<p>Well, this is 2 days early, haha. But I've always wanted to make one of these threads so here it is (self-admitted CC nerd :D). So I'm an incoming freshman at Michigan State for fall 2008 and I will answer anything at all to the best of my ability (from admissions, to social scene, to well...anything). Either ask a question here or PM me and I will try to answer your question as promptly as I can. </p>
<p>FYI, I will know most about the honors college, james madison college, and professorial assistantships as these are what I am in. I'm an out-of-stater as well, so I can answer questions regarding that.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are there any Korean restaurants?</p></li>
<li><p>What's the reputation of Lyman Briggs?</p></li>
<li><p>How are the dorms</p></li>
<li><p>How are the people you interacted with, are the counselors nice?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a dentistry club?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a hospital nearby(walking distance)?</p></li>
<li><p>Do you need a bike?</p></li>
<li><p>How's the caf., is the food good/decent?</p></li>
<li><p>Did you have trouble signing up for classes?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hey, that's what I'm here for. Answering questions! Gladly. It's been 2 days though, and admittedly I don't know a lot quite yet, but I will answer everything anyways. First, </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are there any Korean restaurants? Haven't seen any in particular. But there are asian restaurants right on the border of campus, mostly Chinese I think. OOHH!! I just remembered, there was a Korean/Asian food store really close by. I only just thought of it because I saw the sign that said Kimchi and, oh gosh, I really looove kimchi. Lots of different ethnic places in East Lansing, so I'm positive that they have something. I'll look around and see if I can give any more details later</p></li>
<li><p>What's the reputation of Lyman Briggs?
Students are smart and studious (aka geeky). Heavily dominated by pre-Med students. Difficult classes. That's it so far...I'll ask around</p></li>
<li><p>How are the dorms?
Mine (case) is really nice, imo. I had way lower expectations because when I visited in february I thought they looked like crap. But it ends up they are nice. Pretty small, but nice. I did find a rather large bug in mine though, and the toilet (sink) water is literally yellow. Gross, but it's <em>supposed</em> to go away after a couple days. Definitely undrinkable water but it can be overlooked</p></li>
<li><p>How are the people you interacted with, are the counselors nice?
I have met 2 types of kids here. 1) The friendly wave to everyone types. 2) The types that keep to themselves because they are too overwhelmed with what is going on, typically freshmen. But essentially everyone falls into category 1. People seem way chill, I really like it. Especially in my major, everyone is ridiculously friendly</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a dentistry club? I may sound like a brochure, but there are 500+ student organizations at MSU. There definitely is a dentistry club. check out their website: <a href="https://www.msu.edu/%7Easda/index.html%5B/url%5D">https://www.msu.edu/~asda/index.html</a></p></li>
<li><p>Is there a hospital nearby(walking distance)? Well, there's the veterinary medical center. And the Olin Health center for students. But I don't think they have a hospital too close by. I heard something about Sparrow Hospital? I dunno, look it up if you want to</p></li>
<li><p>Do you need a bike? It's strongly recommended, as it is a HUGE campus(one of the biggest in the country). They do have a bike shop at MSU that sells cheap discounted bikes</p></li>
<li><p>How's the caf., is the food good/decent? Haven't eaten it yet. Well I had lunch at panda express at the international center in MSU and that was good but I'm not picky. There's like 50 food places/cafeterias to choose from. So definitely, there's something out there for you</p></li>
<li><p>Did you have trouble signing up for classes? Sorta. But I went to the very last AOP orientation offered, so that was expected. I was in the honors college and james madison college though so that helped me override into the classes I really wanted/needed. You won't be able to sign up for classes like Italian I because that is in high demand with upperclassmen that register for classes before we do. But if you go to an early AOP, you should have little problem getting whatever classes you want. And even registering later than normal, there are loads of classes still available</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>How was your roommate? And do you have a lot of space between your bed and your roommate's?</p></li>
<li><p>Since you're in James Madison, does that mean all your classes are very close to each other? </p></li>
<li><p>Did you get hw yet. Do you like your professors and classes?</p></li>
<li><p>How is the library? Is it big and nice?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>oh i have one, i was on the website and couldnt find information about this anywhere - can you double major at msu? Im looking at majoring in Computational Math and astrophysics but cant find any info in their main site or in the college of natural science website. thanks</p>
<p>Sorry if I'm hijacking the answering of questions, but I thought I'd add to fa-la-la-lena's input if that's alright.<br>
Briggs is well known for having much smaller classes and great professor accessibility. Plus all the Briggs classes are in Holmes, which is nice. If those aren't important factors for you it's not really any better than majoring through the College of Natural Science.
Caf food- don't expect it to be great. It's fine if you don't expect much. If you're picky or have any dietary issues that limit what you can eat it can be a bit tricky, but overall decent. The exception is the new caf in Snyder Phillips, Ive heard it significantly better than the other cafs.<br>
Case is one of the best dorms on campus, but also one of the harder ones to get into (athletes and James Madison take the majority of the rooms). And the water issue is from water sitting in the pipes all summer. Run it for a while once you get there and it'll clear up. However, the water is still sucky. No getting around that. Find the water machines (one in the laundry room in the basement in Case I believe), there should be one in most dorms.<br>
Double Majoring- Yes! Just go talk to your adviser once you get there. I think you have to pick one when applying, but adding the 2nd is easy. As long as you do it before your 3rd year it's a very easy process. I'm double majoring in Biochem and Genomics, and the only difference it makes is that you get another adviser for your 2nd major.</p>
<p>How far out-of-state? [Edit-- I see in another thread that it is Anchorage.] What sold you on MSU?</p>
<p>What is your major? Any extra-curriculars?</p>
<p>I am very interested in your impressions of the Honors College and the professorial assistantships.</p>
<p>I'm trying to get my daughter interested in MSU-- combination of childhood spent in Spartan Village and a great deal for OOS NMF. (As a kid I didn't mind the walk from Spartan Village to the ice rink, museum, library fountain, or what was in the 60's the men's and women's IM (intramural) buildings. And a bicycle ride, without my mother's knowledge, out to the barns. But my excursions were always in good weather.)</p>
<p>Hopefully no one minds me chiming in again, I'm starting my 4th year at State so I have a good deal of knowledge that I'd love to share.<br>
CIA - MSU has one of the best study abroad programs in the country, tons of options.
mom58- I was a PA my first 2 years and it's a fantastic opportunity. For natural science majors looking to work in a lab it gives you a huge advantage. Labs can be hard to get into (although less so at State than other schools), especially as a freshman. A lot of schools have very very few freshman doing research, but State does a great job of getting students involved early through PAs, although only the top ~1% of incoming freshman get them.<br>
As for the Honors College, they give you a ton of flexibility with gen ed requirements. I took Econ, Philosophy, and Linguistics among other things in place of the ISS and IAH classes everyone else has to take. It's a really nice way to explore areas outside of your major while taking care of requirements. Being able to take grad classes is also a big plus.<br>
I'll let fa-la field the rest of the questions.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How was your roommate? And do you have a lot of space between your bed and your roommate's? She is sooo nice (for now). It's only been a few days so you can't really say. But I went in blind and I am very pleasantly surprised </p></li>
<li><p>Since you're in James Madison, does that mean all your classes are very close to each other? 3 out of the 4 classes I'm taking are in Case hall (where I am living). So pretty much yes. But normally science or most language classes are quite farther away </p></li>
<li><p>Did you get hw yet. Do you like your professors and classes? I had 2 required summer readings (one from the entire university, one from james madison). I haven't started class yet (Aug 25)</p></li>
<li><p>How is the library? Is it big and nice? Haven't visited it yet. but it's huge</p></li>
</ol>
<p>How far out-of-state? [Edit-- I see in another thread that it is Anchorage.] What sold you on MSU?<br>
Well, a zillion reasons. After I applied I found out about James Madison college. That really got me interested as that was the exact type of program I wanted to be in. I got enough money thru scholarships, so that wasn't the issue. But honestly? The biggest reason I chose to go to MSU instead of anywhere else is the campus life (traditional college experience, big 10 football, beautiful residential campus, friendly people etc).</p>
<p>What is your major? Any extra-curriculars?
My major is james madison college. Of the james madison college majors that I will pick later, there are majors in Political theory/constitutional democracy, comparative cultures/politics, social relations, and international relations. Extracurriculars are yet to be decided. I haven't started class yet but there are so many to choose from</p>
<p>I am very interested in your impressions of the Honors College and the professorial assistantships. Honors college=top notch. Great students, all very friendly. At least on my honors floor there is a fantastic comraderie so far. And as person said before me, great flexibility, better profs and lenient requirements. Professorial assistantships...haven't started one yet. Will tell later (soon)</p>
<p>Okay I'm back again. Wahoo!!! So answering these questions...</p>
<p>Is MSU politically active? I'm looking to join James Madison and I want a place that is politically active.</p>
<p>***James Madison is THE PLACE for you. While the whole of MSU may not be the most politically active campus, I can assure you 99% of the kids in James Madison are obsessed with politics and are very up-to-date on the latest politics and goings-on in the news. I've had about 18 lengthy conversations with different people in the last 5 days regarding politics and how excited we are for it to be election year. At least 90% of the organizations such as the college body student government, college republicans/democrats, international relations organization (aka model UN for college) are made of James madison college students. And as james madison students are required to live in Case hall for their 1st year, 60% of the students in Case hall are james madison students. Soo yeah, major political action here. </p>
<p>How is the aid for an OOSer?
It depends, honestly. Getting enough aid is the reason why I'm actually attending MSU instead of a podunk Alaska university. If you get a 33+ ACT (or 1500 m/v SAT) and are eligible for the honors college (in top 5% of class) then you are eligible to get in-state tuition, a paid research job with a professor (professorial assistantships), an opportunity to take a horrid test that could possibly award you a full ride with everything paid for (I didn't receive this though), a study abroad scholarship, and additional scholarships on top of that. Merit aid is great if you have the test scores and the rank. If your grades aren't up there for merit aid and you are middle class then with financial aid you are pretty much out of luck. You might get a small grant or two, and then the rest will most likely be work-study and loans. There are plenty of exceptions to this, but financial aid is definitely not ideal here. It's still rather cheap compared to many other comparable universities</p>
<p>Does MSU offer many study abroad opportunities?
As bears... said (and nearly every single faculty member in the university has repeated this 6 thousand times) MSU has the BEST study abroad program in the country. That's about as much as I can say; if you love study abroad and want loads of options, MSU is your place. Check out this website for every single program they have offered. And then you are still allowed to find outside programs too, if you get them approved. MSU</a> Office of Study Abroad Program Search</p>
<p>What is your overall impression of the school thus far? Holy crap, I love college. People are so ridiculously friendly, with loads of school spirit. EXACTLY what I was hoping for. However I have not started classes yet, so we shall see what I think once midterms come around...</p>
<p>Wow, you are full of information about MSU, fa-la-la-lena. It neat to see how excited you are.</p>
<p>My son (interested in IR) has started to get organized for the college app cycle blitz starting soon. His high school guidance office won't take any requests for transcripts, etc until 9/15. Anyway, he was looking at the info about James Madison and was concerned about something he read about the average class size at MSU (35-40 students or something like that). I know you can't answer this yet, but it would be great to know about class size for James Madison students and how it impacts the classroom experience. My son is looking at a range of schools - from tiny LAS to UW-Madison - and wonders about interaction in the big schools.</p>
<p>Also, some nitty gitty details. When did you get your application in last fall? When did you get your acceptance? When did you find out about scholarships etc?</p>
<p>I think we'll be visiting James Madison one Monday in September to check things out!</p>
<p>Some more questions!
What's the dealio with James madison college? Is it a major where you just specialize in something? It seems interesting. </p>
<p>You said earlier that you had some political conversations with people. Most colleges are pretty liberal. I visited and saw Obama stickers everywhere. Are conservatives welcome? Lol. I don't want to be shunned. </p>
<p>And seriously. Tell us about the food when you can. I can't survive on burgers and chicken tenders, etc. For four years. </p>