Thursday, August 30, 2012

Move in, Sparticipation, and More!

So I have been asked to write a blog describing my first year experience at Michigan State. I am a member of the Honors College majoring in chemical engineering with a biomedical concentration. In June 2012, I graduated from Brighton High School which is located in my hometown of Brighton, Michigan. During high school, I belonged to various vocal ensembles, community service clubs, and the color guard. Besides singing, I love to read, travel, and sew. Hi, I'm Sarah Thorwall, and I am excited to be a future Spartan engineer!

So much has happened over the past few days as we all moved in and started our classes. On Sunday, all of the freshmen moved into their residence halls, and we got to know the students and staff of our buildings by playing games and attending hall meetings. All of the Class of 2016 gathered in the Breslin Center Monday morning for the University Welcome. The deans of all the colleges, dressed in their academic regalia, welcomed us in a formal academic ceremony. A few faculty members spoke as well as Katherine Boo, the author of our assigned reading "Behind the Beautiful Forevers." which tells the true stories of Mumbai slum residents. Later that afternoon, students could go ice skating and pick up some free stuff at UFest in the Munn Ice Arena. Free buses also took students to Meijer for the Moonlight Madness sale. Grocery shopping would be much more entertaining if Meijer always had dance-offs!

The main event Tuesday was Sparticipation. Representatives from most clubs and student organizations on campus set up booths and posters on Munn Field. Students could pick up fliers, sign up for email notifications, and ask members of the clubs questions. All of the dining halls were closed down during this time, so students could use their meal plans to eat at the cook out on Munn Field. The amount of people attendence and the number of student groups was overwelming. There really are clubs for everything you can (or cannot) imagine, from the MSU Jedi Council to underwater hockey!

Now that classes began, I really feel like college has started. I'll keep you posted on my classes, extracurricular activities, and events happening around campus. Now it is time for me to start some of my homework...