On College Towns

I was fortunate enough to get to journey to gorgeous Ann Arbor, Michigan a week ago. It was a fantastic time from what I can recall. (Word to the wise: Beer bongs should only be used sparingly and with great caution.) Thanks to all parties involved.

What I came away with most from the trip is how awesome a great college town can be. Going to school at Georgetown, I was not treated to the exprerience of a college town. The campus is right in the ritziest part of the city and most of the students are either in on-campus apartments or dorms. There is no sense of the University's presence once you leave the main gates.

Ann Arbor, however, is a completely different story. Most of the city of 115,000 revolves around the University of Michigan. There are 40,000 students who are enrolled in the school. The students are spread out throughout the entire area of the city. If you walk by a home in Ann Arbor, most likely it is occupied by students. Almost every shop in town has some sort of Wolverine connection and there is nothing more exciting than a football Saturday where the game is the only thing that could possibly matter. It is quite the different experience than one of an enclosed campus surrounded by people of extreme wealth. If I ever go back to school, I would most definitely prefer to go to a college town rather than a shopping district that also has a college nearby.