Alumni

Okay…so the seniors aren’t quite alumni yet. But if you don’t know a lot of upperclassmen, you should get to know some. When I was a freshman, I got to know juniors and seniors, mostly through church and then through friends. Being a ‘stupid’ and naïve freshman, I needed a lot of help. Who better to help than someone who has gone through it before?

Classes? I’m sure there’s someone on campus that has the same major as you. And they’re definitely willing to offer some advice on what classes you should take, and what classes you should avoid for your life.

Majors? I’m sure in one group of friends, there’s at least three different majors.

I learned about my major and my pre-professional field through upperclassmen (who are now alumni). I still keep in contact with some of them for advice about medical school and jobs. They told me about all the different class choices I have and about research and volunteer positions they have on campus.

And although it doesn’t seem like it, upperclassmen are friendly! They went through it all, and we were all nervous freshmen coming in. After spending years and years learning about this stuff, what better to do with it than pass it on. They’ll teach you all the useful (and useless) stuff on campus.

One alumni (who’s name will remain anonymous) tried to teach me how to use the copy machines for free. I never needed the copy machine in all my years on campus, but like I said…they’ll teach you all the useful AND useless stuff on campus.

Research Jobs

A lot of Michigan students come in freshmen year as pre-med, pre-dental, or some sort of pre-health field. It is recommended as pre-health students that we participate in some sort of research position. The student employment website offers many jobs, work-study and not, for both undergraduate and graduate students.

I found my work-study job through the University student employment website. I applied to what seemed like hundreds of jobs and although the process was tedious, I ended up with a position that I was very happy with. My lab is in the Pediatric Genetics Department and is located in the Medical Science Research Building on the Medical Campus. Not all research positions are the same, but my job entails working with mice and investigating problems such as cancer and heart disease.

Most students don’t know just how large the animal facilities on campus are. There are unknown facilities that house large animals such as sheep and pigs, and there are smaller facilities on campus that house mice, rats, rabbits, and monkeys. The University of Michigan is known for its research aspects and there are hundreds to thousands of projects going on at the University at a given time. In 2010, the U of M Medical School earned more than $368.7 million in NIH research funding, a record-breaking amount.

Although the majority of my knowledge is in the medical school research, there are many different types of research across the University from software and computer research to immunology and microbiology. If you’re interested in some type of research position through the University, you should check out the student employment website, or if nothing appeals to you there, try talking to a professor or alumni about the different opportunities.  

Are You Cold Yet?

If you’re from Michigan, you’ve probably heard one of your out-of-state friends say “Aren’t you used to it?” The winters in Michigan are BRUTAL. How can you possibly get used to mountains and mountains of snow, and ten degree temperatures? The wind in Ann Arbor doesn’t make it any better. And professors wonder why students don’t come to class. Most of our school years in Michigan are consumed by snow and ice. You’ve probably seen helpless and defenseless students slipping all across campus. Not to sound depressing…but its not over yet. So bundle up, take your vitamin C, and get ready for about two more months of this Michigan winter. And cross your fingers that there are no blizzards in March.  

Rocketeer flying up the charts--Far East Movement

Electro hop and electronic dance rap quartet Far*East Movement enjoyed the view from the top of the Billboard Charts in 2010 with their hit single “Like a G6.” Now, they have another hit on their hands.
In November of 2010, they released the MV for “Rocketeer” featuring the smooth vocals of Ryan Tedder of One Republic. Like the song’s namesake, the track is blasting off on the various music charts, climbing the iTunes chart at #5 and the Billboard Hot 100 at #16. In addition, their Free Wired album recently hit #1 on Yahoo! Japan. In addition, they recently released the LA Dreamer Short Film of the MV:

With their current success with “Rocketeer,” the boys have been quite busy as of late recently rapping up a trip to Tokyo. You can read more about their trip on their official website, http://www.fareastmovement.com/
Far*East Movement is also scheduled to go on tour with Rihanna down under in Australia and New Zealand in late February and early March. Before that happens, they’re scheduled to put on a full concert show for So Cal with B.O.B. at Club Nokia at LA Live on February 12th. For ticket and more information on this show, check out ticketmaster.
They did some big things in 2010 and it looks like 2011 is going to be even bigger. Remember to support them by purchasing their album “Free Wired“.

Credits to allkpop

CCRB anyone?

As a college student, we all maintain very busy lives. Our schedules are filled with classes, work, studying, hanging out with friends, and studying and amidst all of this, we forget something very important…exercise. Personally, I come into each semester telling myself that I’m going to start working out, and somewhere in the first week, my plan falls apart. It took me four years to actually maintain a regular exercise schedule! Don’t get me wrong…this definitely doesn’t apply to everyone. I know people that regularly work out three times a week! But it becomes so easy to neglect exercise and find excuses not to go.

The University of Michigan provides several facilities on campus. The Intramural Sports Building is on the Athletic Campus, a couple blocks from West and South Quad. The IM building was actually the first collegiate intramural sport building in America. The facility has four basketball courts, a five-lane swimming pool, and free weight and fitness rooms. There is also a climbing wall available. This is where most of the IM program and club sports events are held.

The CCRB is the Central Campus Recreation Building, located behind Stockwell. It is connected with the School of Kinesiology and houses the main offices of the Department of Recreational Sports. It is the campus’s largest facility equipped with 3 basketball courts, 2 volleyball courts, 3 badminton courts, an elevated running track, swimming pool, free weight and fitness rooms, squash rooms, and more. The facility also has a large dance room used for student groups and U-Move classes.

The NCRB is the North Central Recreation Building complete with the same facilities as the CCRB, available across from Bursley.

With the new year comes new years resolutions. Did you know that approximately 38% of new years resolutions are related to weight, but only 64% of these people make it past the first month. Don’t be one of these people!! Try to do some sort of exercise at least once a week, whether it’s playing basketball with friends or running a couple miles with a work-out buddy. You’ll definitely feel better, and who knows? You might actually enjoy it!

Guest Blog by: Amy Justine Park

photo credits to the Michigan Daily

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