Prospective Freshmen
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Advice from Students
We asked some recent students what advice they would give to students about to start their freshman year at Michigan. Here’s what they had to tell you...
Come in here and hit the ground running. Don’t pass up any opportunity, apply for everything, go to all types of events. Be open to all people and personality types. Challenge yourself. HAVE FUN.”
—Lilian Ngobi | Coral Springs, FL | Engineer – Chemical Engineering
The most important thing for any freshman to know about Michigan is that you have to be proactive. All of the opportunities are right there in front of you, but you have to be the one to take them. If you do this, Michigan will become your home in no time.”
—Ari Goldstein, 2010 | Lincolnshire, IL | LSA – Psychology
Take advantage of the time you have in school. Don’t ever loose sight of the people around you. It is totally worth loosing an hour of sleep to take a break from homework to watch a movie with some friends or to go hear Maya Angelou speak! College is not only about school; it’s about experience”
—Allyson Hoerauf, 2009 | Royal Oak, MI | LSA – Sociology
Come to the University with an open mind. For many students, they come to U of M with the mindset of either: Pre-Law, Pre-Med, Pre-Business, or engineering. I would tell them to go outside of their comfort zone and elect classes that you find interesting that are not necessarily needed for those particular career pathways. Who knows, you may end up falling in love with one of those classes and find a major that really suits you!
Also, get involved! Put yourself out there. By joining sports teams, Greek life, clubs, or study groups, you are giving yourself the chance to immerse yourself in everything the University has to offer. From these experiences, you gain lifelong friends and solid personality and career skills that will end up helping you in the long run.”
—Catherine Cherny, 2009 | Grosse Ile, MI | LSA – Brain, Behavioral & Cognitive Science
Meet as many people as you can and establish relationships with them. Some may become your life-long friends, some will become very powerful people in society. Out of the many people you'll meet later on in life, Michigan alums will be the only ones who shared the same Michigan experience as you.”
—Sam Kim, 2009 | Alamo, CA | Ross School of Business
Be open-minded. You and the culture you are from are just one small part of this world. Being as open minded as possible will not only help you learn more about other cultures and with your studies, but you will also learn a lot about yourself in the process. And I know it sounds cliché, but GO TO OFFICE HOURS! Professors really mean it when they say they want to see you/meet you/answer your questions. Its fun, and it can help your grades!”
—Whitney Rae Markell, 2008 | Columbiaville, MI | LSA – History
My advice is to take the bull by the horns. Start looking for what interests you early by looking at fliers, the university website, as well as going to Festifall. I would also advise to get into as many different programs as you can take at the beginning of freshman year so that by the time the year is over, you can eliminate clubs that you did not enjoy taking part in and focus in on a select few that really spark your interest. I would also advise to be as open as possible to different opportunities, people, opinions, and experiences.”
—Vickie Chien, 2009 | San Jose, CA | Kinesiology – Sport Management
