<p>I'm Rakuzen, I'm a first-year freshman at Michigan State in the College of Natural Science, going in for a Pre-Physician Assistant major and a minor in Chinese language. I absolutely LOVE Michigan State. I know that where I went to high school (a really small school in southern Michigan), I was the very first graduate to go to Michigan State and so I had a lot of questions, but nobody who could answer them for me. I don't want that to happen for you guys! </p>
<p>So if you have any questions about ANYTHING on campus, just ask! I really love talking about the school and my experience here. I also have a blog about my life in East Lansing (slow updating, but c'est la vie for a college student), rakustartsatstate . blogspot . com. </p>
<p>Anyways, ask away! I'm happy to help. I want you to know more than I did!</p>
<p>How strong would you say MSU’s language program is, based on your minor? I will probably pursuing more of a language/culture combo through RCAH, but I’d figure it’s worth asking! :D</p>
<p>Their language program is actually really good! I’m doing Chinese language and it as well as Japanese are 5 days a week. Some of the other languages (like Italian, Spanish and French) are just four days a week. Speaking specifically to Chinese class, it’s amazing. Five days a week gets a little tedious halfway through the semester, but it really is necessary to keep building on your vocabulary. I’m glad that I chose Chinese as my minor, even though it means classes everyday for the next four years. </p>
<p>My friend took Japanese and Thai (as far as I know, the “rarer” languages are usually three days a week) as well as doing an English major and she really liked the setup of the Japanese and Thai class. For their language program at least, MSU does a great job picking teachers (and TAs. For Chinese class, all of the beginner courses are taught by teacher assistants) who really know what they’re teaching and how to teach it.</p>
<p>Fwiw, I was a Spanish minor for two years and the department underwent major changes. I hated it so much that I dropped my minor. Studied abroad and made it up through SPN 330 but the Romance Languages department leaves a LOT to be desired.</p>
<p>I am with MD2017, have you been to the ADS competition? I am deciding whether or not to go because I will probably not go to State but I was wondering if I should go just for the experience.</p>
<p>We live in CT and don’t know anyone who goes to Mich State. My daughter got in and is interested, but we are concerned that everyone there is from Michigan. What do you think?</p>
<p>@twinsplus2: We do have a lot of Michigan students but there are plenty of out of state kids (and from what I understand that number is growing). I’ve got a friend who isn’t from the state and no one really pays any attention to that. Everyone is really welcoming.</p>
<p>@twinsplus2: Definitely not a big deal. I’ve got a lot of friends from out of state, no one really notices. I’m from Michigan but it’s a really small town that maybe one out of twenty people that I meet know. Everyone’s so welcoming! Plus, I know personally a lot of my friends love meeting out-of-staters, since it’s a big change from high school. If it’s possible for you to visit, definitely come up for the “A Day at State” program, where your daughter will follow a student in the same field that she’s interested in going into for the day, following her to classes and the cafeteria and around campus. </p>
<p>@MD2017, ajsalow: I didn’t personally go to the ADS competition. But one of my very close friends did (she goes to MSU now) and scored really well, so now she has a really nice scholarship and is basically going to MSU for free. She had a really good time and met a lot of people with similar interests (and the chance at getting some really nice scholarships was nice, too!). It was held at MSU when she did it, not sure about now, but if getting to/from East Lansing isn’t too inconvenient, definitely go for the experience and the chance at financial aid!</p>
<p>Obviously football is a really big deal at state and there’s a lot of school spirit but do you find it overwhelming? Does everyone go to the games or just some?
I was also wondering about the surrounding area - is there a lot to do in East Lansing?</p>
<p>I’m considering state and was accepted to Lyman Briggs. I know the academic differences between residential colleges and the general university. but was wondering what students thought about people in LB? I’ve heard that they can be viewed as nerds or anti-social. I’m pretty friendly and outgoing at times and with your major you seem like a good person to ask. Would you recommend LB over a general bio major in the university?</p>
<p>@rantingfox: To be honest, I did NOT know that MSU was such a big sport-school! (Then again, I never visited the school before I signed up to go there). Sports are really crazy there. The first friday home game, the buses were on a one-hour delay and the streets were packed with people. The school pre-sells student section tickets to students, and they were all sold out within a few weeks of getting an e-mail. Even with the bad season this year, MSU is definitely a school with a lot of spirit. Of course, some people don’t go to games but a lot of people do! And there’s tons of activities on facebook pages with selling/buying football tickets. I’d say buy the tickets when you get the e-mail (they sell out crazy fast) as they’re really cheap. If you go to a few games and find out you don’t really like them, then sell them! I know one of my friends bought the tickets (they sell them for ~$150) but she wasn’t really a sports fan, so she sold them off one by one and ended up making around $500. </p>
<p>East Lansing is fun, it’s a good college town. There’s a mall (not that great but you can get there with a quick bus trip and it’s right by Meijer. If you want to google it, it’s Meridian Mall). Grand River Ave. is fun because it’s a few blocks of stores and restaurants aimed at college students (various restaurants, American Apparel, Urban Outfitters) and it’s right at the north side of campus. So that’s always fun to do, just walk along Grand River. There are a few bars on Grand River, and some clubs in East Lansing/Lansing. But on-campus there’s tons of stuff! In the Union, they have billiards, bowling, and a pizzeria. Plus, usually in Wells Hall they show a few movies (sometimes even pre-screenings of movies) on the weekends, which you can get in for free. </p>
<p>@cinderelley: I have a few friends who are Briggsies! One of my best friends lived in Holmes Hall (not an LB student, but her roommate was so she lived there) and I spent a lot of time there this semester. Holmes Hall is pretty nice, seven floors with suite-style bathrooms (meaning 2-3 per room, and they share a bathroom with another room). Honestly, people will get along with you great even if you are an LB student. It’s just because the LB students live and study in Holmes that they might be seen as anti-social (ie, only LB students at floor meetings and as floormates, and also not having classes with other people). But there are tons of opportunities to make friends outside of class and such, so just make sure to take advantage of that! LB is well-known (like James Madison or RCAH) because you have to be smart to get in. The courses are a lot more challenging than the general university classes (for instance, I took CEM 141 (General Chemistry) in the university and my friend was taking chemistry in LB. Hers was a lot harder and more time-consuming). If you can 1) get in and 2) keep up with the courseloads, then I would definitely recommend LB. Congrats on getting accepted!</p>
<p>@twinsplus2, I wouldn’t worry about that. We have friends from all over. One of our best friends (and possibly my future sister-in-law) is from Oregon and she fits right in lol. Yes, a lot of us are from Michigan, but to be honest, it doesn’t much matter. I probably had 600 people from my graduating class go here and I don’t hang out with a single one of them. </p>
<p>@ranting- I’m a senior and went to my first fb game this year (got season tickets). It’s definitely not overwhelming. Yes, we LOVE our sports and yes, it’s a lot of fun around game time, but easy to avoid if it’s not your thing. </p>
<p>@cinder- depends on the student. I’m in the RCAH (liberal arts equivalent of LB) and my above referenced friend is in LB. I’ve also heard that they tend to be more anti-social but that hasn’t been my experience. You’re also not restricted to only hanging out with other LB kids. </p>
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<p>Actually, I’m not sure what you mean but I think you’re wrong. I’m inferring that you mean it’s more difficult to get in than the general university and that’s false. ALL RCs are on a first-come first-serve basis and there is no extra admission requirements to get in. </p>
<p>With that said, the RC classes do tend to be more challenging BUT they’re also smaller and you have the opportunity to collaborate more with your peers. If you’re interested in ANYTHING offered by any of the RCs, I always recommend going in to one of those.</p>
<p>^ My cumulative GPA was 2.9. Not great, I know, so don’t be like me! But I knew my grades weren’t the best, so I padded my application with quiz bowl (3 years), a 29 on the ACT, a year on student council, a lot of work experience, and volunteer experience.</p>
<p>@romanigypsy: ? A lot of my friends in LB said that they had extra essays and stuff to do?</p>