[arbor_bound]

Hello!

My boyfriend and I are currently looking into moving to Ann Arbor, Mi around July of next year. He's looking into going to the Medical School there. So I have a few questions!

First, hows the weather? Like seriously, I've lived in Arizona all my lfe, I've never seen more than 6 inches of snow in my life. So I'm a bit worried about being absolutely miserable during the winter.

Second, how is Ann Arbor? what are the surrounding cities? is it financially feasable for 2 college student to live there, or would the outskirts be more realistic?

And last but most importaintly for me, what are the surrounding community colleges? I working toward my Paramedicine Degree and I could only find Washtenaw community college, and they do not offer the Paramedic program and I've having some trouble finding one thats close that offers that program.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
Missy

[MICoastieMom]

Try this link. There is a program at Baker College in Jackson. Jackson is about an hour's drive or a little less west of Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor has failrly decent public transit, plus the U-M has buses. They used to be free, but you had to get on and off at pre-designated stops. There is much to do; I doubt you would get bored. Winter snows are hard to predict for SE Michigan. Some years we have very little snow, some years we have quite a bit. The thing to remember is that we don't just suddenly have two feet of snow on the ground overnight. Very often the snow completely melts between snows, and we don't usually have a major storm until after the holidays. You will have a chance to get your feet wet, so to speak.

http://education-portal.com/paramedi..._michigan.html

[michsnowlvr]

I will give you some insight into the weather, as that is sort of my specialty...

Ann Arbor averages 45-50 inches of snow per winter season. They had their snowiest winter on record last year with 89.8 inches, and the 2nd snowiest was 83.9 inches set just a few years ago in 2004-05. But some years can have much less snow, on the order of 25-30 inches. Either way, to someone coming from AZ, it will be an experience. But winter can be fun and I can assure you no picture can do the beauty of a fresh snowfall justice. Now, as a college student, there is NO better time than Fall in Ann Arbor! The trees turning colors, apple cider, U of M football, the crisp weather- there is no time like it (Ann Arbor is a huge college town, as you already know). Spring may take a while to get here (it usually snows a few times in April), but again, seeing everything come alive from winter is neat. Lastly, summer will be VERY comfortable compared to AZ. There will be a handful of hot summer days in the 90s, and also a handful of cool summer days in the 60s-70s, but the huge majority of summer is sunny with highs in the 80s.

[nessatar]

Ann Arbor is a college town and plenty of students live there. You'll be able to find something. AA has a "student ghetto" like most college towns.

As far as winter goes, there are plenty of threads covering that topic. It all depends on your own outlook. Are the active type? If you are, take up cross country skiing or snowshoeing, get some sleds or ice skates, and enjoy winter. Winter is a long season for everyone, but there are plenty of outdoor activities that can be enjoyed. If you aren't the outdoor type, there are lots of museums and theatres that can be enjoyed indoors. Those are the things I do that make the winter enjoyable. I look at it as an opportunity to museum hop, which is something I DON'T do when the weather is warm. I suspect you will find winters here treated the same way as summers are treated in the south re: people staying indoors.

There really isn't much snow imo, just cold, windy, cloudy days. Occasional snow storms, yes, but a week later the snow will be melted and it's back to wet and cloudy.

Will you have a car? LCC in Lansing has good medical programs. It would be an hour drive for you. You would also be about an hour from Detroit which has many CCs. I can't speak to their programs, however. Perhaps another poster could fill you in on that area.

[GinaJ]

Did you want a community college only? I was thinking of Oakland Community which would be about an hour away. I am not sure if they have a program for that but they are suppose to be a good community college or school craft too. I am not a fan of MI and have lived in other states but mostly here. At least you will be moving in July so you will be slowly introduced with fall first. They usually do the streets very quickly so driving is not that bad. For some they really enjoy the winter sports or outings but for myself I try to find things indoors to keep from just sitting in the house. When you get closer to the move look on craigslist for an apt. I am not sure your price range but you can find a safe and affordable place probably.

[Coldjensens]

Ann Arbor is an awesome city. I think that it is one of the best cities in the entire US. It is an ideal city for young people. Yes, it gets cold in the winter. Unless you decide to be stupid (i.e. refuse to wear a hat) you do not need to be cold. Wear a sweater, coat, hat, heavy socks and gloves and you will usually be comfortable. When it gets really cold wear long underwear and use boot and glove warmers The winter is very refreshing. It is really only nasty when there is a strong wind. Stay inside on those days.

Spend $100 to get a remote starter in your car. Start the car a let it warm up before you leave the house. If you do not have a car, just walk fast.

when I lieved there, I had paths through buildings that let me walk inside at least part of the way to any destination. However the constant change from cold to warm may be worse than just staying in the cold.

Get out an enjoy the winter. Go sledding, snowmobiling, tobagganing, X-C skiing. However before winter, enjoy the fall, that is our best itme of year. Take a Canoe trip from the metropark, stop at the cider mill and end at Delhi Metro Park. It

[Cliffie]

The weather is totally unpredictable and sometimes extreme; as Jeff Foxworthy once said, "If you've ever worn shorts and a parka on the same day -- you might be in Michigan." One year we had 27 straight days of rain; once we had a snowfall in June; another winter it never got below 65 degrees. One thing you can count on: Ann Arbor summers are incredibly sticky and humid, so you need to insist on a place with reliable air-conditioning.

The community colleges around you are Lansing, Wayne, and Oakland. There's Baker College, there are online universities -- look into other options if you need to.

[michsnowlvr]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

The weather is totally unpredictable and sometimes extreme; as Jeff Foxworthy once said, "If you've ever worn shorts and a parka on the same day -- you might be in Michigan." One year we had 27 straight days of rain; once we had a snowfall in June; another winter it never got below 65 degrees. One thing you can count on: Ann Arbor summers are incredibly sticky and humid, so you need to insist on a place with reliable air-conditioning.

The community colleges around you are Lansing, Wayne, and Oakland. There's Baker College, there are online universities -- look into other options if you need to.

Im sure you were been kidding...but just in case you are not...you should know it is 100% impossible to have a winter that doesnt get below 65F. In Ann Arbors warmest and most snowless winter on record, there will still be some cold days and snowfall. Since U of M Ann Arbor began keeping weather records in 1880, the least amount of snow ever in a winter season was 1948-49 when 10 inches total fell (the most being 90 inches in 2007-08).

To realistically prepare them for an Ann Arbor winter- What locals consider a "mild" or "easy" winter would be one where the temperature only gets into the single digits a few times, with many winter days thawing in the 30s and 40s, and snowfall totals only around 20-25" by the time spring comes (of course this being the total, not all at once). A "severe" winter would see several dozen weeks worth of lows below zero, not seeing 30 degrees for over a month, and seeing upwards of 60-70"+ of snow.

As for summer, coming from Arizona, an Ann Arbor summer will feel like a dream come true. The Ann Arbor area averages hitting 90 degrees about 10 days a year.

[arbor_bound]

Thank you all for all of your help!

I seem to be having the most trouble finding a college that has the Paramedic program thats not an hour away. I wanted to try to find a nice medium where either of our colleges wouldn't be too far away from where we live, but all the onces seem to be about an hour away. I also don't know what credits will transfer and the requirements of one degree program differing from anything, my hunt continues!

I am pretty excited for the Mi summer, Arizona summers are unbearable, I'm still waiting for it to cool off just a little bit, and I hear the falls there are absolutely beautiful!

But I do worry about the winters lol and honestly some of the posts here aren't too comforting! I complain about the cold in Az lol. But the idea of snow activities sounds exciting, I can't say I've ever really gone skiing, or snowboarding or anything of the sort, theres never enough snow!

We're going to try to take a trip up there during our thanksging break to check things out, hopefully all goes well.

Thank you again for all your effort and help!

[Who'sYourTiger]

Try Schoolcraft college for paramedic programs. It's about a 30-min drive east of Ann Arbor, technically in Northville, I think.