Dear Newly Admitted RC Students,
First and foremost, congratulations! I know you’re probably hearing that a lot right now, but this is news that is absolutely worthy of the extra celebration and recognition - Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Michigan!
And, allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Residential College! The RC will be unlike anything you’ve experienced before, but in the best ways. You’ll meet faculty who challenge and inspire you, and who blow you away with their kindness and empathy. You’ll take classes on subjects you had no idea existed (ever heard of “How to Think About: Cyanotypes”?) and learn skills you never thought yourself capable of mastering.
You’ll become part of a huge network of UM alumni and you’ll be a key member of the RC family - expect to hear “Go Blue!” and nostalgic questions like, “What was your RC language?,” from peers all over the world.
As an alum myself, I remember the moment I got my own admissions letter and the bundle of nerves that took root in my chest not long after. I had only been to Ann Arbor once or twice before when I was a kid, I’d never gone on a college visit or experienced a student-led tour of campus, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do next.
By way of an unexpected conversation with a guidance counselor at the local community college, I learned about the Residential College. The counselor suggested that my interests might pair well with the RC curriculum. She also understood some of the unique anxiety I was experiencing - equal parts thrilled to leave my tiny hometown behind and terrified of seemingly basic new experiences, like riding a city bus, something I’d never done before.
It seems hyperbolic to say that a one-block brick building forever changed my life, but it’s true. For those who have never experienced East Quad and the RC, it can be hard to conceptualize.
I’m not sure what expectations I had walking in to move-in on that first day, but I never thought I’d meet some of my closest friends before I even stepped foot in a classroom.
The funny thing about being an RC student is that you tend to unconsciously gravitate toward other RC students. Over the years, I found myself making friends in classes and student orgs, often only to realize we were both in the RC, just a year or two apart! While I definitely made friends and formed connections all over campus and across the U-M schools and colleges, I was always grateful for my first community found within the RC and East Quad.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. For today, right now, celebrate all that you’ve accomplished to get you here and start to daydream about what that first day of move-in will look like, imagine the topics you’ll discuss in your First-Year Writing Seminar, and picture yourself in the RC community. It’s going to be an amazing experience.
Go Blue!
Logan Corey
RC Alumna
Former RC Director of Admissions & Recruitment
rcadmissions@umich.edu
