2C - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition 2006

Hey, baby:

By Kelly Fraser
Daily Staff Reporter
In kindergarten, just about every
kid wanted to be an artist, firefight-
er or the president of the United
States. But after a dozen years of
grade school and a considerable
amount of growing up, the major-
ity of us have realized that Presi-
dent Bush's job is no longer the sole
option. Proof lies in the formidable
list of majors that the University
has to offer.
Majors that open doors to a
wide variety of careers are espe-
cially popular, and here are a few
examples.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Contrary to its name, a political
science degree is much more ver-
satile than a career in handshak-
ing and baby kissing. Graduates
go on to pursue careers in other
fields, such as journalism and law.
Political science has a long history
as one of the most popular and
acclaimed programs at the Uni-
versity, mostly due to the graduate
programs. Undergraduate politi-
cal science discussions are led
by graduate student instructors
(GSIs), so what really matters is
what they've learned from these
"acclaimed professors." The advis-
ing department isn't known as the
most helpful on campus, and the
difference between a political sci-
ence minor and major is only 10
credits. Before declaring, students
must take two introductory classes
in one of the area's subfields: polit-
ical theory; comparative, world or
American politics.
PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology is a good fit for stu-
dents stuck on the fence between
other social sciences and educa-
tion. Over four years students
have many opportunities for
hands-on research and may even
be wired with a few electrodes
themselves. The department is
known for its seminars including
programs like Project Outreach,
which pairs students with urban
community service groups to do

A glance at the most
popular majors at the University, and some
others you may not have
considered

word of
MOUTH
University students dish about rock-
your-socks-off courses and must-have
professors.
- Drew Philp

MOHAMMAD SHAHID
LSA freshman
Favorite Class: "(Organic chemistry),
because it was a challenge and it was
different. It was hard, but pretty cool:'
Favorite Professor: "Prof. Kathleen
Nolta. She's fun and nice, and has good
jokes to tell in lecture."

field work.
This field is also notoriously
easy. Many freshmen students
unsure of their so-called true
calling flirt with psychology con-
centrations.
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
The University's close prox-
imity to the Detroit and all of
the automotive resources that
come with it make mechanical
engineering one of the College
of Engineering's most sought-
after majors. All first-year
engineering students take an
introductory engineering course
to expose them to multiple dis-
ciplines within the field.
The Engineering School is
harder to gain admission to than
LSA. And we hear that certain
professors in upper-level cours-
es have a tendency to take off
or fail to answer e-mails. That
might be a bad thing. But if
you put in your work on North
Campus, post-graduation pros-
pects will be looking up when

recruiters see the University
degree on your resume.
ENGLISH
Declaring English as a major can
be an uncertain commitment, but
because the English department
requires comparatively few credits,
students often pair their English
degree with another field. All LSA
freshmen get a taste of the English
department freshman year, fulfill-
ing the first-year writing require-
ment typically with English 124 or
125, standard format composition
courses.
Unless you have an absolutely
stand-out instructor in 124 or 125,
you'll probably hate the course. But
hope lies with English profs like
Ralph Williams. The man's a leg-
end - try his Shakespeare courses
or check out his guest lectures on
Dante's "Inferno" during Great-
Books 192 (led by the equally stel-
lar Prof. H.D. Cameron).
BUSINESS
If you hit Ann Arbor striving

u-i

tudenr government
Ever wonder what
student government
at Michigan is lke
Come find out at our
Open House Meeting on September 12
6PM in Anderson D of the Michigan Union
Apply for appointments to:
*MSA-LSA Student Government Representative
*LSA Student Government Representative
*Student Life Committee
*Public Affairs Committee
*Communications Committee
*Academic Affairs Committee
*Multicultural Affairs Committee
Applications available on our website:
www.Isasg.umich.edu

for Wall Street, then you proba-
bly have your eye on the Stephen
M. Ross School of Business's
undergraduate program. The
school has a strong reputation
and innovative "action-based
learning" where students are
frequently expected to define
the problem they hope to solve.
If you are aiming for Ross, be
sure to keep on top of prequi-
sites and application materials
early - beginning last year,
Ross began admitting freshman
into a three-year program, rath-
er than its previous two-year
program.
Three words: competitive
as hell. Watch out for that girl
down the hall from you who'll
advise you to start prepping
your application in October -
she's been dreaming of invest-
ment banking since nursery
school. If you're competitive
enough to get in and keep up, a
Ross education is worth it.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
If you came to the University
for Ann Arbor's vegan-friendly
eateries and your bike has more
miles on it than your car, then a
degree under the Program in the
Environment with the school
of Natural Resources and the
Environment might be for you.
The five-year program offers
four degrees: plant ecology
and management, environmen-
tal economics, globalization
and environmental justice, and
environmental policy.
CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Have you ever tried to dig to
China? Haven't grown out of
the explorer phase? Consider
earning your degree in classi-
cal archaeology. In 2005, fewer
than 40 students declared the
major. Students who stick with
it, however, can take a course in
underwater archaeology, which
examines historical advances
and shipwrecks while teaching
techniques and the limits of
working underwater.
NAVAL ARCHITECHTURE AND
MARINE ENGINEERING
Within the School of Engi-
neering, the navel architec-
ture and marine engineering
department addresses all things
water-related, from shipbuild-
ing to adaptations to harsh con-
ditions. The department dates
back to 1879, and the Marine
Hydrodynamics Laboratory,
which features a model basin,
wave tank and a propeller tun-
nel, has long been a staple of
campus tours.
LINGUISTICS
Linguistics, or the study of
language, takes a scientific
approach to speech. Linguistics
is a relatively new field of study;
the University's department was
established in 1946. Specific
courses address the evolution of
language and dialects, as well
as the ways in which the brain
processes language data and
order.
SCREEN ARTS AND CULTURES
Formally known as the pro-
gram in film and video studies,
screen arts and cultures address-
es filmmaking, including screen-
writing and production. The
program typically offers a wide

variety of first-year seminars,
including many related to Uni-
versity-wide theme semesters.
To coincide with the year-long
theme "The Theory and Practice
of Citizenship," the department
offers a course in documentary
film as an agent of citizenship
and social change.

WAJEEN MUHAMMAD
LSA senior
Favorite Class: "World religion. (As)
a science major, I got a chance to do
something different.It was interesting to
learn about the different religions."
Favorite Professor: "Prof. Ralph Wil-
liams. He taught worldreligions. He was
animated and presented the material in
an interesting way. In most of my classes
I fell asleep, but he kept me awake."

MUSTAFA GULAM
LSA sophomore
Favorite Class: "Physics 126, electric-
ity and magnetism. It teaches you things
that you wouldn't know about the world
and how different things in the universe
interact with each other."

ALLIE SAPERSTEIN
LSA sophomore
Favorite Class: "Religion 201, intro to
world religion. All three teachers were
really good. It was interesting to learn
about things that pertain to students."
Favorite Professor: "Prof. Yaran Eliav.
He's funny and makes boring things
interesting - he keeps me awake. He's
cute in an old Jewish man kind of way."

SAREEN NASHIF
LSA junior
Favorite Class: "(Organic Chemistry II),
because I liked the material and found it
interesting, especially the biochemistry."
Favorite Professor: "Dr. Kenneth Bala-
zovich. He seemed like he knew the
material and explained it clearly."

MAGGIE DEMBECK
Nursing sophomore
Favorite Class: "Nursing 256, clini-
cal. I like it because it's hands-on and
you are not sitting in a classroom. We
do things nurses do, like take vials and
pass out medicine."
Favorite Professor: "Prof. Maureen
Belden. She's very personable friendly
and easy to talk to."

JEFF MOHER
LSA senior
Favorite Class: "Brain, learning and
memory 261.It ended up being my major.
It got me interested in psychology."
Favorite Professor: "Prof. John Jonides.
He's very intense and interested in teach-
ing. He makes it interesting to go to
class."

ANDREA SOFIAN
LSA sophomore
Favorite Class: "English 315, African
American Literature. The books are
interesting and the classe was diverse
so we got a variety of opinions."
Favorite Professor: "Prof. Meghan
Sweeney. She let us talk about what we
felt we needed to say and didn't hold us
back for doing so."
IAN TREVETHAN
LSA/School of Music senior
Favorite Class: "Sociology 303 race
and ethnicity. It had a stimulating cur-
riculum, and it teaches to think coe-
sively about race and ethnicity. It also
gives students a chance to reflect on
their own background."
Favorite Professor: "Prof. Frida Hers-
eth, voice. She is very knowledgeable,
discerning and challenging."


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