Classes

By this time in the semester, I am always struggling to stay awake in class and stay motivated because I am so bored with the classes I am taking. I find so many classes at the University so interesting at first but each class becomes so repetitive that it's hard to stay interested. On the brighter side, it's time to start backpacking and registering for next
semester!

My roommate and I are such nerds because we look forward to when the course guides are released like it's our birthdays. We looove figuring out our schedules and reading about upcoming classes. I also love strategically planning my schedule for the most ideal possible schedule. For example, I have only had Friday classes two semesters. I have had 3 day weeks for the past 3 semesters! I have always been a full-time student as well. It's possible! (Maybe not for you science majors though.)

Some KEY things to remember when registering for classes:

1. DO YOUR RESEARCH! www.RateMyProfessor.com is the Bible. Make sure to look up your potential professors and do your background research! There are a lot of attractive classes that might sound really great in theory, but if you introduce a bad professor into the mix...the result might not be so great. There are a lot of helpful comments that suggest the best ways to study for the professor's exams and succeed in the class. Another thing I always do is Google my professor. I like to read up on what they research and specialize in. It's always a great idea to skim over their publications because most likely, it will give you a window into the angle at which they will be teaching their class.

2. KEEP IN MIND WHAT KIND OF PERSON YOU ARE! Personally, I am a morning person and like to get up early. However, two years ago, I could not, for my life, stay awake during my 9:00 AM discussion on Fridays. Consequently, I got points off for "napping in class", according to the comments next to my grade from my GSI. On the other hand, if you really hate ending class
and it being pitch black outside, I suggest you take more morning classes. Common sense right? Just keep in mind that the time of day really effects your mood in different ways for different people. Don't brush this off as a miniscule factor! It might really make or break your attitude for the class.

3. WOLVERINE ACCESS IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. During backpacking and registration time, you should check Wolverine Access all the time. You should be looking at your Degree Progress Report to check what requirements you have to fulfill, your registration time, and to see if the classes you backpacked are still open. If not, you need to make back-up plans! Don't wait until the last minute to figure out what classes and which sections you will take. You want to be absolutely ready to register for your classes as soon as it's your appointment time! You are fighting for a spot among thousands of students!

4. TAKE AT LEAST ONE CLASS THAT REALLY INTERESTS YOU. I know that many of us want to be done with our requirements for the University and your major(s). These days, when people think of college, they think of just a means for a job. What happens is that people stray more and more away from the traditional ideals of what a college or university is and gravitate towards just professional training, which is probably better if they go to grad school anyway. Colleges were first founded as educational institutions for students to further their knowledge and think about life critically and philosophically. You don't need to stress too much about careers. It really doesn't matter what you major in anyway!

5. TALK TO PEOPLE! Talk to people who are in the same major as you for advice about what classes to take and which professors are good. Upperclassmen might be even gracious enough to pass down old books, study materials, and notes! Another piece of advice is to try to take classes with friends. It's a great way to spend time with friends and make you want to go to class. You can study together and keep each other on track!


By: Sorah Park

In my 3 years of studies, I came across a number of people who take school life in different ways. There are some that go to class and don't understand what the point of them are, some that memorize their lectures and textbooks and do reasonably ok, some that understand the textbook and do well in class, and some that will go beyond what has class to offer to find what they believe in.


By Guest Blogger: Toon Kantharoup

Charleys

What is normally a destination for seniors and alumni to go drink on Wednesdays...Thursdays....Fridays... Saturdays... Sundays...actually has surprisingly good food! The #14 rated best college bar in the US doesn't ID during the day and is actually a fully function restaurant. I like to go to on Sundays to watch my NY Giants play if the Detroit game is being shown on TV instead. PLUS, with Michigan Football player David Moosman working as a bouncer, you get a rare look at how big those guys actually are..

My recommendations on food? Buffalo Chicken Wrap. It's awesome. Its breaded chicken with buffalo sauce, cheese, lettuce tomato and bacon wrapped up in a flour tortilla normally served with house chips. BUT! The secret is to get the fries instead. Their fries are a little thicker than McDonald's fries but not as thick as KFC's wedges. Its always fresh fried so they come out sizzling and golden warm. Add a side of ranch to dip into and you're good to go!

But if you're not a chicken lover like me, ALL their burgers are awesome. They're half pound-ers so they're a little big. My favorites are the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger or the Blackened Burger. The Blackened Burger looks like its charred but its actually the rubbed on dry-spices that give it the distinct color. It's awesome. Again, make sure you get fries with that.

And for appetizers, go with the loaded nachos or pepperoni styx. Both are great for sharing with the table because they are HUGE.

So now you know! When some upperclassman asks to buy you lunch, go to CHARLEY'S! It'll be great!
photo credits to annarborrestaurants.org

By: Sam Moon

Ann Arbor Restaurant Week

Hello U of M KSA!

My name is Ethan Han (some of you may know me as Dong Hyun) and I graduated from the greatest university in the world this past May. I was asked to write a guest blog entry for the KSA blog so here goes.

I want to talk to you ladies and gents about an incredible twice-a-year, one-week long experience that as students in Ann Arbor, you are all privy to. The phenomenon I'm talking about is Ann Arbor Restaurant Week which takes place once in January and again in June.

I know you all may be poor college students that live off of Chef Boyardee and steal dining hall cereal whenever you can, but Restaurant Week is basically your one chance to take advantage of Main Street at a relatively affordable price. Basically you pay a flat fee of $12 for lunch or $25 for dinner and get a multi-course, luxurious meal at restaurants that you would never enter, let alone think about dining in. How great is that? Really great.

Basically, you should try to set aside some time for this if you fall into one of the following categories:

1. You're a guy who happens to be in a relationship with someone on campus and wants to impress your significant other by taking them to a fancy restaurant without destroying your bank account. It'll be a good investment; you can thank me later.
2. You're a single guy who WANTS to be in a relationship with someone on campus and seeks to impress your potential significant other by taking them to a fancy restaurant without destroying your bank account. Again, you can thank me later.
3. You're a single girl but want to have a “girls night out” with your fellow girlfriends. What better place than the most upscale area in Ann Arbor? Main Street truly has an ability to transform itself at nighttime, particularly during the winter. It'll be a nice change of pace from your weekly outings at Charley's or Brown Jug.
4. You're a girl in relationship with a guy on campus. Chances are, if your boyfriend is smart and read this, he'll already be making plans to take you to this. Tell him to make reservations.

And that should cover just about everyone. See? No one should miss out on this.

A personal suggestion of mine is The Earle. It's a French/Italian restaurant featuring subdued, low-light ambience, a respectful wait staff, an extensive wine selection, a variety of meat and seafood dishes, and can accommodate a date for two or larger parties. The highlight has to be their amazing live jazz band, a soothing musical presence that's not too overbearing and in a pinch, can give you something to talk about during awkward pauses while you wait for your food to come out.

Check out the website @ http://annarborrestaurantweek.com/ for more information.

Have a great rest of the semester all!

The Korean Crisis

This year has shown to be a tumultuous time of brewing tension between separated North and South Korea. Earlier this year, in March, the Cheonan, a South Korean navy patrol ship sank near the disputed western border with North Korea. There were suspicions of North Korean involvement as there had been other incidents of clashes between the two countries' ships before. In May of 2010, South Korean officials formally accused North Korea of being responsible for the sinking of the Cheonan. In reaction, North Korea responded by calling South Korea's conclusion a “falsification” and threatened to take action against it. So what was America doing during all of this? Well in July, the Obama administration announced that they would impose further economic sanctions against North Korea. This past month has been the most dynamic time for the conflict so far. In the beginning of November, South Korea renounced its call for an apology from North Korea for the Cheonan incident. In addition, North Korea showed a visiting American nuclear scientist a new, secretly built facility used to enrich uranium, confronting the Obama administration to consider the possibility that the country was preparing to expand its nuclear arsenal. Finally, most recently, on November 23^rd, North Korean ships shot dozens of shells at a South Korean island, killing two South Korean soldiers and set off an exchange of fire in one of the most serious clashes between the two sides in decades. As this year comes to an end, I hope to see a definitive change in the relationship between the two nations. The tension and disparity between North and South Korea has been going on for too long and as a person of both South Korean and North Korean descent, I would sincerely hope to see a reunified Korea in my lifetime.      

by: Steph Hur

Hyundai and their new cars

The first Hyundai’s that entered American market were known for one thing: price.  They were what people bought when they couldn’t afford any other car.  However, recently, with the introduction of new line of vehicles which include Genesis and the refreshed Sonata, Hyundai is becoming a serious contender in the American and global market.  Currently, my friend owns a Hyundai Genesis coupe, and even though I have never drove it, I can tell it is a good car and critics seem to agree as well.  The new Sonata has been chosen as the 10best vehicles by the Car and Driver magazine, and various other magazines have been quoted saying similar things.  
However, even though Hyundai has been on the game selling their cars more than their Japanese competitors, I feel like they lack that presence in the car industry.  In my opinion, they lack that central character which defines a car company.  For example, Toyota is known for their comfort and reliability, while companies such as Porsche have their performance characters.  Hyundai’s character on the other hand is still undefined. While Hyundai makes good cars at affordable prices right now, these attributes can be achieved by some other underdog company looking for a rise.  As a result, Hyundai needs to find their own defining character which they can build their cars upon on years to come.   

photo credits to hyundai-blog.com
 By: Devin Min

South Korea Official Says North Is Likely To Attack Again

Credits to www.nytimes.com

SEOUL, South Korea — As the United States and South Korea ended four days of joint naval exercises on Wednesday off the North Korean coast, the South’s intelligence chief warned that the North is likely to repeat a Nov. 23 artillery attack that left four South Koreans dead.

“There is a high possibility that the North will make an additional attack,” Won Sei-hoon, director of the National Intelligence Service, was quoted by Reuters as telling a parliamentary committee meeting. Defense Minister Kim Tae-young has also warned there was an “ample possibility” the North might stage another provocation once the maritime maneuvers ended, Reuters said.

The artillery attack killed two marines and two civilians on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, close to the countries’ disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea. The barrages from the North, which claimed it was provoked by live artillery fire by the South, was the first attack on a civilian area since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea, through its official news agency, called the joint drills involving dozens of allied fighter-bombers, surveillance planes and an aircraft carrier strike group “a dangerous act” that have come “at a time when the danger of war is mounting.” Pyongyang said the exercises were “aimed at invading” North Korea.

A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said more military exercises were being planned but he declined to say if they would be staged next week. “They will be held at the appropriate time and under the appropriate conditions,” he said.

In Beijing, meanwhile, a senior member of the North Korean regime met on Wednesday with Chinese officials in what both sides said was a previously arranged visit. Choe Tae-bok, the chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly, arrived for a five-day visit that also was scheduled to take him to China’s Jilin Province, which borders North Korea and where most of the North’s defectors make their escapes.

China, North Korea’s only major ally, has twice called for an emergency session of the so-called six-party talks that include the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. That request has so far been rejected by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

In Washington, plans were under way for a meeting next week of American, South Korean and Japanese officials to discuss the allies’ options for a diplomatic response to the North Korea situation.

“I think the Chinese have a duty and an obligation to greatly impress upon the North Koreans that their belligerent behavior has to come to an end,” Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, said on Tuesday. “I think you’ll see progress on multilateral discussions around this over the next few days.”

It was still unclear if diplomatic progress would be complicated by some of the disclosures in diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks, a group that finds and publishes secret documents. Some of those cables were made available to The New York Times and other publications.

Some of the documents revealed that American and South Korean officials discussed a scenario that included the fall of the communist regime in Pyongyang and the subsequent prospects for a unified Korea. Seoul even considered commercial inducements to China, according to Kathleen Stephens, the American ambassador to South Korea. She told Washington in February that South Korean officials believed that strategic business deals would help allay Beijing’s “concerns about living with a reunified Korea.”

The WikiLeaks cables end in February, a month before the North is believed to have launched a torpedo attack on a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors. That incident and others, including the recent revelation of a new uranium enrichment program in North Korea, have badly frayed inter-Korean relations and heightened tensions in the region.

By: Mark McDonald

Hill Auditorium

Positioned in the heart of campus, Hill auditorium is the largest perfomance venue in Ann Arbor. Designed by Albert Kahn and Associates, it is hailed as a ‘monument to perfect acoustics’. Such accolades make Hill auditorium a beloved venue for numerous musicians and performing groups. Hill’s unique oval-shaped stage and hosted the likes of everyone ranging from the New York Philharmonic to Ludacris. Hill recently underwent renovation before reopening in 2004. If you have not had a chance to check out a production at this eminent venue, I would definitely recommend it!
By: James Oh