Hey~
Okay so, I have a million excuses that I could give about why I fell off the face of the earth this whole semester. Long story short, I am sorry and I blame my computer and classes.
So, first I'll do a post on my classes last semester like usual, with tips (such as whether to buy the textbook, attendance, professors etc.)
Chinese 201: Second-Year Chinese. A look at schedule builder tells me that my professor is still teaching the only section of 201 this semester, as well as a section of 202. TAKE HER. I had Y. Chen. My class only had four students (including myself) and she is hands-down the best teacher. She is very passionate and enthusiastic about teaching Chinese, she shows Chinese music videos before class and occasionally shows Chinese tv show videos during class. The other teacher subbed for my class one day, and I am very grateful that I had Chen laoshi. Plus, I heard that the other teacher (H. Wang) is a bit more stricter on homework, so the answers have to correlate exactly with what the textbook teaches, while Chen gives a little bit more leeway.
Textbook: You always need the textbook for Chinese class. You also need the workbook, although not the character workbook now that you are in the 200-level (which I am thankful for because the character workbook was the bane of my existence in 101). The thing is, Chinese textbooks are really a long-term investment because if you decide not to continue learning Chinese, you can sell them and make most of your money back, or if you are minoring/majoring in Chinese, you can keep them because all of the vocabulary builds on each other. I mentioned before that I bought a bundle of 7 books for Chinese (I think it is 101-401 but I am not sure) from someone who was graduating for $100, so now all I have to buy is the workbooks. (Although be careful about that. I did not check carefully on Amazon and when I received one, it was missing half of the pages from each lesson, so I had to return it (because that is $20 down the drain) and buy a new one).
Economics 201: Intro to Microeconomics with Ballard. Okay, so I liked this class. Kind of. He started taking attendance for the first time this year, but that is easily got around by swiping in on the card readers and leaving (ahem). His teaching style is very good, and he makes it easy to learn and understand the material. Admittedly, I did not go to classes after a certain period, but that is okay because the textbook has all of the info you need. A week or two before each exam, he sends out a packet of notes of important topics that could be on the exam (which is basically just sparknotes of that section from the book) as well as two old exams with solutions and explanations. These are gold because a lot of the questions from the old exams are verbatim on the exam. Also after you take the exam, he releases the solutions to all of the exams so you can figure out what you did wrong. So Ballard is really the best professor for Econ 201.
Textbook: If you do not go to class (like I did) then this is very, very helpful. Since he wrote the textbook, all of the exams are basically pulled straight from the book. The new editions sell for a ridiculous amount (I awkwardly left one of the bookstores after taking it to the counter and discovering it was ~$160), and I ended up buying the older edition from Straight A Bookstore for $50, and there was no difference. Everything that was covered on the exams and in his notes were from the old edition, so I did not miss anything. If you are looking to buy older editions, I highly, highly recommend Straight A Bookstore. It is on Grand River closer to Chipotle (I think), and it is in the basement of a building. It is run by international students but it was not a problem. I have bought a couple of older editions from them and it is always much cheaper than the bigger bookstores.
IAH 204: Asia and the World. I see that this class is not being offered this semester; I took the normal class that did not have a focus on China and Japan. The professor was Aminda Smith. OKAY CONFESSION (I am going to lose all my respect), I only went to class sporadically... It is a large lecture class with a weekly recitation. They have quizzes every unit, usually on Thursday, but she does not tell you when it is, so you are supposed to go to class to figure it out (guess which days I usually went...). And then there are 5 papers, but you can only do 4 of them. I would recommend that you do the first four, that way you can have your pick and do not have to do the final paper during exam week.
About the class: I chose this class because I have done a lot of studying about Asia and I wanted to learn more. 3 out of the 5 papers were about colonization and India, which was not a point of interest for me (but thankfully, I learned how to BS my way through a paper in high school). Other than that, I pretty much skated by in recitation with my previous knowledge. I got a 3.0 in the class which is not that great, but considering I missed four of the quizzes, only made it to about half of the recitations (they were at 9 AM in BERKEY, okay?) and totally BSed my papers the day that they were due (they are due at 11:55 PM on the Monday of the week, so I would start at 2 or 3PM and get writing), this was a pretty good grade. Yay for underachieving.
Textbooks: This class requires three books, which all have to be read and then are discussed during recitation. Monkey by Arthur Waley, Strangers from a Different Shore by Takaki and Midnights Children by Rushdie. Honestly, the only book that you could really get away without buying is Strangers from a Different Shore, because only sections of it was assigned for one recitation. I rented that and Monkey from Ned's Bookstore for about half the cost of actually buying the book, and then I ended up buying Midnights Children on Kindle because I forgot about it, and we were reading it in the last part of the semester. THAT SAVED ME DURING RECITATION because my TA decided to randomly call on people, so I was able to read it quickly during class and keep up with what he was saying (because God forbid I actually do my work ahead of time).
ISS 210: 001 Society and the Individual with Tibebe Eshete. This class. This class. I have no words. This professor was super duper nice, but sometimes it was hard to focus. And he showed a lot of movies. And the class was at 8AM, so I may or may not have always made it. He only started doing quizzes towards the end of the semester, but most of the grade was based off of attendance (which was done by passing a paper around the class. It was a big lecture hall and papers don't always make it all the way around, so I really don't recommend that method) and a couple of papers, a midterm, and a final.
Textbook: The books for this class were a coursepack (which was like $80 and had to be bought from some random printing press off campus) and you could choose between the Four-Inch Golden Lotus and the Lost Boys of Sudan. I chose Lost Boys of Sudan because it was the only one available on Kindle, and I read it the day before a book report was due. Actually, that book was super interesting so I was glad to have chose it. The coursepack is not that necessary.
And here is a quick look at my classes for this semester. If you are in any of the same classes and we might be in the same section, let me know! I've changed my major (again), and I do not have any friends in the same major, so I am going into all of these classes basically alone. I am just waiting for one class to open up so that I can switch into it and it will work better with my schedule, but otherwise I am DONE crazily changing my schedule. I am trying to cram in all of the necessary classes into my schedule for this semester and next so that I can hopefully graduate as close to on time as possible. I was very glad to discover that I did not screw up my schedule again with this major change. Last year, I took mostly pre-med focused classes and when I switched, I basically had to start over. Taking Chinese, ISS, IAH and Econ did not hurt me and fingers crossed that I will be able to graduate almost on time.
Anyways!
CHS 202: Second Year Chinese II. I am doing an additional major in Chinese, so I will be taking Chinese language courses all four years (although I am hoping to do a study abroad during the summer between my junior and senior year). My professor for this class is Y. Chen laoshi again, so I am pumped. I really am excited for this class.
COM 275: Effects of Mass Communication. The problem with this class is that it literally starts just as CHS 201 ends. Probably not the best idea, but the Comm Arts building is less than ten minute walk away from Wells, so I am not that concerned. I do not know anyone who is in Communications so if you are in the major, let me know!
COM 300: Methods of Communication Inquiry. Another required class.
MTH 103: College Algebra. I know. Soo ashamed to be in algebra in college, but at this point I just want to get as many of the requirements out of the way as I can, and this is the one that I can do with the least credits possible.
PHL 130: Logic and Reasoning. Let me tell you what. I strongly dislike logic and philosophy, but this is a requirement for the COM major. I guess we will see how it turns out. Also, it is an 8AM class at East Neighborhood, so I am not so sure about it...
So, this semester there are 17 credits. I had been seriously hoping for a nice and simple schedule like I have had for the past three semesters, where I start at 10 or 11 AM and am finished by 3, but with these classes, they are kind of scattered all over. Most of my classes have like a 2 hour gap, but they are all relatively close to each other/Van Hoosen, so I am probably not going to be buying a bus pass this semester.
Please suggest some topics for me! I will probably do some reviews on places around East Lansing, etc.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
MSU Welcome Week Day 3: 8/27
Today is the last day of welcome week activities, before classes start tomorrow!
It is also my favorite day of welcome week, because Sparticipation is today!
(For specific times for the events, take a look at the welcome week schedule.)
There are colloquiums for all colleges today. Starting from 9AM until noon, and you are required (according to the website) to attend. I will be 100% honest, that I cannot remember if I want to this or not. I actually don't think that I did, because I don't remember it. But I don't know if that's because they didn't have it last year, or I wasn't required to go. I would totally recommend that you go though, just to learn more about your college.
You can still stop by Career Services for help finding student jobs, so if you have time, definitely try to go to get job-hunting and interview tips, and to polish your resume.
If you look at the welcome schedule, there are a lot of different programs and meetings for students of specific colleges (like James Madison students, Honors college students, etc.), so if you are part of a college, make sure that you pay attention to your schedule.
The "Fall Welcome Spartan Spectacular" starts at 4 P.M. at Munn Field. If you're walking, honestly, just follow the sounds of people and loud music. Anyways, this is the best event of the year. They serve food at this, but it is only if you have a meal plan (if you're an incoming freshman, you're covered). To encourage you to go to this, they usually close all dining halls during the Fall Welcome Spectacular. If nothing else, come for the experience! It's very loud and crowded, but it's a lot of fun and most of the booths give out free food.
There is music, and the MSU radio station is usually here, and it's very loud and crowded.
The best part of this, for me, is Sparticipation. It's basically a fair, where the student organizations put up tables with information about their groups and, to entice people, they usually have free stuff to pass out. (For some of them, you do have to sell your soul to get freebies because you sign up for e-mail lists. I received e-mails from the LEAF club twice a week all year, despite never attending the meetings, all for a packet of ramen.)
Come find me! I will be at the Pilipino American Student Society (PASS) table, talking about the organization and maybe giving away free stuff! (I'm not sure what just yet). Even though it's called Pilipino student society, we welcome anybody! I'll do an update with the times of our meetings later, but they're a great way to learn more about Filipino culture, and to eat Filipino food!
I will probably also be at the Asian Christian InterVarsity table, as well. Again, the name sounds a little bit intimidating, but you don't have to be Asian or Christian to join. It's a wonderful organization that holds a weekly small and large Bible study. Even if you're not Christian, they provide a wonderful support group and it's where I made my first friends on campus. I highly recommend checking them out!
If you're interested in more information from either group, just send me an e-mail or leave a comment and I'd be happy to send it to you!
Anyways, make sure that you browse around all of the different Sparticipation tables. There's so much free stuff to be given away! A lot of free pens, some shirts, Ramen, candy, etc. Take a look at the student organizations list to get a feel for the groups that you might want to join!
At around 9:30, they put on a wonderful fireworks show. I was only able to stay for part of it last year, but it's always big, exciting, and fun.
So if you have time, definitely come out to Sparticipation today! It's a fabulous event, I highly recommend it from the bottom of my heart. Just make sure not to stay out too late, because classes start tomorrow!
Go green!
Rakuzen
It is also my favorite day of welcome week, because Sparticipation is today!
(For specific times for the events, take a look at the welcome week schedule.)
There are colloquiums for all colleges today. Starting from 9AM until noon, and you are required (according to the website) to attend. I will be 100% honest, that I cannot remember if I want to this or not. I actually don't think that I did, because I don't remember it. But I don't know if that's because they didn't have it last year, or I wasn't required to go. I would totally recommend that you go though, just to learn more about your college.
You can still stop by Career Services for help finding student jobs, so if you have time, definitely try to go to get job-hunting and interview tips, and to polish your resume.
If you look at the welcome schedule, there are a lot of different programs and meetings for students of specific colleges (like James Madison students, Honors college students, etc.), so if you are part of a college, make sure that you pay attention to your schedule.
The "Fall Welcome Spartan Spectacular" starts at 4 P.M. at Munn Field. If you're walking, honestly, just follow the sounds of people and loud music. Anyways, this is the best event of the year. They serve food at this, but it is only if you have a meal plan (if you're an incoming freshman, you're covered). To encourage you to go to this, they usually close all dining halls during the Fall Welcome Spectacular. If nothing else, come for the experience! It's very loud and crowded, but it's a lot of fun and most of the booths give out free food.
There is music, and the MSU radio station is usually here, and it's very loud and crowded.
The best part of this, for me, is Sparticipation. It's basically a fair, where the student organizations put up tables with information about their groups and, to entice people, they usually have free stuff to pass out. (For some of them, you do have to sell your soul to get freebies because you sign up for e-mail lists. I received e-mails from the LEAF club twice a week all year, despite never attending the meetings, all for a packet of ramen.)
Come find me! I will be at the Pilipino American Student Society (PASS) table, talking about the organization and maybe giving away free stuff! (I'm not sure what just yet). Even though it's called Pilipino student society, we welcome anybody! I'll do an update with the times of our meetings later, but they're a great way to learn more about Filipino culture, and to eat Filipino food!
I will probably also be at the Asian Christian InterVarsity table, as well. Again, the name sounds a little bit intimidating, but you don't have to be Asian or Christian to join. It's a wonderful organization that holds a weekly small and large Bible study. Even if you're not Christian, they provide a wonderful support group and it's where I made my first friends on campus. I highly recommend checking them out!
If you're interested in more information from either group, just send me an e-mail or leave a comment and I'd be happy to send it to you!
Anyways, make sure that you browse around all of the different Sparticipation tables. There's so much free stuff to be given away! A lot of free pens, some shirts, Ramen, candy, etc. Take a look at the student organizations list to get a feel for the groups that you might want to join!
At around 9:30, they put on a wonderful fireworks show. I was only able to stay for part of it last year, but it's always big, exciting, and fun.
So if you have time, definitely come out to Sparticipation today! It's a fabulous event, I highly recommend it from the bottom of my heart. Just make sure not to stay out too late, because classes start tomorrow!
Go green!
Rakuzen
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
MSU Welcome Week Day 2: 8/26
(Take a look at the welcome week schedule to find exact times).
Congratulations Spartans! You should be all moved into your new home now!
(Just kidding. It took me a month to finish unpacking, to set up my stuff, and to get organized. I didn't bring my organization stuff (or clothes hangers) the first few days, and then classes started, so I had to find time to set everything up).
Today is when returning students will move in! If your roommate is a returning student (aka a sophomore, junior, or senior), I hope you learn a lot from them! Don't be afraid to try and set rules, just because they're older than you. They were freshman once too! I will probably be moving in on the 25th, just because I have a lot of stuff to get ready to promote PASS for Sparticipation!
Today will be a busy day! There's a lot of events planned, try to go to as many as you can. Today is Convocation at the Breslin Center.
Last year on the Facebook groups, everyone was asking each other if we had to go to the Convocation, since it starts at about 8:45 AM. Hubbard wanted us all to be in front of the dorm at 8AM, so that we could all walk across campus together. Supposedly, Convocation was incredibly mandatory.
I didn't get a lot of sleep after move in, so I strongly considered skipping. But then I was thinking, what if they give you something (like a card or something) that you need to prove that you went? And I'm not much of a rule breaker, anyways. So, since I didn't sleep, I went. Let me tell you something, it was both a good and bad idea.
Basically, a bunch of important people at the University (like the president, provost, and representatives from each of the college) go up and make a speech, as well as the author of the One Book, One Community book. For last year, since the book was set in India, they had the Indian dance group (not sure of the name... sorry) go up and perform, which was amazing. They also brought the Spartan Dischords to sing, which was also cool. But, that was pretty much the extent of the coolness. That was the reason that going was a good idea.
The reason that it was a bad idea is because: the walk from East Neighborhood to the Breslin Center (near Brody Neighborhood) is ridiculously long. It is usually hot and sunny in Michigan in August. It was very boring, other than the dance performance and the song from the Spartan Dischords. They do NOT have a way to check if you went or not, which I should have realized, since there were around 8,000 incoming freshman. Also, I got lost finding my way back to East, because I have no sense of direction. (I did make it, though!)
Anyways! I would say, go for the experience. But if you don't want to, no big deal. Even if rumors float around that it is mandatory, it really isn't. But something that they said, which definitely made me think, was the reason they have the convocation: Your first day on campus, you will be in Breslin for a welcome orientation. And on your last day on campus, you will be in Breslin for graduation.
During Welcome Week, you can go to Career Services (which is near north campus, I think... It's across from Grand River, near the big spaceship) to get help with resources to go job hunting. I didn't go, because I already have a job, but my friend said it was helpful to get their resume sorted out!
Until 8PM that night, all the rest of the events are pretty much college-specific. If you're in a certain college, take a look at the schedule.
At 8, they have Moonlight Madness at Meijer! The buses will leave from Munn Ice Arena at 8PM, and you can ride them to Meijer for free!! They make this a huge, crowded event at Meijer--they have free food, entertainment, and give-aways. The buses are always super packed, so plan well!
I hope you had fun! Tomorrow is Sparticipation, and your last day before classes on Wednesday!
Go Green!
Rakuzen
Congratulations Spartans! You should be all moved into your new home now!
(Just kidding. It took me a month to finish unpacking, to set up my stuff, and to get organized. I didn't bring my organization stuff (or clothes hangers) the first few days, and then classes started, so I had to find time to set everything up).
Today is when returning students will move in! If your roommate is a returning student (aka a sophomore, junior, or senior), I hope you learn a lot from them! Don't be afraid to try and set rules, just because they're older than you. They were freshman once too! I will probably be moving in on the 25th, just because I have a lot of stuff to get ready to promote PASS for Sparticipation!
Today will be a busy day! There's a lot of events planned, try to go to as many as you can. Today is Convocation at the Breslin Center.
Last year on the Facebook groups, everyone was asking each other if we had to go to the Convocation, since it starts at about 8:45 AM. Hubbard wanted us all to be in front of the dorm at 8AM, so that we could all walk across campus together. Supposedly, Convocation was incredibly mandatory.
I didn't get a lot of sleep after move in, so I strongly considered skipping. But then I was thinking, what if they give you something (like a card or something) that you need to prove that you went? And I'm not much of a rule breaker, anyways. So, since I didn't sleep, I went. Let me tell you something, it was both a good and bad idea.
Basically, a bunch of important people at the University (like the president, provost, and representatives from each of the college) go up and make a speech, as well as the author of the One Book, One Community book. For last year, since the book was set in India, they had the Indian dance group (not sure of the name... sorry) go up and perform, which was amazing. They also brought the Spartan Dischords to sing, which was also cool. But, that was pretty much the extent of the coolness. That was the reason that going was a good idea.
The reason that it was a bad idea is because: the walk from East Neighborhood to the Breslin Center (near Brody Neighborhood) is ridiculously long. It is usually hot and sunny in Michigan in August. It was very boring, other than the dance performance and the song from the Spartan Dischords. They do NOT have a way to check if you went or not, which I should have realized, since there were around 8,000 incoming freshman. Also, I got lost finding my way back to East, because I have no sense of direction. (I did make it, though!)
Anyways! I would say, go for the experience. But if you don't want to, no big deal. Even if rumors float around that it is mandatory, it really isn't. But something that they said, which definitely made me think, was the reason they have the convocation: Your first day on campus, you will be in Breslin for a welcome orientation. And on your last day on campus, you will be in Breslin for graduation.
During Welcome Week, you can go to Career Services (which is near north campus, I think... It's across from Grand River, near the big spaceship) to get help with resources to go job hunting. I didn't go, because I already have a job, but my friend said it was helpful to get their resume sorted out!
Until 8PM that night, all the rest of the events are pretty much college-specific. If you're in a certain college, take a look at the schedule.
At 8, they have Moonlight Madness at Meijer! The buses will leave from Munn Ice Arena at 8PM, and you can ride them to Meijer for free!! They make this a huge, crowded event at Meijer--they have free food, entertainment, and give-aways. The buses are always super packed, so plan well!
I hope you had fun! Tomorrow is Sparticipation, and your last day before classes on Wednesday!
Go Green!
Rakuzen
Monday, August 19, 2013
MSU Welcome Week Day 1: 8/25
If you don't know what welcome week is, it is basically a series of events that go on from between the time you move in until classes start, designed to welcome you onto campus!
If you want to take a look at the schedule, you can click the link. But I'll just post a little bit about the days and the events.
This is move-in day for new students! I hope you enjoy the experience. There is a lot of excitement in the air because everyone is in the same boat as you: a new student!
Move-in for me was really easy, because my cousin and his friend (both MSU students) came to help me. And I lived on the first floor of Hubbard, so I didn't have to fight for the elevator or climb up the stairs. As I mentioned before, my roommate was on a trip until the day before classes started, so I had the room to myself for two nights. It was so nice, but I didn't really make a lot of (read: any) friends because I'm really shy and I didn't leave my dorm a lot, except for the required events.
Some things to know about move in: This is move in day for ALL new students from the United States. So, it's going to be incredibly busy around the dorms, there might not be very good/close parking spots (move in and move out days are pretty much the only times that they let you park on the grass) and since it's still "summer" in Michigan, it could be HOT. But after you're all moved in, the residence halls offer free food for you and your family, so you could treat them to a meal at the dining halls.
Anyways! You can see the list of activities on the site, but here's a few of the highlights.
There are usually floor meetings on move in day. It is important that you attend them because you can meet your floor Resident Assistants (RA) and your floormates. Also, if your floor has any particular rules (for instance, one side of Akers is "dry" so, no alcohol and some floors are quiet floors), then they will tell you them.
Personally! I moved in late in the day because I had to work, so I missed the floor meeting. (I also "missed" every meeting there after). Some RAs are cool with it and don't mind, but I know one RA who would use his master key to burst into dorms if people weren't at the meeting. Anyways, since this is your first day on campus, it would be great to at least know the names of the people who will be living in your hall! Your RA will probably send you an e-mail before you move in to let you know when the meeting will be.
There are two fun events on this night: Midnight Bingo Mania at the International Center (if you don't know where that is, use MSU maps. Also, International Center is a very good place to know because it is home to the Crossroads Food Court with Sparty's, Subway, Panda Express, Woody's Oasis, and Villa Pizza) where you can win some cool prizes, and also ice skating at Munn Ice Arena. I didn't go to either of them because my cousin took me around to show me campus and East Lansing, but some of my friends went and said it was very cool and fun.
That's all for the first day! I hope you have a fabulous time moving in, and that you make a lot of friends before classes start! Up next, I'll do a review on the next day of Welcome Week, to get you ready in the week before you move in!
Go green!
Rakuzen
If you want to take a look at the schedule, you can click the link. But I'll just post a little bit about the days and the events.
This is move-in day for new students! I hope you enjoy the experience. There is a lot of excitement in the air because everyone is in the same boat as you: a new student!
Move-in for me was really easy, because my cousin and his friend (both MSU students) came to help me. And I lived on the first floor of Hubbard, so I didn't have to fight for the elevator or climb up the stairs. As I mentioned before, my roommate was on a trip until the day before classes started, so I had the room to myself for two nights. It was so nice, but I didn't really make a lot of (read: any) friends because I'm really shy and I didn't leave my dorm a lot, except for the required events.
Some things to know about move in: This is move in day for ALL new students from the United States. So, it's going to be incredibly busy around the dorms, there might not be very good/close parking spots (move in and move out days are pretty much the only times that they let you park on the grass) and since it's still "summer" in Michigan, it could be HOT. But after you're all moved in, the residence halls offer free food for you and your family, so you could treat them to a meal at the dining halls.
Anyways! You can see the list of activities on the site, but here's a few of the highlights.
There are usually floor meetings on move in day. It is important that you attend them because you can meet your floor Resident Assistants (RA) and your floormates. Also, if your floor has any particular rules (for instance, one side of Akers is "dry" so, no alcohol and some floors are quiet floors), then they will tell you them.
Personally! I moved in late in the day because I had to work, so I missed the floor meeting. (I also "missed" every meeting there after). Some RAs are cool with it and don't mind, but I know one RA who would use his master key to burst into dorms if people weren't at the meeting. Anyways, since this is your first day on campus, it would be great to at least know the names of the people who will be living in your hall! Your RA will probably send you an e-mail before you move in to let you know when the meeting will be.
There are two fun events on this night: Midnight Bingo Mania at the International Center (if you don't know where that is, use MSU maps. Also, International Center is a very good place to know because it is home to the Crossroads Food Court with Sparty's, Subway, Panda Express, Woody's Oasis, and Villa Pizza) where you can win some cool prizes, and also ice skating at Munn Ice Arena. I didn't go to either of them because my cousin took me around to show me campus and East Lansing, but some of my friends went and said it was very cool and fun.
That's all for the first day! I hope you have a fabulous time moving in, and that you make a lot of friends before classes start! Up next, I'll do a review on the next day of Welcome Week, to get you ready in the week before you move in!
Go green!
Rakuzen
Friday, July 26, 2013
Dorm review: East Neighborhood: Holmes Hall
Hello!
This is another post in a series that I'm trying to do on the dorms of Michigan State University. Today, I'm working on reviewing the last residence hall in East Neighborhood, Holmes Hall. I also did a review on Hubbard and Akers.
I did not live in Holmes, but I spent a LOT of time there first semester as one of my close friends lived there. Holmes Hall is known as the home of Lyman Briggs College, which is a residential college focusing on science and math majors. Usually, you have to be accepted into Lyman Briggs College to live there, although my friend was only there because her roommate was an LB student.
And actually, this dorm post will have no pictures. The dorm is set up the EXACT same way as Hubbard Hall, so if you want to see what it will look like, take a look at the Hubbard post. Everything is the same, the beds, the closet and shelf, the dresser, the mirror, the desks, the modular shelves. This will mostly be a review on Holmes Hall itself.
I disliked Holmes Hall the most out of any of the dorms that I visited. It had an odd smell in it (although I suppose if you're a Lyman Briggs student, you're used to it. And it's probably because of dissections and chemistry and stuff, but still). I hated the dining hall. It was where I had my racist experience. It was far away from Hubbard (okay, not really, but it was far enough away that I complained like crazy for having to walk over to visit my friend).
The dorms: Like I said, they are exactly like the Hubbard dorms. There's six floors. My friend lived on the sixth floor, which was supposedly haunted (although I never met anyone/thing coming down at 3AM).
The dining hall: I wasn't very fond of it (to put it mildly). They are the only dining hall in East Neighborhood to serve late night (which means they're open until midnight). They have Today's Features, which has different foods each day; Levels, which has pizza (usually cheese, pepperoni, and then a special one) and made-to-order sandwiches (those are to die for. That is the only reason that I ever agreed to eat at Holmes); Origins, which has made-to-order waffles and omelets in the morning, and vegetarian stir fry at lunch and night; Mosaic, which has smoothies and parfaits and Halal entrees.
The rest of it: Since Holmes Hall is home to Lyman Briggs, there are a lot of classrooms in it. It also has a Sparty's Express, which is a much, much smaller version of the Sparty's in Hubbard and doesn't have a grill or fryer--it's more like a convenience store, so you can still get your Combo-X-Change there.
They have two study lounges, which are actually pretty nice. The study lounges are very comfortable and I did spend quite a bit of time in them.
Overall, chances are that if you're in Holmes, you're a Lyman Briggs student so none of my issues with the dorm will bother you. Otherwise, if you're trying to switch dorms, I would stay away from Holmes.
Go green!
Rakuzen
This is another post in a series that I'm trying to do on the dorms of Michigan State University. Today, I'm working on reviewing the last residence hall in East Neighborhood, Holmes Hall. I also did a review on Hubbard and Akers.
I did not live in Holmes, but I spent a LOT of time there first semester as one of my close friends lived there. Holmes Hall is known as the home of Lyman Briggs College, which is a residential college focusing on science and math majors. Usually, you have to be accepted into Lyman Briggs College to live there, although my friend was only there because her roommate was an LB student.
And actually, this dorm post will have no pictures. The dorm is set up the EXACT same way as Hubbard Hall, so if you want to see what it will look like, take a look at the Hubbard post. Everything is the same, the beds, the closet and shelf, the dresser, the mirror, the desks, the modular shelves. This will mostly be a review on Holmes Hall itself.
I disliked Holmes Hall the most out of any of the dorms that I visited. It had an odd smell in it (although I suppose if you're a Lyman Briggs student, you're used to it. And it's probably because of dissections and chemistry and stuff, but still). I hated the dining hall. It was where I had my racist experience. It was far away from Hubbard (okay, not really, but it was far enough away that I complained like crazy for having to walk over to visit my friend).
The dorms: Like I said, they are exactly like the Hubbard dorms. There's six floors. My friend lived on the sixth floor, which was supposedly haunted (although I never met anyone/thing coming down at 3AM).
The dining hall: I wasn't very fond of it (to put it mildly). They are the only dining hall in East Neighborhood to serve late night (which means they're open until midnight). They have Today's Features, which has different foods each day; Levels, which has pizza (usually cheese, pepperoni, and then a special one) and made-to-order sandwiches (those are to die for. That is the only reason that I ever agreed to eat at Holmes); Origins, which has made-to-order waffles and omelets in the morning, and vegetarian stir fry at lunch and night; Mosaic, which has smoothies and parfaits and Halal entrees.
The rest of it: Since Holmes Hall is home to Lyman Briggs, there are a lot of classrooms in it. It also has a Sparty's Express, which is a much, much smaller version of the Sparty's in Hubbard and doesn't have a grill or fryer--it's more like a convenience store, so you can still get your Combo-X-Change there.
They have two study lounges, which are actually pretty nice. The study lounges are very comfortable and I did spend quite a bit of time in them.
Overall, chances are that if you're in Holmes, you're a Lyman Briggs student so none of my issues with the dorm will bother you. Otherwise, if you're trying to switch dorms, I would stay away from Holmes.
Go green!
Rakuzen
Monday, July 22, 2013
Dorm Review: East Neighborhood: Akers Hall
Hello!
This is part of a series that I've begun, since I know that a lot of people are starting to figure out their dorm assignments and want to take a look at what their dorm looks like. (I know that the official assignments aren't out yet, because they come out in August. But like I mentioned in my Hubbard Hall review, if you check StuInfo, then they'll have posted a room to your account. They say that this is not the official room (and a lot of people that I know had their rooms changed) because it's for billing purposes, but it's always nice to check and get a little bit excited. My assignment was right, but I did end up switching out.) I will only be doing a few of the dorms, the ones that I have personal experience, but if you want to request your dorm, leave a comment and I'll find some friends who lived there. I will probably do East Neighborhood (Akers, Holmes, Hubbard), South Neighborhood (Case, Wonders, Holden, Wilson), River Trail Neighborhood (Owen, McDonel, VanHoosen), and Yakeley.
Note, I did not personally live here. I was assigned to this dorm, but I ended up switching out. However, one of my friends lived here and I visited the room often, so I can give a little bit of insight but not a lot of pictures.
Akers is special, because it is the only suite-style dorm on campus. Four people live in the room, the bathroom is inside the dorm (as opposed to sharing with another room like in Hubbard, or a community bathroom), and there is a tiny "living room" in the dorm.
This is part of a series that I've begun, since I know that a lot of people are starting to figure out their dorm assignments and want to take a look at what their dorm looks like. (I know that the official assignments aren't out yet, because they come out in August. But like I mentioned in my Hubbard Hall review, if you check StuInfo, then they'll have posted a room to your account. They say that this is not the official room (and a lot of people that I know had their rooms changed) because it's for billing purposes, but it's always nice to check and get a little bit excited. My assignment was right, but I did end up switching out.) I will only be doing a few of the dorms, the ones that I have personal experience, but if you want to request your dorm, leave a comment and I'll find some friends who lived there. I will probably do East Neighborhood (Akers, Holmes, Hubbard), South Neighborhood (Case, Wonders, Holden, Wilson), River Trail Neighborhood (Owen, McDonel, VanHoosen), and Yakeley.
Note, I did not personally live here. I was assigned to this dorm, but I ended up switching out. However, one of my friends lived here and I visited the room often, so I can give a little bit of insight but not a lot of pictures.
Akers is special, because it is the only suite-style dorm on campus. Four people live in the room, the bathroom is inside the dorm (as opposed to sharing with another room like in Hubbard, or a community bathroom), and there is a tiny "living room" in the dorm.
The first picture that I have of Akers is from the LiveOn site. When I was first searching my dorm last summer, I found this picture, but I can't seem to find it on the site. This is just a floor plan that shows you, basically, what it looks like. There's two "bedrooms," that have two beds and a dresser in each, with a mirror. In the floor plan, the beds are lofted, so there's more space. My friend had his beds end-to-end, so it was kind of cramped. The desks can move around, too, so they had their desks in the bedroom which meant they had to jump on the beds to get around.
It has four "closet" style areas, which you can see in the picture is across from the bedrooms. The closet areas have a pole and a shelf above it, which actually provides a lot of space.
MSU has virtual tours on the bedroom, bathroom, and living room of Akers now, so I won't bore you with the details of the room. If you click the link, you can go through a virtual tour and see how other people set it up. Although, as I look at the virtual tour, make sure that you notice the yellow wall that divides the two bedrooms. At first glance, it might look like it's not there and that the room is huge, but the wall is there.
Now that there's some pictures, I'll do a review on the rest of Akers. Akers was, apparently, remodeled. The inside is super nice. Both East and West Akers have a study lounge area with tables and chairs that is really nice and comfortable. The walls are gorgeous on the first floor. There are classrooms and there's a full computer lab, which is nice.
I spent a lot of time in that cafeteria, because the food is decent--better than Akers, but not as good as some of the other dorms. It has three stations; Bamboo, which serves "Asian" food like sushi and a made to order wok meal of the day (as in, Ramen one day, Moo Shu Pork another, etc.), Publisher, which serves sandwiches and wings, and Today's Features, which is just a hot line with different food every day. It has two lines of salad bars, and a dessert area. Akers dining hall is beautiful because it has windows along half of one of the walls, where you can look out at people walking to class and the beautiful grass and trees.
Overall, Akers is decent. I didn't want to live in a suite-style room though, so I didn't live there. The dining hall is pretty okay sometimes (I know, high praise). The study rooms are nice, as is the study lounge.
Hope this helped. If I scrounge up any pictures from my friends' experience, I'll be sure to update the post!
Go green!
Rakuzen
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Dorm review: East Neighborhood: North Hubbard Hall
Hello!
I know it's been awhile, but I just wanted to get this review up! You might have seen one like this before on the blog without pictures, because I had it scheduled and didn't get it together enough to post the pictures before it went up. So, last night when I had insomnia, I re-wrote the post and got the pictures together.
This is a post in (another) series that I'm starting, about the dorms on campus. I won't be doing every single dorm unless requested (through the comments or through an email), but I will try to post an in-depth review with pictures (if I have them) and a review on the entire dorm. I'll start with Hubbard Hall. I believe it's the same in North and South, but I lived in North Hubbard on the first floor.
If you check your StuInfo account, you might see your room assignment! I had AOP on this day last year, and they posted the room assignments. Now, the housing department will say that it's not set in stone and it's used for billing purposes, but for me it was my first room assignment. So who knows, you might find your roommate based off this assignment and keep them or not. (For me, I received the right assignment. But I did end up switching to North Hubbard, so I'll do another post on that in case someone else is like me and wants to switch buildings/roommates).
First, I guess we'll start with the end of my room. There was this huge window. I am horrible at taking pictures, but you should be able to see that the window is huge. It has blinds covering it. There's a window sill in front that is also really wide, big enough to sit on! (although 1, we kept stuff on the window sill so it was too cluttered and 2, if you sit on it, be careful not to fall out of the window).
My chair. A simple black rolling chair with arm rests. It wasn't bad, just not super comfy since it's plastic.
On top of my desk, attached to the wall, was a humongous tack board. Gorgeous! For the first week, it was ultra bare, but I bought a ton of costume jewelry for cheap from the mall and hung it up, and then I started putting random flyers up. I wanted to post my pictures in a bare room but sadly, that didn't quite work out. The tack board has about another inch on the left that I cut off on accident, but that's about the size. The flowers were a gift from my roommate, since she went on a trip just before I moved in and I didn't meet her until a few days later.
Next is my bed. I took a couple of different shots for you. The right one is how it looked shortly after I moved in, when my cousin lofted it for me. The angle is a little funny to show you the steps on the side, and the left picture is just the side bar that keeps you from crashing and dying. As for the towels and random stuff laying on the side, that is because those steps HURT. That's why I ultimately unlofted my bed. You can kind of see in the first picture, my refrigerator under the bed. Lofted, I would say that the bed is about 6-7'. Unlofted (which I have on my phone, I'll have to update) is about 4'.
The dresser. I didn't have that many clothes, and neither did my roommate, so we put mostly food and personal stuff in there. As you can see, the drawers were kind of deep. Since the top drawer didn't open all the way, we stuck tea and hair supplies (hair dryer, straightener, etc.) in there. The top was kind of a mess, because we stored our makeup up there.
Directly across from the mirror and dressers is the closet space. The closet has a pole and two hooks on the far left side. I couldn't take a picture of the entire closet, because my roommate had already moved in. As you can see, there's a little shelf on top of the closet. It was pretty tall, because I could fit my box from the dresser there for the entire semester.
On top of that was this huge open space. It had sliding doors, but it was too high for both my roommate and I to reach (it reached to the top of the ceiling). She ended up storing her suitcases there.
There is the room review. I really did like it, except for the fact that they didn't really use the heater in winter (it was so cold in there, which may or may not have been mostly because we were on the first floor), and then seemed to crank it up as it got closer to spring, so the room was roasting.
The dining hall: Hubbard's dining hall is not TOO bad. It has three stations, Piazza, which serves made-to-order omelets for breakfast and made-to-order pasta for lunch and dinner; Terra Salsa Verde, which served Tex-Mex style food like nachos, quesadillas and tacos; and Today's Features, which had various food every day. It also has two rows of salad bar. The food wasn't too bad, but it wasn't as good as some of the other dorms on campus. The dining hall itself is very, very dark because of the blinds that they have on the windows.
The rest of it: Hubbard is home to the East Neighborhood engagement center. At the engagement center, you can see UUD advisors, and I think they have tutoring and computer services there. They also have a writing center there, where you can set up an appointment to get help with writing papers. There is a fabulous Sparty's in Hubbard, which has a grill and fryer, so you can order hot meals like hamburgers and fries or chicken tenders as part of your Combo-X-Change. The Olin Neighborhood Clinic is located in South Hubbard, and I went there twice during the year (you get three free visits as a student). It's super convenient, and they're really helpful and can write prescriptions. There are classrooms in the basement, and there's a small computer lab (8 computers and a printer) in North Hubbard. I believe that Hubbard was recently remodeled, because they have a lounge area near the computer lab that has comfortable couches and televisions.
Overall, I loved Hubbard. It is the farthest from the East Campus bus stop, but the walk to it (not that far, really) is just beautiful. I had a pretty good experience at Hubbard, and I would honestly recommend it.
I hope this helped you if you got assigned here!
Go green!
Rakuzen
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