First Day of School (Finally!)

The first day of class was supposed to be on Monday, but because of the awful weather, MSU was closed until 5pm. This was the first time in MSU history that we had two snow days in a row, or so I have heard. I am glad that class is back in session because being stranded in my dorm room for two days is not as fun as it may sound. I had a great winter break and watched the Spartans win the 100th Rose Bowl from the comfort of my house. Now it's time to get back to business. I have my first class of the year in less than an hour. I'll let you know how everything goes. Stay warm everyone and have a great new year!

Scholarship Brunch

Last weekend I was invited to a brunch for a scholarship that I won. It was held at the University Club, and the food was wonderful! I had apricot juice to drink, and the fancy buffet had all types of breakfast and lunch foods, including caviar! It was really nice getting to know the donor's nephew and the other scholarship winners. I really appreciated that the donor's nephew flew all the way from California just to attend this event and meet the recipients of the award. About twenty people won my specific scholarship, but only five of them came to the brunch. I think that the ones who did not attend really missed out on a great experience and some fabulous food! Someone was there from the College of Engineering to take pictures, so if I come across one, I will be sure to share it.

So how did I win this scholarship? Scholarship applications for the College of Engineering become available in November and are due at the end of February. All you have to do is fill out a one-page application and staple your resume to it. My favorite part was that there was no essay! I was notified in the summer that I won the scholarship, and then I wrote a thank you letter to the donor. That was some easy money! Incoming freshmen are automatically considered for engineering scholarships, so they do not even need to fill out a scholarship application. I will definitely fill out another application for next year and hopefully earn more scholarship money!

I also just found my testimonial from my Study Abroad trip on the MSU website, and the link is below. I had to write a little blurb about my experience for one of the scholarships I won through the Office of Study Abroad. You can also read what other study abroad participants wrote about their experiences if that interests you.

http://studyabroad.isp.msu.edu/studentstories/details.htm?id=1431

Career Gallery

Now that Pre-gallery, Career Gallery, and interviews are over, I can breathe a sigh of relief! I have not been contacted by any companies, but I did get one interview for a co-op after attending Career Gallery. It took place in the Spartan Stadium on Thursday, so I had a view of the football field while I was being interviewed. I was hoping to get more interviews, but there is still Engineers Week in February to get more interviews and hopefully a job!

I was way more prepared this year than I was last year. After attending the career events last year, I knew what to expect at each of the events this year. Now I have an interview to add to my own personal experiences. Going to SWE and AIChE meetings last year and this year really helped me learn about some companies and what they were looking for in an employee. I asked better questions, but I could probably improve the way I relate my experience to the job opening.

Overall, I had a positive experience because I was more comfortable talking with representatives and I got a ton of free stuff! Pictured below is my haul of free stuff:

Preparing for the big week ahead

This week is probably one of the busiest weeks of the semester. A lot of classes give their first round of exams around this time. I just finished taking my first organic chemistry exam. Not only is there a lot going on academically, but there is also a lot of career-related activities going on this week. I would really like to get an internship this summer, so I am going to attend all of the events and try to get the most out of them.

Tomorrow is the Engineering Pre-Gallery Internship/Co-op Day. Students can talk to many of the companies that will be at the Career Gallery the following day, mainly about co-op and internship experiences rather than full time positions. It will be held in the courtyard of the Engineering Building this year, which is a convenient place to stop between classes.

The Career Gallery is a two-day event in the Breslin Center. The first day is for science and technology, and the second day is for business, so I will only be attending on Wednesday. The Breslin Center is filled with employers that are recruiting for internships, co-ops, and full-time. In the days following the Gallery, companies contact students that they are interested in for interviews.

Some advice I would give to students:

• It's never too early to start thinking about careers. I learn about different careers, companies, and opportunities at AIChE and SWE meetings on a regular basis.
• Take advantage of all the resources that MSU and the College of Engineering have to offer. The Center offers resume critiques, mock interviews, and so much more, just stop by! I went to a resume writing session and a resume critique just in the past month.
• Make sure you have the proper attire for the Career Gallery and possible interviews. I went suit shopping with my mom this summer so that I would be ready once school started again in the fall. 
• Register for the Career Gallery ahead of time. Then, you do not have to wait in long lines to print out a pass at the door. 
• Attend the Career Pre-Gallery and Gallery, even if you are a freshman. Many employers are looking for more experienced students, but I know quite a few that were offered internships and co-ops their freshman year. I went last year just for the experience, even though I was not in the market for an internship or co-op. There are so many companies and opportunities that it could be overwhelming, now I have a better idea of what to expect this year.

Looking for jobs can be stressful, but at least there are a lot of resources available to aid me in my search. I'll let you know how everything went. Wish me luck!

Summer Study Abroad

So you may be wondering what I did this summer. I spent a month in Europe as a participant of the Music, Art, and Language in Bregenz, Austria, Program. I lived with an Austrian host family and spent the week days taking classes taught by MSU faculty. I took an IAH class focused on opera and an Arts and Letters class that focused on Austrian and German art. The program was offered through the College of Arts and Letters, and both of the classes I took satisfied my IAH requirements through the use of Honors substitutions (as a member of the Honors College). We visited Vienna, Austria, and Munich, Germany, on the weekends as a part of the program. Some required class activities were going to art museums, three operas, and the concentration camp Dachau. We attended the world premiere of an opera and saw an opera set on a floating lake stage!

 Standing by the floating lake stage in Bregenz, Austria, where we saw Mozart's The Magic Flute performed

We even had a free weekend during the trip where we could travel wherever we wanted. I went with a group of four other students to Salzburg, Austria, and Venice, Italy. I really wanted to go to Salzburg because that was where most of "The Sound of Music" was filmed. I got to see the gazebo from the song "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" and many city sites from the songs "Do-Re-Mi" and "I Have Confidence." It was just awesome standing on the stairs where Julie Andrews stood, which is pictured below:

One thing I found funny was that most Austrians have not seen "The Sound of Music," and when most Americans think of Austria, that is the first thing that comes to mind. None of my host family's friends had seen it, so they made sing the title song twice for them! After living in Austria with a family, I now see Austria as more than the set of one of my favorite musicals.

 At a lookout point at the Salzburg Museum of Modern Art with a view of the old part of the city

There are also some awesome engineering study abroad programs. Check them out here: http://www.egr.msu.edu/study-abroad/programs
The best way to learn about studying abroad as a student is by going to the Study Abroad Fair in the Breslin Center at the end of September. I'm so glad I went because that was how I learned about the program in which I participated. If you want more information about studying abroad through MSU, make sure to check out their website: http://studyabroad.isp.msu.edu/ It is definitely possible to study abroad as an engineering major, and the experience is life-changing!

 Sitting at the Gloriette at Schloss Schoenbrunn with Schloss Schoenbrunn and the whole city of Vienna, Austria, in the background

Return to Campus

I'm back! I have returned to campus to start my second year at Michigan State University and continue studying engineering. I had such a great freshman year, and I did so many amazing things! Learning how to fence, joining a sorority, working in a research lab, and singing at Carnegie Hall, just to name a few. On this blog, I will elaborate on some things that I have done on campus and how my perspective has changed with the passing year. I just wanted to say that all opinions expressed in this blog are my own personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Michigan State University.

The End is Nearing!

Sorry I have not posted for a while. I have been so busy this semester. I guess I will fill you in with what I have been doing for the past month.

The first full week of March was Spring Break. I did not do anything exciting over that week, but I did the following weekend. Over St. Patrick's Day weekend, I went to New York City with my church choir, St. John Collegiate Ensemble. I sing at church every Sunday with Collegiate Ensemble and we put on a concert once a semester. We were invited to sing the Faure Requiem at Carnegie Hall conducted by MSU's own Dr. Rayl.

We had rehearsal for a few hours each day, but we had time to do some fun activities as well. I went to Times Square, Central Park, the New York Public Library, Chinatown, and Little Italy to name a few places. One night we went to see Disney's Newsies on Broadway, which had excellent singing and dancing. I would recommend the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Newsies to anyone. I also saw an overwelming amount of famous art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Here is a picture of me with Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night at MoMA:

 

Women's Glee Club also sang at a festival in Big Rapids two weekends ago. Seeing other college women's groups like ours perform was a great learning experience. Getting to know some of the glee club girls outside of class was also a lot of fun. We also had a Glee Club lock in in the Music Practice building on Friday so that we could spend more time together outside of class.

 

I am really glad that I am also involved with other groups in the East Lansing area that are not related to engineering. There are so many different student groups and organizations that are open to all majors. There are also so many churches and religious groups near campus if you want to be involved with that as well. Sparticipation, the huge extracurricular activity fair at the beginning of the year, has representatives from so many different student groups that are open to all students.

 

Since the end of the year is nearing, a lot of student groups held elections for their E-boards for next year. I was elected the Sophomore Representative of AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) for next year. Serving on the E-board of a club is a great way to get involved and gain leadership experience. I know that leadership experience is very important to a lot of companies who hire co-ops, interns, and full-time engineers.

Three weeks from today, I will be taking my last final of the semester! I can't even believe it! This semester has been crazy busy for me, but the time has really gone by! Michigan State is feeling more and more like my home every day.