Posted 7:57 PM by Zachary (e-mail)
One of the key factors in my decision to apply to Michigan was the strength of its alumni network in New York City, and in Wall Street banks in particular. On that front, it has exceeded my expectations. Immediately after being admitted, I was invited to all the New York alumni club events, held (coincidentally enough) only a few blocks from my office.

Of special note (to me) is the June 19th "Financial Services Alumni Panel and Networking Reception", featuring the following alums:
Lisa Black, Managing Director, TIAA-CREF
Bart McDade, Managing Director, Lehman Brothers
Tom Ostrander, Managing Director, Citigroup
Joe White, Managing Director, Alger Management

Posted 7:08 PM by Zachary (e-mail)
The Business School admitted students package includes, among other things, a list of Housing Ambassadors--students willing to "represent" their apartment complexes in answering any questions for incoming students. Several of them have been very helpful in answering my questions about their choices.

Coming from a three bedroom house in the New York area, everything in Ann Arbor looks 1) newer, 2) bigger, and 3) cheaper--not a bad place to be in. Though it's just the two of us, my wife and I are not willing to move into a small apartment and do the "cramped student living thing", so will probably opt for a two or three bedroom townhouse (which, at $1700-ish, costs about the same as a so-so studio in Manhattan). First, we need the space for all the stuff in our house (which would otherwise head for a storage unit), ans second, it would just feel more comfortable.

Access to a bus line is less important, since we own a car, but would be convenient, depending on what our schedules are. If I had to rank the qualities we're looking for in Ann Arbor housing, they would be:
1) Niceness -- of the buildings, interiors, and lands
2) Size -- big enough for all our stuff (and parking included)
3) Other Students -- it would be nice if at least a few other students lived in the same complex
4) Location -- with respect to bus lines, campus, shopping

Posted 9:06 AM by Zachary (e-mail)
Ann Arbor housing complexes with websites:
Hidden Valley - Site has free rent coupon, photos; Surprising feature: free heat.
Location: Off State Street, just above the intersection with the Eisenhower parkway.

Woodland Meadows - Site has free rent coupon, photos.
Location: Near the Lake Village apt complex, i.e. near where South Main St. turns into Saline Rd. Close to 7 bus line?

Carleton Court Apartments - Seem to be a less expensive option, southeast of campus.
Location: Near the intersection of South Platt Road and Packard Street; Close to 5 bus line?

Woodbury Villas - Has a rent deal on the site; only apartments, no townhouses
Location: Off of the Eisenhower Parkway, between State Road and Saline Road.

Lake Village - One of the newest and nicest apartment complexes in Ann Arbor

This is the first batch of apartments, the ones for which I could find a website. More to come...

Posted 8:36 AM by Zachary (e-mail)
Ann Arbor Transportation Authority
The AATA has a pretty useful website with route information, schedules, fair info, and more. From the looks of it, routes that go to the UM campus are free for students. After consulting the map, these are the routes most convenient to MBS students:
36 - Goes from the State Street commuter parking lot to the campus (there's a stop at the law school)
5 - Heads southeast from the school down Packard
7 - Heads south-southwest down Main Street, seems to come close to the Lake Village apartment complex

There's plenty more routes running through A2. I only wish that the housing map the school provided overlayed bus routes onto it.

Posted 8:14 PM by Zachary (e-mail)
About this site
MichiganMBA.blogspot.com is only a temporary location for this weblog. I will move it to my personal webserver in July, after I've informed my employers that I'll be heading for business school. At that time I'll post my full name and e-mail address.

Posted 5:19 PM by Zachary (e-mail)
Kicking off my future weblog about attending MBS - the University of Michigan Business School. I aim to share experiences, information, and opinions on the MBA program in Ann Arbor.

Go Blue!