As Break draws to a close...

Happy Holidays!

I thought about what to write here, and all I could think about was the end of the semester and what I've learned in three semesters here at Michigan. So here goes:

I cannot believe that I've been in Ann Arbor for three semesters. It truly is my home, and I cannot imagine going to school anywhere else. For those of you seniors reading this, I was sitting in your shoes two years ago exactly, and all of my applications had finally been turned in. I applied to places in California and the Midwest mostly, all out of state except that my parents made me apply to Michigan and Michigan State. I remember getting my email from Michigan that all of my stuff had been processed on December 12th and that I would know within 8-12 weeks.

I think it was sometime in February that I got my email acceptance and I had just gotten home from a weekend at Michigan State. I was CONVINCED I was going to go there. My dad insisted that I go to Michigan's Campus Day and see what it was like. I went on Good Friday, and first met with the UROP lady. I had been offered a Professorial Assistantship position at State, and finding UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program) seemed awesome. They had an 800 page book of research options, and this awesome project page about injecting mice to investigate diseases.

Then we went through our first presentation, where a man (whose name I really should remember but don't) introduced himself and welcomed us to the university. He asked us to look around, see the "Sweatshirt Factor" on campus, and embrace Michigan. I thought he was NUTS as he explained that people are so proud to be a part of this community that they show it in their scarves, shoes, shirts, everything. Truth be told, I have slippers, sandals, and flats covered in that big yellow block M. After our tour and LSA presentations, I sat in on a religion class. It was amazing. He had a thick Russian accent and talked about Jesus and the crucification controversy, etc (quite fitting for Good Friday).

I walked back to my dad after the class and said, "we should probably pay the enrollment, I think I'm going to Michigan". Even though I'd never grown up with Maize and Blue, it was that sweatshirt factor that pulled me in.

I spent the next two months really unsure about whether I was at the right university or not, and Orientation was the deciding factor. I absolutely LOVED it. The spirit on this campus on Football Saturdays is electric, the freedom and options were amazing, and I loved the people that mixed discussions about school with fun stories and sports arguments.

The morale of this story is: COME TO CAMPUS DAY. Let me tell you why:

1. You can come visit me :) (This is not the primary reason. I just thought it should be first)
2. Making a college decision without seeing the campus or meeting other students that got in is a big mistake.
3. No words can describe Michigan on paper or over the phone. It just doesn't do it justice. I'm sure this applies to every college, but I can really speak to Michigan.


Next time, I'll talk about Greek Week (a Greek-wide competition to raise money for charity), my classes, and SNOW!

Peace, Love, and Marshmallow Shooters (which I got for Chrismukkah and LOVE),

Sam

Turkey, Trends, Tough Times (and interviews!)

As you can tell by the title of my blog, I am REALLY excited for Thanksgiving. I haven't been home since I left in August, so it'll be good to get home and see my dog, family, and friends.

Before next semester starts, I think I'll run through my classes right now. I am taking a lot of classes for my concentration and minor, which is really exciting. First, I'm taking Biology 222: Introduction to Neurobiology and Psychology 230: Biopsychology. The reason that I'm mentioning both of these at the same time is because they truly go hand in hand. Today, we learned about vision being started by action potentials to the center of a field and the surrounding field providing inhibition in Neurobio, and we had that on our exam a couple of weeks ago regarding animal examples and comparisons in behavior in Biopsych. I'm also taking Women's Studies 220: Perspectives in Women's Health, which is a great class about gender differences and hospital relations, etc. Last week we watched a movie about college age drinking and the impact of media on gendered thinking. Next, I'm taking organic chemistry (and dying). It's a really tough class, but the professors are great and it just takes lots of processing. My last class is great. It's called behavior and environment, and it's about how we function as human information processors and how nature impacts us in that manner. I never thought that all of my classes would be so overlapping, but my organic chemistry professor is a biochem researcher, so she likes to use biological examples of chemistry. Put them all together and this past semester has been a really balanced and well-rounded courseload!

Last night my sorority had our executive board elections. I'm a sister in Alpha Epsilon Phi, who is recolonizing at the University. While we're a pretty small group, we get along so well and they've taught me that sorority life can be for anyone and it is what you make it. I was elected the Vice President of Programming, so I'm excited to use my past experiences in Hall Council and Phi Sigma Pi, my fraternity, to make this the best sorority on campus!

I think I'll talk about trends around this time of the year, which are CONCERTS! I'm so excited because many of my friends are in a cappella groups, orchestras, or theatre performances. My sisters and I are going to see Pride and Prejudice the week after thanksgiving, and my friends just performed in an orchestra concert last night. It's so great to see all of the cultural opportunities to attend and get involve din at this University, and most of the admission fees are FREE! Not to mention they're held in Hill Auditorium, the 3rd most acoustically perfect auditorium in the country. It's so perfect in there that you can whisper from the top and hear it at the bottom, and it can hold over 5,000 people!

I'm also in the middle of interviews for internships this summer, the research position I'll talk about below, and a Resident Advisor position. I've had about 3 a week, and they're all pretty competitive, so I'm extra nervous!

I also just found out I was offered a research position in a social neuroendocrinology lab. I'll talk more about that once I get started, but life is so crazy right now that I'm having trouble getting everything done! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at samgreen@umich.edu. I love getting emails, but I can't promise I'll answer them quickly. Once exams end (on the 15th) though, I promise I'll get back to you (and bring more TLC to this blog :) )

Another year has begun!

Hey all! If you started at the very beginning, then you already know who I am. This year I’m back, one year older and six months removed (so maybe 6 months wiser?) My name is Sam, and I am now a sophomore in LS&A (Literature Science and the Arts) in the Honors Program. Here’s a quick rundown of my life, in 100 words or less.






I am in a pre-professional fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi (explaining is too many words), and I’m involved in K-Grams, a pen pal program. I also am involved in Campus Day, a program for admitted students (come visit me!), and I work at Askwith Media Library, where you can check out DVDs for class or just for fun. I recently joined a sorority (Alpha Epsilon Phi) and am in the new member process. During my freshman year, I was involved with the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), and South Quad Hal Council. I also love working out and playing intramural sports.


Who could believe that I could fit my life into 100 words! Here’s a little more about some of the biggest happenings in my life:


We just finished the first session of intramural sports. I played on a co-ed and a girls soccer team, plus a co-ed team for basketball. I played soccer with the kid s in my hall, and we made it to semifinals before we lost to law school students. It really brought our hall together, taking the same homework break each Sunday night, plus 5 rounds of playoffs. We really rallied around each other through injuries, cramming on the bus, and the fun of playing soccer as a team. We’re getting pumped for our next sport, flag football! Our girls team made it to the finals, which was a crazy experience. We always had trouble getting girls together, so we basically played with 7 people each game (you can play 9 at one time). During the semifinals, we played one girl short, stayed tied through regulation, two overtimes, and went into a shoot-out! We’re currently in the flag football season, so stay tuned for that next time.






I also mentioned I was joining a sorority. I figure I will talk about this in my next blog, as Greek life has so much to it that right now I don’t even know where to begin!


I spent the summer here in Ann Arbor as an orientation leader, which meant I worked with over 1500 freshman this summer! From living in the residence halls this summer to helping freshman decide which courses are right for them, plus playing Mafia with my orientees and other staff members, I had a blast.


This summer also led to a new revelation: my major! I met with lots of advisors who helped me figure out what I want to major in. In a month of two, I’ll declare myself a Neuroscience concentration major, with a minor in Gender and Health! Next blog I’ll also talk about my classes more in detail, but I’m currently taking: Organic Chemistry, Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Behavior and Environment, and Perspectives in Women’s Health. I’m really amped about the classes I get to take for this major, but like I said, so much to say and nowhere near enough space to put it all in one blog!


I’m actually typing this up on an airplane headed back from visiting my best friend and family in Seattle, so I think it’s time to study for my Neurobiology exam or work on my RA application!

Until next time…Peace, Love, Maize and Blue,
Sam