Students@UM-Flint

Hello, everyone.

I hope you all having a productive semester so far! Throughout my college experience I’ve learned the hard way about some key steps to being successful in college, but I’m here to share with you the shortcuts so you dont have to go the same route I did.

Going to high school in Nigeria exposed me to various aspects of learning and different techniques I could embark on when certain situations or challenges arrived that had to do with studying, office hours, and research.

The first tip I’m going to write about today is OFFICE HOURS.

1. Get to know your professors for each class before the fifth week of the semester. Let them know you so they can put a face to the name on the paper that they grade. It also shows professors that you care about their class and your success in their class.

2. Make sure you attend each professor’s office hours at least once a month. You can stop by and ask a question or learn extra material from a certain topic in class, and it also shows the professor you’re willing to go the extra mile to be successful in his or her class. When they see that a student is willing to go the extra mile, the professor will be willing to go an extra mile for you as well.

3. Make sure you participate in class—ask questions or give your opinion on a certain topic that you’re given in class. Trust me, it makes a difference.

I say all these things because I’ve seen the opposite, and because most students didn’t do this. Then when they had certain issues occur during the semester, the professors would not really budge because they had not seen or heard from student all semester long. They may have taken it that the student didn’t really care about the class, which is not a good thing.

Participation points, attendance points, and office hours visits make a difference in your final grade. When those points you have gained academically don’t meet up with the grade you want to achieve, a professor may look at the extra steps you have taken and offer an extra credit essay or an extra assignment.

I really want my blog readers to honestly try these steps, and if you see me on campus please let me know how this worked for you. What did you do differently? What techniques and things did you learn while doing it? Or you can even comment on the blog post, people. I would really love to know.

I will be attending a leadership camp this week. I’m looking forward to posting pictures on Instagram and writing about the tips and workshops. Stay tuned for that next week.

Wishing all students a successful and productive week ahead.

Go blue!

T out.

Eek! Your future employers and even your current ones are watching what you do on the internet!

I know we all hear that, but it really is something that happens and yet so many students neglect to keep their social media in tip-top condition. I remember when we would hire new Orientation Leaders and every time I would go through and immediately look them all up online. What I saw played a role in how I would view the new prospective leaders.

I asked my current employers and some people from different departments to try and find out just what they focus on when they look at employee profiles, and here is what I discovered:

• Private Profiles: If no one can see your information from a general search, then that’s definitely helpful. It’s better for them to see nothing at all than to see those “red flags.” Being private does not mean you are safe from peering eyes, however! I know of many peers who have made the mistake of posting something and then forgetting they’re friends with their boss or coworkers. (One recently took a day off work because she “felt ill,” and then got busted with party photos!) Plus, once something is on the internet, even if it gets deleted or privatized, it will ALWAYS be on the internet!
• Pictures: I just mentioned one way a picture could get you in trouble, but there are so many other ways, too! One example I’ve seen is an animal shelter employee posting pictures of puppies that weren’t up for adoption yet. People came in asking for puppies that were essentially a “secret,” and he ended up getting reprimanded for that. Also, if you’re looking to get a job, future employers will look negatively at things that could tarnish their reputation (that means no party pics like I mentioned above).
• What you say and how you say it: When I was doing my “research,” it turns out many employers mentioned the same two rules in terms of text that they find on social media. They don’t want to see cursing of any sort, and they want things to be written with good grammar and spelling. One even told me that if a prospective employee had a well-written resume but had terrible spelling and grammar on their personal profiles, that could really end up costing them the position.
• Good Screen Names: This last one is one I can relate to. During the times I’ve spent working with peers or even just talking with friends, I’ve heard of many crazy usernames. I remember the first one I ever made was “girlphenomenon.” Even if it’s not a wildly inappropriate name, the silly ones can make employers do a double-take, too, and not in a good way. Go ahead and stop using (or at least broadcasting) names like supercutieee998 or tacos4lyfe, and instead opt for a username that’s more professional. A common alternative is to simply use some sort of combination of your first and last name.

Go ahead and get to cleaning up your social media, because your future bosses could be Googling you right this second! 🙂

During high school, I volunteered with a couple of different organizations and it was a blast, but coming in as a freshman, I wondered if I would be able to be as involved as I was before. I’d never been to Flint before, so I wasn’t familiar with the area at all. Luckily, there are a ton of opportunities to volunteer right here in our own backyard at UM-Flint and some of the offices here make it really easy to connect you to these organizations.

University Outreach is a great first stop to get involved in Flint, and how I got connected to the Salvation Army. They host an event twice a semester called First Friday of Service. As the name implies, you go out and do service on the first Friday of the month. They bring in different community partners to let you know how you can get involved with their organization and the difference that you can make with them and in the community. I got to hear from groups like King Karate, the Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity. Afterward, we went to Whaley Park and did some clean up along the river.

Serving food at the North End Soup Kitchen

This was a really great opportunity for me to meet other people interested in getting involved on and around campus, and it connected me to an organization that I’ve volunteered with for the last two years. After hearing about some of the programs hosted by the Salvation Army, I signed up to help out with their After-School Program on Fridays. They bring in kids from the local elementary and middle schools for two hours each weekday and do a lot of different activities. This could be anything from arts and crafts, computer time, kickball, puzzles, and of course the kids’ favorite – homework. It’s been a great experience for the last two years to watch the kids grow up and hear about how their days are at school. I’ve also been able to help out with regular events that they have like the Christmas Assistance Program, their Mass Food Distribution project, and Christmas in July. That one step I took as a freshman connected me to a lot of different opportunities to volunteer in the city, and I’ve been able to meet some really cool people.

Do you want to volunteer in Flint, but you don’t know where? I’ve put together a map of just a few places around the city that are always looking for volunteers.
Volunteer in Flint!

If you don’t find what suits your interests, check out any of these websites where you’re able to search by location and field.
HandsOn Genesee
Resource Genesee
Volunteer Match

Lastly, don’t forget to RSVP for First Friday of Service on October 5!

I hope classes are going well for everybody. I’m sure we all have quizzes, papers, and homework due already… crazy? I know the feeling of not having a life anymore and it being controlled by professors and deadlines. I’m here to let you know about the most important deadlines. It’s in your best interest to be able to be aware of these. Also be sure to stop by your advisor’s office before making the decision to drop a class.

Here are the deadlines listed below:

• Disenrollment (drop all classes) with no charges
  – Sept. 3, 11:59 pm
• Disenrollment deadline (with $100 charge)
  – Sept. 17, 5:00 pm
• Drop class, no charge(must remain enrolled in at least one credit hour)
  – Sept. 17, 5:00 pm
• Disenrollment deadline to pay one-half tuition plus fees
  – Oct. 12, 5:00 pm
• Drop class (without petition, no refund) deadline
  – Oct. 26, 5:00 pm
• Disenrollment (pay full tuition, plus fees)
  – Dec. 10, 5:00 pm

Here are their phone numbers:These are very important deadlines I suggest you take seriously. If you receive aid or grants make sure you call the Financial Aid office to double check what you’re doing and your advisors as well, so they can guide you towards the right path.

Financial Aid: (810) 762-3444

Academic Advising: (810) 762-3085

Go Blue!

Till next time… T out!

One week down, fourteen more to go!

I’d like to join my fellow Wolverines in a collective sigh of relief after having successfully made it through the first week of classes. However, I’m also a part of that group sighing over the stack of readings and assignments we had to tackle this weekend. While I know that we’ve had to make quick work of jumping back into the academic swing of things, I can’t tell you how excited I am that fall is finally underway.

With week one under my belt, I already know that I’m going to love my classes. I’m excited that I’ll be learning material I can use in the future, which is a bit different from where I was when I started two years ago. For the first year and a half, I was majoring in Medical Technology & Biology, waffling between foreign language and Chemistry minors, and following a pre-medicine curriculum. Growing up with parents in the medical field, that was just the natural course of things – major in science, go to medical school, become a doctor, period. It didn’t matter to anyone what I did as long as I became Dr. Erika Trigg, M.D., be it sleepless nights studying or spending hours studying in the library (that doesn’t go away, though, no matter what you’re majoring in).

However, at the end of last fall, I made the decision to switch my major to Communication to pursue a career in Student Affairs. While I was certainly nervous about making such a drastic switch, I have to say it was one of the most liberating things I’ve done. When I finally took the time to consider if the plan I had for half of my life had been mine or if it was just expected of me, it hit me that it wasn’t what I wanted.

My heart has been in planning events, interacting with people, and being hands-on since I was in high school.  In the two years that I’ve been here, I’ve had the chance to get really involved on campus and work two jobs, through which I’ve had some of the greatest experiences.  Realizing that I could make a career out of doing all of the things that I love renewed my excitement about my education; I was excited about the options that I had, and took a couple of different classes beyond communication so I could further explore my interests. After winter, I decided to minor in Psychology, and between those courses and the ones in my major, I’m learning a lot of different things that I find useful now and things that I look forward to being able to apply after graduate school.

Moral of the story: Take advantage of all of the general education classes we have to complete. While it may just seem like a long list of requirements in the beginning, think of it as an opportunity to find yourself and figure out what you enjoy studying. If you already know what you want to do, you get the chance to take classes outside of your discipline and expand your knowledge. Take that computer science class because you like programming, or sing in the university chorale because you’ve wanted to be a singer since you were six. Either way, it’s a win-win because you get to do something you enjoy and you need these things to graduate. Don’t ever be afraid to take something different, because you never know where those interests could take you.

I remember when I came to college the one thing that made me have a panic attack was trying to pick a major! I thought everyone just came in and already had figured that out, and that I was the odd one out. Thankfully I quickly learned that I was NOT the only one! Even now that I’m a senior I still get anxiety when I get asked “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Never fear, fellow students, for there are ways for you to explore majors while in college. And I don’t mean by taking a bunch of different classes, because who needs to spend thousands of dollars to find out they hate Psychology? 😉 Here are some (much cheaper) alternatives to figuring out what you like and don’t like:

• Join Academic Clubs: On campus there seems to be a club for just about every major there is! The great thing is that you don’t have to be a certain major or even be taking any classes in that subject to join the academic club surrounding that subject. (So, you don’thave to be a History major to be in the History club.) Join whichever ones you’re curious about, and make sure to be more than “just a member.” Attend a few meetings, go to some events, and then you’ll learn more about what the classes are like and what professionals in that field do. There’s a list of all the academic clubs on the Student Life website.

• Talk to Professors: Maybe you happen to be taking a class outside of your major in order to fulfill a general education credit, and you start thinking that the stuff you’re going over in class is actually pretty interesting. Talk to the professor! Find out their office hours or shoot them an e-mail; they study that subject because they LOVE it, so they would be more than happy to discuss it with you. In fact, most professors get excited when students come visit them to talk about class stuff. Even if you aren’t in a class, you can still go to that academic department and talk with faculty there about what that major is like.

• Attend Career Fairs:  When you’re an underclassman, you usually don’t attend career fairs because you’re not yet looking for a career. (Actually, if you’re like me you go to them to collect all the free pens and goodies! But that’s just another benefit…) Attending them as freshmen or sophomores can help you actually see what students in certain majors end up doing with their lives. Sometimes it’s hard to think what some majors do for careers. Some, like Pre-Med students, have obvious paths while others like History or Environmental Science or Anthropology might not be as clear-cut. At career fairs you can see actual professionals in some of those other fields, and this is your chance to talk with them and see what students in that field can do with their degrees. You can find information about upcoming career fairs at careerfairs.umflint.edu.

My favorite word is “free,” so I’m always trying to take advantage of all the freebies we get as college students. Make the most out of this time while you’re able to! This is the time to explore and try and narrow down your interests.

I  would like to use this medium to welcome the new and current students back to a new school year filled with new beginnings, new chances, new opportunities, and new adventures. Looking back to 2008, coming to University of Michigan- Flint was one of the best decisions my parents and I ever made, and I am glad to say this university has had a major impact on who I am today.

As a new student in the university, you are probably wondering: Where do I fit in?  What events do I go to? What organizations do I join? Not to worry. That’s what the Fall Welcome Back Picnic is for, which takes place on September 13, 2012 at 11am. Make sure you stop by to socialize, meet different student orgs, get free T-shirts, and so much more (oh yeah, did I mention FREE FOOD?).

Make sure you also stop by the Student Government office to sign up for text alerts. The text alert system is designed to inform you of things you might be interested in on campus and alerts you when there is a free T-shirt, free food, or an event happening on campus—that is if you sign up for it! Also follow them on twitter @SGUMFLINT and like Student Government on Facebook.

If you see me on campus with my camera, be sure to stop by and say hi. This post includes some of the images I took during New Student Welcome Day.

Go blue!

Today’s the day!  Fall classes have finally begun, which means so do all of the university’s welcome events.  Already in the last week, there have been two – Taste of Downtown and New Student Welcome Day & Convocation.  While it’s hard for me to pick which was my favorite, I’d have to go with Taste of Downtown.

Each year, University Outreach hosts their My Flint events, which include Taste of Downtown, Artwalk, Park(ing) Day, 1^st Friday of Service, and The Amazing Race Challenge. Last Wednesday as a part of move-in day, Taste of Downtown took place. The entire university was invited to check out some of downtown Flint’s local eateries and get some delicious food in the process.

My tour group at the Lunch Studio and Churchill's

This year, I got to lead a group with my fellow Orientation Leader, Kiaya, and I’d say we had the best tour group ever. We started out at Hoffman’s Deco Deli, which is a five-minute walk from the University Pavilion. They serve great deli sandwiches and frozen yogurt, and you get a 10% discount for being a student! Our next stop was the University Pavilion, where we got to sample sandwiches and cookies from Subway and learn about Jilly’s Pizza, Sportlite Grill, OBlendz, and Oriental Express.

Students enjoying both the staff and the food at the Flint Crepe Company

From there we headed down the street to Blackstone’s and the Flint Crepe Company.  Blackstone’s is an Irish pub and they have a great $5 college menu, including a personal cheese pizza and spinach and artichoke dip.  The Flint Crepe Company featured a great Reuben crepe and a pretty spectacular staff.

Our last three stops were Wize Guys Pizza, the Lunch Studio, and Churchill’s. The pizza was amazing at Wize Guys, as was the chili at the Lunch Studio. At our final stop of the night, Churchill’s, we got to sample two different wraps and homemade chips.  Churchill’s is definitely a college-student favorite with their Thursday college nights and free delivery to both of downtown Flint’s residence halls.

This event is one of my favorites because it’s the one-stop-shop to find out about some great places to eat right next to campus. Plus, who doesn’t like free food?

While I’m sure you’re bummed if you couldn’t make it out last week (because really, who wouldn’t be?), there are still plenty of events in store.  Check out the calendar below!

Thurs, Sept 6 – Greek Block Party
Sat, Sept 8 – Farmers’ Market Frenzy
Tues, Sept 11 – Movie on the Lawn
Thurs, Sept 13 – Welcome Back Picnic
Fri, Sept 14 – My Flint: Artwalk
Fri, Sept 14 – Greek Yardshow & Icebreaker
Wed, Sept 19 – International Taste Fest
Fri, Sept 21 – My Flint: Park(ing) Day
Thurs, Sept 27 – College Humor Comedy Explosion
Fri, Oct 5 – My Flint: 1st Friday of Service
Fri, Oct 12 – My Flint: The Amaizing Race Challenge

Hopefully you can make it out and see Sam, Tolani, Chad, or myself at any of these upcoming events which are sure not to disappoint!

With one week left until school, it’s definitely time to get into the mindset of preparation. As an online student, one of the more interesting practices that differ from many “in-person” students is the book choice. Some books are available in online form where you simply get a license to an online copy of the book until the semester is over. There are upsides to this, of course, but downsides are there, too. Generally, getting the online copy costs less than the bound face value. You can usually use features like ctrl+F to find a specific phrase, making it easier to look things up than in a hard paper copy. However, with paper books, you might be able to buy a book for $90 and sell it back for $70, essentially only spending $20 on your book. There’s no buyback for digital textbooks. You pay the access fee and that’s pretty much that.

I have yet to decide what I’m doing for my semester books because as I’ve gotten further into my school career, I’ve found it’s a lot easier to wait until school starts before making a textbook decision. The UM-Flint Bookstore is helpful in letting you know what will probably be needed for each individual course, but sometimes they’re mislabeled. You could end up buying the textbook and two supplements that are listed as “required” but the instructor actually just considers them optional. You may also converse with other students that have taken the class and find out about the professor. Sometimes the in-class discussions, presentations, and notes are so good that you don’t need the book to succeed and can save some money that way. Other times, the instructors recognize that a version behind the most recent one really isn’t that out of date and consider it acceptable to get. The previous version is much, much cheaper and can help trim your academic budget as well.

When I started out, I always made sure I had the materials ready to go before the beginning of the semester. But often, I spent money I didn’t have to and worried too much about something insignificant. Most professors give a week grace period at the start so you can get yourself organized based on the syllabus. So, as of now, I’m still not sure which directions I’m going to go with my textbook selections. I’ll soak in the  environments, read through the syllabi, judge the class and its requirements, check my bank account and make my decision then.

When I first came to university, I immediately fell completely in love with everything about it! I had pretty much hated high school, but just within weeks of my first college classes I started loving school. Right at the end of that first semester, I applied to be an Orientation Leader because I was excited about everything and wanted to share that excitement with new students!

From that year on, I continued being an OL and greeting new students every summer. As I’m about to enter my senior year, I’ve sadly come to the realization that this will be my last summer getting to have the best job ever. It’s definitely very bittersweet.

It’s been a great experience, and it pretty much molded me into who I am today. I dove straight into leadership, and because of that so many doors opened for me. I have befriended so many professors, advisors, the Vice Chancellor, and am even friends with our Chancellor now because I followed the route of “leaders and best.” I’ve gotten a chance to help facilitate classes and go on leadership trips and conferences, and just am so thankful for everything that has happened all because I had crazy amounts of school spirit and drive to succeed right from the get-go.

I will miss the opportunity to formally welcome more Wolverines into college life, though I will ALWAYS bleed maize and blue! <3 This is only the beginning.

Go Blue!