New Student Edition 2006 - The Michigan Daily - 3C
CGn
GENERL STDIESAn interview with a n
THE BEST STUDY LOCATIONS
- AS WELL AS DIVERSIONS -
ON CAMPUS
academic adviser
The basics on academic advising and declaring
a concentration at the University
The Michigan Daily: When should students
contact an advisor?
Jayne Brownell: Students should contact their advi-
sor anytime they have a question about academics
or anytime there is something that has an impact
on academics. This would include issues regarding
professors, study skills, course selection,
decisions about concentrations, or finding
resources on campus.
TMD: When can students call or
e-mail an advisor instead of actu-
ally scheduling an appointment?
JB: Advisors are available for
appointments Monday through Friday.
A typical wait is one to three days. E-
mails and phone calls are good for quick
informational questions hut, for conver-
sations, we suggest that you make an appointment
and come in.
TMD: When should students declare their
concentration?
JB: By the end of their sophomore year. But
students should start talking to concentration advi-
sors earlier than that - really whenever they start
exploring a different department.
TMD: What role does your undergraduate
major play on your career path?
JB: While many students go on for further study
in the area where they concentrate, every concen-
tration will open a wide range of doors. It's not
uncommon to have a humanities student end up in
a business career or a science student to end up in
law school. Your concentration does not determine
what career you will have.
TMD: What advice do you give incoming
freshman about choosing a major?
in and feel passionate about, don't choose based on
what you think will get you the best job when you
graduate. Every concentration will open a variety
of doors for you and you'll do better academically
studying something that you are passionate about.
TMD: What is the benefit in having mul-
tiple concentrations and minors
as opposed to focusing on one?
JB: There is no real benefit. There
actually might be more benefit in focus-
ing on the single concentration that
we require to graduate. Every student
should definitely try to take a few class-
es in several different departments that
interest you - that will help you devel-
op a wider range of skills.
Bronwell
TMD: What Is the latest that you
can, switch concentrations and still com-
plete a bachelor's degree in four years?
JB: It all depends on whether or not you've been
working on the concentration requirements. It
becomes more difficult to change your concentra-
tion in your junior or senior years but, if you have
been taking prerequisites and some requirements
with careful planning, it is still possible.
TMD: Does it make a difference to employ-
ers whether students choose popular or
obscure concentrations and minors?
JB: No, actually. Many employers like to see
that students chose a non-traditional path. They
are much more interested in why a student chose
a particular concentration and what skills they
developed than what the actual concentration was.
TMD: How many times does the average
student visit an advisor over four years?
JB: Most students meet with their advisor once
or twice a semester. (But) it's not uncommon for us
to see students more frequently than that.
n Union Billiards Room
)u can study in the Michigan Union's
d its ground floor lounge, sometimes
a break. Whether or not you know how
ne of pool is a way to take a breather.
3y from 7 to 8:30 p.m., the University
>ool lesson in the Billiards Room where
n how to play pool. The students range
to advanced, and some players come
;h the lessons are free and the experi-
here is a nominal charge for table time.
JB: To choose a concentration that you're interested - Ashlea Surles
Sweetland
Writing
Center Peer
Tutoring in
Alice Lloyd
The Sweetland Writing
Center is the University's
free tutoring program for stu-
dents offering help in writing
and editing papers. Though
this service is extremely
helpful, it is inconvenient for
many freshmen living in the
Hill neighborhood to walk
to Sweetland's main office
in Angell Hall. But Sweet-
land offers experienced peer
tutoring in the basement of
Alice Lloyd Hall from 7 to 11
p.m. Sunday through Thurs-
day. Because this additional
location is less well publi-
cized, many students miss
out on the service.
The Hopwood Room
(Angell Hall)
Located on the fist floor of Angel Hall in
room 1176, the Hopwood room is full of
poetry and short-story collections -many
written by University studentsthemselves.
A vast amount of books border the room
along with a few large, comfortable chairs
and a round table in the middle. It's a fan-
tastic place to come to read or get ideas
for writing your own story. Because the
books coming into the room are so numer-
ous, Hopwood constantly recycles old col-
lections and leaves them in a basket in
the front of the room for students to take
home for free. The Hopwood room is open
Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m.
The
Duderstadt
Library
(North Campus)
Escalators, adjustable lamps
and moveable bookshelves -
what's not to like about the Dud-
erstadt? Located on the quiet
hills of North Campus, this library
makes the UGLi look -pun very
much intended-- ugly.
You don't have to be an engi-
neer or art student to appreciate
the Duderstadt, formerly known
as the Media Union. LSA stu-
dents who want to avoid the loud
rush of central Campus should
consider catching a bus to "the
Dude" for a quieter study atmo-
I