71 Things I learned my freshmen year at Michigan

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>So after my first semester at Michigan, I posted this: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-michigan-ann-arbor/1596694-70-things-i-learned-my-first-semester-michigan.html#post16760551"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-michigan-ann-arbor/1596694-70-things-i-learned-my-first-semester-michigan.html#post16760551&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I just wanted to follow up and talk about my second semester, because it was equally exciting yet very different.</p>

<p>This is gonna be a giant list, so lets gooo</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Michigan is awesome</p></li>
<li><p>Michigan is really big.</p></li>
<li><p>Freshmen year was the BEST D*** YEAR OF MY LIFE!!! Take advantage of EVERY SINGLE SECOND.</p></li>
<li><p>Most people here are incredibly smart and will make you feel really, really stupid</p></li>
<li><p>^Exception to that are the really, really stupid people that make you question how they made it past second grade</p></li>
<li><p>Ann Arbor is incredibly liberal...soooo</p></li>
<li><p>Insomnia cookies...still amazing</p></li>
<li><p>uhh don't drink the night before an exam. Sounds stupid, doesn't it? Yeah, it wasn't my brightest idea</p></li>
<li><p>^though, I did get an 86% on that exam :D</p></li>
<li><p>Markley has crappy bathrooms, small dorms, and mediocre food, and by far the BEST dorm on campus</p></li>
<li><p>^Why? Markley is super social and you'll make friends and memories for life...and the make - your-own pizza, and AFTERHOURS..duh</p></li>
<li><p>AFTERHOURS!!!!!</p></li>
<li><p>Seriously, though. Try the quesedilla, sooooo goood.</p></li>
<li><p>Please, please pick up your laundry when your machine finishes. I really don't want to take out your clothes, but I will if I have to.</p></li>
<li><p>Be ware of doing UROP. I personally didn't do it, but a lot of people don't enjoy the seminars and assignments.</p></li>
<li><p>I'm only on 16?! Damn.</p></li>
<li><p>There's two types of people: those who go to class and those that are well-rested</p></li>
<li><p>Don't think that you will only get a good grade by going to class. I actually found that sleeping in for my earlier classes and watching the recordings helped me better understand the material rather than falling asleep in class. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>-watch recordings at 1.5 speed!</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Also by sleeping in, I was more awake for my other classes. </p></li>
<li><p>I am most definitely not a morning person.</p></li>
<li><p>Watch out for classes that may not be recorded...you should probably go to those. </p></li>
<li><p>That being said, by skipping classes, you miss out on the opportunity to collaborate with your peers and professors.</p></li>
<li><p>Getting a good study group is so much better than going to office hours.</p></li>
<li><p>Go to office hours anyway..I didn't really do that first semester..</p></li>
<li><p>Don't always study!!!</p></li>
<li><p>Seriously, I know so many people who wasted their freshmen year by spending every one of their friday nights watching Netflix</p></li>
<li><p>Watching Netflix on a Friday night is actually a blast.</p></li>
<li><p>Interact with the people around you. You never know what randomly introducing yourself to other people will lead to...</p></li>
<li><p>During fall break, I introduced myself to random people in the dining hall who just happened to become two of my closest friends during my freshmen year.</p></li>
<li><p>One of those friends actually convinced me to rush a fraternity, which just so happened to be the best decision of my life.</p></li>
<li><p>Michigan is huge!! Rushing a fraternity or sorority can help it such a smaller community</p></li>
<li><p>Greek life is AMAZING. </p></li>
<li><p>Pledging sucks, but its also an amazing experience that you'll remember for life</p></li>
<li><p>Greek life isn't the only way to spend your college experience, there's tons of clubs and awesome organizations</p></li>
<li><p>FREE FOOD</p></li>
</ol>

<p>36 FREE TSHIRTS!!!</p>

<ol>
<li><p>MORE FREE T-SHIRTS!!</p></li>
<li><p>...I'm sick of free t-shirts...</p></li>
<li><p>Beer pong is the official sport of Michigan</p></li>
<li><p>Work hard play hard</p></li>
<li><p>You will definitely will not need a car, but if you really do get a zipcar. Super convenient.</p></li>
<li><p>Stop saying "pop," its pronounced S-O-D-A</p></li>
<li><p>Say it with me: "SOOOOODDDAAA"</p></li>
<li><p>so cold....sooo cold...</p></li>
<li><p>Skeeps is very very greek</p></li>
<li><p>Skeeps is big on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays</p></li>
<li><p>NO THAI. AHHHHHHHHH</p></li>
<li><p>We have a sucky football schedule this year, but you should still come to games, cuz they're a blast!</p></li>
<li><p>deOrio is hands down one of the best professors at the University. If you get a chance to take a class with him (EECS 280, 281, or 370), TAKE IT!</p></li>
<li><p>EECS 280. FANTASTIC CLASS. Take it if you're an engineer</p></li>
</ol>

<p>51 ^ unless you hate coding...</p>

<ol>
<li><p>EECS 281...FANTASTIC CLASS</p></li>
<li><p>EECS 281 is also a very difficult class...so beware</p></li>
<li><p>Friend groups change very frequently. I hardly talk to the people I was closest to during welcome week.</p></li>
<li><p>Rush a fraternity. You make great connections, memories, and friends that will last you a lifetime. Most of the brothers have been through what you're going through and can give you great advice.</p></li>
<li><p>Being in a fraternity also adds a bit of consistency to your college experience.</p></li>
<li><p>Not all of being in a fraternities is sex and drinking. Being in a fraternity teaches you communication skills, time management skills, and networking skills. Also, gotta love the brotherhood.</p></li>
<li><p>Greek drama feels a lot like high school.</p></li>
<li><p>If you're an engineer, go to the career fair! Yeah, you're a freshmen with no experience, but it will give you a taste of what's to come and who knows, you might even land a sick internship in California. </p></li>
<li><p>Meijer Mania...check it out</p></li>
<li><p>Super smash...a lot of it.</p></li>
<li><p>Best hangover cure: Mojo brunch</p></li>
<li><p>Hangover cure + best breakfast place in Ann Arbor: Angelos</p></li>
<li><p>Best sushi restaurant: Sadokos</p></li>
<li><p>South U diet is the pit from which the freshmen 15 emerges</p></li>
<li><p>Pancheros. 3 AM.</p></li>
<li><p>Meal plan is unlimited next year...sooo pumped</p></li>
<li><p>Icy, icy. Bring boots and gloves.</p></li>
<li><p>Man...it was a great year</p></li>
<li><p>I miss Ann Arbor :( #welcomeweek2014 #sopumped</p></li>
<li><p>Go blue! Good luck class of 2018</p></li>
</ol>

2

<p>I didn’t actually read your list but I saw this: </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>No. This is Michigan. It’s pop. Get over it. </p>

3

<ol>
<li><p>^Exception to that are the really, really stupid people that make you question how they made it past second grade</p></li>
<li><p>Ann Arbor is incredibly liberal…soooo</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Number 6 may not answer your question as to how they made it past second grade, but certainly answers why they got into Michigan.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for reminding me why I’m glad to be done with undergrad. </p>

5

<p>“64. Best sushi restaurant: Sadokos”
and come on… best japanese in town is definitely Yamato, and it’s not even close. I heard the chef owner might have closed shop and went to another restaurant in town. In that case, wherever he went would be the best.
Sadako lol. I don’t even need to go there to know it’s crap. All you need to see is the menu with the full page of delicacies such as spider roll, dragon roll, south u roll etc…</p>

6

<p>Where’s Yamato?</p>

7

<p>kerry town.</p>

8

<p>I’ll check it out. </p>

9

<p>unfortunately closed… but according to their facebook he went to passport and kept the same menu so check that out.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.yelp.com/biz/yamato-ann-arbor”>http://www.yelp.com/biz/yamato-ann-arbor&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

10

<p><a href=“http://www.yelp.com/biz/passport-restaurant-and-lounge-ann-arbor”>http://www.yelp.com/biz/passport-restaurant-and-lounge-ann-arbor&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Looks like Passport closed too.</p>

11

<p>Very try-hard … engineer … frat … yeah, I’m guessing you became “cool” in college, huh?</p>

12

<p>I don’t really associate frats with being “cool.” I love engineering, so I’m an engineer. I love the guys in my fraternity, so I’m in a fraternity. They’re two different worlds, but I thoroughly enjoy both.</p>

13

<p>Your perceptions and “things you learned” will change greatly over the next three years</p>

<p>It is dumb to speak in absolutes now</p>

<p>You haven’t even started engineering</p>

<p>Greek live is annoying for the most part</p>

<p>The friends you had this year will more than likely not be your main circle of friends for your remaining time there</p>

<p>It is pop. Get over it. </p>

<p>And yes, Bearcats is the resident elitist conservative. Glory be upon him</p>

14

<p>Yeah of course I agree completely. These are simply things I learned my freshmen year. It would be extremely naive to think that my perspective won’t in the future.</p>

<p>Yeah there are awful, superficial, and arrogant people in greek life, but I wouldn’t generalize that to the entire community.</p>

<p>What do mean I haven’t started engineering? Though I just completed my freshmen year, I ended the year 70 credits and have completely finished the computer science core curriculum…(EECS 281 was rough)</p>

<p>sooooodddaaaaa :)</p>

15

<p>"10. Markley has crappy bathrooms, small dorms, and mediocre food, and by far the BEST dorm on campus</p>

<ol>
<li>^Why? Markley is super social and you’ll make friends and memories for life…and the make - your-own pizza, and AFTERHOURS…duh"</li>
</ol>

<p>Have you been in Couzens or Alice Lloyd? They are both much nicer than Markely.</p>

<p>“15. Be ware of doing UROP. I personally didn’t do it, but a lot of people don’t enjoy the seminars and assignments.”</p>

<p>You should do UROP. It is very unlikely that you are going to be able to do research as a Freshman if you are not in UROP. Research is fun and a great resume booster. Additionally, the seminars are bi-weekly and the assignments are very short.</p>

16

<p>BTB is way better than Pancheros. If you’re eating at Pancheros you didn’t learn anything.</p>

<p>Why would you go to No Thai? Rich JC is right around the corner. </p>

<p>You failed the restaurant test. </p>

17

<p>Advice from a born and raised Michigander: don’t try to teach us how to speak. When you’re in our state, you’re the one that’s weird, not the natives. Trying to “correct” us looks arrogant and patronizing. It gets old very quickly.</p>

18

<p>I’ll actually give real advice, too, regarding research: reach out to professors who interest you. I manage an mcubed project and my last round of new hires came exclusively from students who reached out to the PI on the project.</p>

19

<p>I was entirely kidding about the pop thing. I apologize if I offended you…</p>

20

<p>@romanigypsyeyes‌ correct me if I’m wrong, but you went to MSU for college. Why would a freshman @ U of M thread even interest you? You’re apparently here as a grad student and at least 5 years older than anyone this would be of interest to. I’m sure there’s a similar thread in the MSU forum you could post in, where your life experience would be relevant.</p>

<p>@wolferber‌ I knew you were just kidding. I’m a native and say soda. Pop seems to be used almost exclusively by lower income brackets.</p>