Saturday, August 23, 2025

August 23-24, 2025: University of Michigan Studying: Kyle’s Plans

[Later this week, we’ll be moving my younger son Kyle into his first-year dorm at Michigan. So this week, through proud Dad tears, I’ve shared a handful of UMichigan contexts, leading up to this special post on some of Kyle’s plans there!]

As this post drops, we will likely be moving Kyle into his first-year dorm at the University of Michigan (the exact move-in timing will vary a bit, but you get the idea!). One of my very favorite things ever was just how much my older son Aidan’s first year at Vanderbilt took me by surprise, featuring so many moments and experiences that I never could have predicted. I hope and believe that the same will be true for Kyle, so I don’t want to spend too much time here in the prediction business; but here are three quick things I’m excited for nonetheless:

1)      Pre-law: Kyle’s professional future is of course entirely up in the air, and he’ll be hugely successful at whatever he eventually figures out. But I can’t lie, I’ve been imagining my passionately argumentative younger son as a lawyer for a long time, and I’m excited to see how he finds the worlds of both Political Science (his incoming Major) and Pre-Law (the advising track he’s starting on). You know I’ll keep y’all posted!

2)      Football: I included football in this week’s series not only because it’s been such a defining part of Michigan sports and culture for 150 years, but also because one of the most surprising and best elements of Aidan’s first year was his connection to the Vanderbilt community through their sports successes. Everyone at Michigan talks about the first time they entered “The Big House” with 110,000 of their closest friends, and you best believe I’m stoked to hear about Kyle’s first such experience!

3)      Community: That’s one definite way he’ll start to find and build community at Michigan. But I’m even more excited for the ways I can’t predict or even imagine yet. Last summer, Kyle took part in an ACLU summer institute in DC, and he ended up forming a boy band with fellow attendees—the called themselves The Bamboo Boys and performed an incredible a cappella rendition of “I Want It That Way” for their fellow students. Whatever the future holds for Kyle, I hope it includes many more such communal connections!

Next series starts Monday,

Ben

PS. What do you think? Advice you’d give Kyle as he starts his Michigan journey?

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