We Michigan Students are Busy Busy Bees

Sorry my blog has been MIA for awhile, but while for most people the beginning of the semester is calm, relatively work-free, and associated with the only time of year one can achieve 8 hours of sleep a night, it’s been the opposite for me. I’ve been planning and organizing winter rush for my pre-professional business Fraternity for the past couple of weeks. Needless to say, the rush events I planned with the Vice-President of Internal Affairs went off without a hitch. We had about eighty students rush the Fraternity, and we ended up with a great Pledge Class of eighteen. I am the Pledge Mom this semester, which means that these are my “kids”. I am their go-to person for anything that they need, concerns or questions they have, and I am going to make sure that all of them make it through this pledge process. I hope that this Pledge Class will be able to bond as much with each other as I had once with my Pledge Class and with the other members of the Fraternity. I’ve discovered over the course of this year how much this fraternity has given me. The friendships that have blossomed between us “brothas and sistahs” of PCT, as my friends Tarun and Cory would put it, have really given me a solid social and professional network to utilize whenever and wherever I want. This past weekend, I went to West Bloomfield with a few other members, and we ate home-cooked Indian food at my friend Tarun's house. I can honestly say that some of these people are exponentially growing into some of my best friends.

Aside from my business Fraternity, I had my first Campus Day this past Monday. I thought the hardest part would be remembering enough information from last year to give an hour and a half tour. However, the only problem I faced was my 6:15 a.m. wake-up call and the 20 minute walk to the Michigan Union. Things looked up when I had a steaming cup of fresh Amer’s coffee in my hand. I had forgotten how much I loved Campus Day until I greeted people at the doors, I stepped on the stage of the Parent panel, and sang “Hail to the Victors” with the audience. Not only do I love the other leaders, but I love the rush of excitement I get each time I get to talk about the school I love. This is my one outlet for my extensive knowledge on Michigan, and I take full advantage of it every Monday. I get to show admitted students what this school is all about, and why this school is for them. I’m even happy to be eating in the Residence Halls again, because as much as I hate to admit it, I do miss the dining hall food. My first stops were the chocolate soy milk station, an apple, and the soft serve ice cream.

This brings me to my final point, which is how important it is to find your niche at this University. Michigan is a school composed of 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Students may feel like they are just a number, but if you get involved in a few things that greatly interest you, you will find those social networks make this University a thousand times smaller. You’ll find some of the most interesting, diverse and unique friends through these groups and organizations. So here’s a bit of fair warning, when you get to campus, the first thing you do should not be plugging in your TV and Xbox or Wii. Rather it should be going to Festifall, exploring the hundreds of different organizations splattered across the different appendages of the Diag, and signing your name to at least a dozen e-mail lists. Find those few that you really find yourself attracted to, and take full advantage of everything they have to offer.

Until next time – Go Blue!

2008 with a Michigan Twist

January 1, 2008

If I had to pick one phrase to mark the significance of this momentous day, what would you guess it is?

Nope, not “Happy New Year” – something far less traditional although “Happy New Year would be my second-best option. It’s a phrase expressed across all cultures that represents the start of a new beginning, a “clean slate” and another opportunity to follow through with your new and old New Year’s resolutions (because it’s going to actually happen this year). Personally though, there is a better phrase – and what is that phrase exactly?

GO BLUE!

On this day, the Michigan Wolverines defeated double-digit spreads, the underdog status, lots of smack talk from all angles, and the defending National Championship winners – the Florida Gators. On this day, Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr ended his Michigan coaching career with a big bang and a big win. I personally cannot think of any man who deserved it more. I will proudly announce that the mix of emotions I felt during this game – excitement, anticipation, fear, sentimentality, happiness – resulted in a rush of overwhelming tears and a permanent smile across my face. And regardless of what the future holds for Michigan Football, I will always remember this day as the day I defined with the two words “Go Blue”.

But there are 364 more days in the year 2008 waiting to be defined and explored. So what do I have to look forward to? New classes with new notebooks and new material to learn. Campus Day every Monday and a new pledge class to bond with for Phi Chi Theta, my co-ed pre-professional business fraternity. 27 Dresses with James Marsden and Katherine Heigl. Spring Break in February, although plans have not been finalized, and Dance Marathon in March. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Juno on DVD. My 20^th birthday. Summer vacation with old friends, the Beijing Olympics and the start of my Junior year at U-M. These are just a few events to fill my 2008 academic planner; the rest is written spontaneously.

Now I must go, because one of my New Year’s resolutions is to spend less time being lazy on my computer and more time being active and efficient – like sledding in the Arb, not waiting till the last minute to do homework, shopping downtown, eating out on Main Street, taking a Cardio Blast class at the CCRB, and more.

Until next time, GO BLUE!