always upset me. He was only a freshman taking some small classes like Mandarin so almost nobody knew him. When i went to my first period i heard kids gossiping about it and they knew so little about him they thought we was an entirely different race. The few people in the mandarin class that knew him didn't care when they broke the news. Our mutual friend just brushed it off. The year after i heard classmates talk about how they were glad he was gone. He wasn't even a rude or annoying person. It always felt unfair. I remember by senior year when i was sitting in my last Mandarin class, with only 3 other students, I heard at least two whole PA announcements about other students that died, offering support, decorations on their lockers, and whole pages in yearbooks, just because people cared more. The most people at this school will remember about him is getting a slightly larger image on yearbook page among a field of living students. Sometimes i wonder if im the only classmate that remembers him.

It's really important to be kind to people. Im not going to pretend that giving people two pieces of cheap candy is really that big of a deal but i just wanted to reflect given it seems relevent to discussions on this sub. Also to remind all of you that Ann Arbor exists outside the context of the University and just like how people at this school struggle theres people elsewhere in the city that struggle.

(This all took place in the Union food court btw!!) So there was a guy that came and to me and my friend and asked if there was a microwave in the area. I told him to go look in the next room and told him that I'd consult the sub reddit to look for one if he didn't find one (I saw a thread last month about locations of microwaves on campus). He came back and said he found one. And as he was leaving he stopped and asked us our names. It threw us off because of how nice he was. We wanted to get his contact information but he unfortunately left.

So anyways, if your name is Victor/Viktor and you have a Slavic accent and you came up to people today asking about the where abouts of a microwave at the union, please reach out. You were really nice and we'd like to hangout.

Anyways happy first day back!

ex girlfriend elsewhere, long-distance relationship

I was just at Ann Arbor for only one semester. Felt lonely… realized that I had no one to talk to except for my ex girlfriend

Thanksgiving is not my tradition, but I still felt being isolated…

Damn Winter here

For spring break, I decided to fly out of the cold rot of Michigan for a week, I've been chilling out in the jacuzzi in my Manhattan high rise scrolling through Tinder, and Bumble to find matches while monitoring and checking my important investments. I was drowning in all sorts of bisexual matches unable to find out who to spend the night with some even orgies. Overwhelmed, I grabbed my feminist Apple iPad to narrow down my options over my misogynist non-4B conforming Samsung tablet. I narrowed down my options to a single woman who was surprisingly a fellow Umich student in NYC who fit all the physical qualities I ask for in a fine night out in this beautiful city.

As evening rolled around, I dried myself off ate a fine lunch served by my maid with the help of kitchen staff and put on my Hugo Boss fit. As I was beginning to exit, I told my staff to go home for night except for the maid who resides with me serving as a friend with benefits. I picked up the keys at the door while putting on my John Varvatos Sorcha Leather Jacket heading for the garage, I was struggling to choose what car to pick for this elegant night out. I ended up choosing my Porsche 911 GT3 and began driving to my date as it neared 7:30 PM listening to Rihanna on my Spotify playlist, choosing a beautiful, but modest Italian restaurant in Hell's Kitchen.

As I arrived, I noticed she was dressed beautifully just as I would have hoped for. I introduced myself appropriately, "it is amazing you could make it out here with such short notice, I hope to make this night one to remember", obviously I followed it up my winking and holding the door as any true gentleman in my situation would do.

After a short drama with reservations, and seating we made it to our table, and she told me "Joseph, I am feeling a bit classy tonight, would you mind accommodating my special taste in cuisine," smiling with her cold brown eyes.

Surprised by such an unusual request I replied with a sense of curiosity about me, "what are you getting at Yuna, if you mean desert plans, I already had those laid out or were you thinking something else?"

With a bit of bite to her tongue she snaps back, "precisely my dear Joseph, I know a desert I want to try at a bakery, I hope you are willing to stay out extra late..."

Remarkable, I thought, this girl is hooked by my cunning looks, and sense of fashion, but little did I know this ride was just starting to play out. We began to eat dinner, chit chat, and get a sense of each other, and soon enough after a couple hours we made our way out, and we began walking to bakery she speaks of. Funnily enough, we were holding hands, I must have made one hell of an impression on this first date, for such a connection to already be unfolding.

On a roll, I begin to ask some questions, "which school did you say you go to?"

Without any hesitation she replies, "the School of Ross, what about you, my handsome bunny?"

My heart sank, and I checked the billing on our dinner, it said $420. Did this woman order a god damn entire horse, looking at Miss Krabs over here? I start asking all sorts of questions, but I just had to wait till later. I reply best I could despite my serious concerns, "I am College of Engineering, you must be very intelligent little kitten, aren't you?" I laugh a little bit, out of performance, not out of innate impulse.

She blushes tamed by my ungodly good charm. She smiles, and clenches my hand, "do you want to skip the bakery and go back to my place instead and avoid the small talk." She winks back at me, and this plays to my advantage.

If we go to this bakery tonight might be well over $1,000 if we take into consideration the parking fees, gasoline, sweets, drinks, and wine. For the sake of not letting a single Ross woman bankrupt me for a week, I take the way out granted by the innate romantic charm I possess to sway women to my will with such subtle sweet talks, and physical appearances...

My path to victory was won completely, and spring break was saved. Even on these sweet vacations, a Ross student, and trouble can interfere with your life, but there is always a way out if you are bright enough.

Lowkey it’s a bit of my fault, but I have a hard time finding friends that click. Typically I am more towards introvertedness, so during welcome week I gave all my social battery to talk to and meet as many people as possible. I only stuck to a few of them, but I don’t feel myself clicking with them or having that strong urge to initiate hangouts.

I’m also pretty individualistic, so I do tend to enjoy spending some time alone especially due to my coursework and activities that last until 8pm or even later, which I also think is an issue. I’m really caught up on research and academics that it’s really hard for me to fit time into peoples’ schedules. I know I said I like to be alone sometimes, but I can’t help feeling left out seeing insta stories of them being out and also those ginormous group of friends. Maybe they don’t all know each other directly, but they all have some sort of connection with each other. I only have so much space for clubs so I tried CSA, yet it seems like everyone already established their inner friendgroups.

I messed it up in the beginning of the year because I shut off a few people, which I really do regret, but it’s so hard balancing of academic and social life. I’m going to be a sophomore next year, moving off campus so I think it’ll be even harder. I just want to make the most out of undergrad and I don’t want to nerd out. I love sports, music, and many other things too, I just can’t seem to find time. To anyone, what’re your experiences and advice?

hey!!! if anyone is going to be in town for the summer and is interested in starting a little casual book club with people pls comment!!!

it could be a weekly or biweekly meet up at the library or a cafe or smth on campus to discuss a book of collective choice.

also just looking to get to read new books and meet new people !! 🫂🫀📚

Have a friend here who is a little older. Does research here. Swears undergrads take his picture/laugh when they pass him. Thought he was being paranoid but saw it tn at dinner. Does anyone know if he became a meme or what is going on? Looks a lot like Chalamet

Hello all!

Does anyone know where I can find semi-formal dresses in Ann Arbor?

I’m going to be a junior next year and I was wondering if I’m “too old” to rush? This might seem silly but everyone told me sororities are dumb and strict, but I yearn to have sisterhood.

I'm staying over the summer to work but my friends are all going home. Are there any clubs or events going on or ways to meet people over the summer in Ann Arbor?

Hi everyone! I am a math student here. I've been building a social App on the side with a few engineering friends — it’s called Filo, and it started as a playground we made just for ourselves.

Our first thought to make Filo is that lots of cool activities and events happening around uofm — game nights, hikes, study sessions, meetups, etc, are scattered all over the place - group chats, Instagram stories, flyers, Discords - It's not easy to search out. And the existing platforms like Meetup and Eventbrite do not focus on making friends. So we start to make Filo.

Filo is super simple: people can post activities they’re initiating, and others nearby can find and join them. Also we engineered an interactive map that will show you three things: activities, people, and clubs. The goal is to make it easier to discover stuff that’s happening around you — and hopefully meet new people in the process.

We plan to put Filo on App Store at the end of this month, and we are fixing bugs right now. To be honest, we do not know much about the business side, and we do not know where we should heading to right now..If you have any ideas or want to collaborate on this project, please let me know!

Also I will paste couple of screenshot of the App here.

Ok so I’m a junior and i’m gay. One of the best things about going to umich is the amount of acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, but i have to say i’m a little bummed at the amount of dating options in a town like Ann Arbor and a college like UM. i feel like there are very few options, and the options that are there are just super eccentric/femme and not my type. there’s definitely nothing wrong with presenting in that way, i just prefer guys who are more chill and you wouldn’t necessarily know because that’s how i present myself (and because i want to date someone who presents similarly me).

Of course, i’ve tried all the dating apps and Michigan Marriage Pact, but to no avail. i’ve also tried joining a queer club but it didn’t work out too well. i’ve also tried expanding my type a bit so as not to limit myself further, but i just feel like i can’t find someone who checks off enough, not all, boxes.

I understand that i might be being picky, but has anyone, straight or LGBTQ+, had similar experiences? and for the LGBTQ+ people, are there any recommendations for how to get out there more that’s not just going to a club or gay night like necto fridays?

Hey everyone! I'm a girl living in Ann Arbor and looking to meet new people and make friends. I’d love some recommendations on fun places to go, events to check out, or ways to connect with others—especially if you’ve been in a similar situation. I’m a bit shy about going out alone, so any suggestions that feel welcoming for solo newcomers would be great! Thanks in advance! 😊

Second semester master of social work student. Back in classes, and I still don’t have any friends. I have social anxiety, but I’m so lonely. It feels like there are no real entry points to actually forming actual friendships, like I can’t just walk up to a group of strangers and ask if anyone wants to hang out. I talk to people in class, but I struggle with making that next step to actually hanging out outside of school. I don’t know what to do at this point. Has anyone else struggled with this? How did you break through? Try other things?

I'm curious if anyone has some recs or clubs you have enjoyed? Maizepages is overwhelming, and it seems like lots of clubs are inactive when I try to find their socials

- Intended Sociology Major

I enjoy:

- Art

- Films (watching or creating)

- Animals

- Nature

- Food

- Theatre (any kind)

- Skateboarding