Michigan State University Top Questions

As I mentioned, I met a lot of friends in the lab. I met my boyfriend in the bio lab almost 6 years ago. If I was awake at 2 am on a Tuesday I would probably be freaking about a biochem exam that is happening in 6 hours. The Union Activities Board does a great job providing things to do that don't involve drinking. They offer movies that were just recently taken out of theatres free on the weekends and they bring bands to campus for a really good price.

Most popular groups are musical groups and intramural sports. Marching band is a really close-knit group with a great sense of teamwork. My best friends are from band. Students in dorms have open-door policies. People are always there to talk to. Athletic events are very popular. Theatre is popular for artsy kids, and guest speakers are only popular for politically active students. I don't know much about the dating scene. I stayed with my girlfriend from the summer before college. At 2am on Tuesday I'm probably studying or maybe watching a movie with floormates. Traditions/events each year - Sparty Watch is when the marching band guards the Spartan statue 24/7 during the week before the UofM football game so it isn't vandalized. Students party Thurs through Sat night. I only know one person in a fraternity. They are there, but not that big of a deal. There are campus events such as movies for people who choose to spend their weekends sober. There is good dining off campus.

I lived in the dorms for my first 2 years at MSU and I loved both years but in different ways. My freshman year, we had the absolute best floor ever. All the guys and girls became really close and hung out all the time. Everyone always had their doors open and would talk to everyone. It was awesome. I'm still really good friends with most of the people who lived on our floor last year. Sophomore year was a little different. We were on a floor with mostly freshmen and they weren't as open as the year before. We got along with everyone but no one ever had their doors open except for us and a couple other rooms. The sports events are incredibly popular. A ton of people go to the football games and so many people go to the basketball games. They are always a lot of fun to go too. There is a ridiculous amount of school spirit. I feel it makes the students feel closer to each other. My closest friends from MSU lived on my floor freshmen year and some of us talk everyday. If i'm awak at 2am on a tuesday i'm more than likely studying for an exam the next day. People party a lot. There are parties wednesday thru saturday and sometimes in between. I've had such an awesome time at MSU and i wouldn't want to change any of the experiences for anything!!!

We have 500+ student activites and organizations so there is somthing for all of us. YOU MUST get foot ball tickets. Even if you dont like football the games are SO much fun. New at the dorms? if you leave your door open that shows that you want to be social, people will stop by in, and it also lets you know that people want to talk too.

There are a lot of people who participate in the Greek system, but if you don't, you won't be left out. I met my closest friends in really random ways- that goes to show how friendly MSU students. I met one of my best friends at a bus stop one random Friday night, and just last weekend, my friends and I started talking to a random girl walking down Grand River, and we've already hung out with her again once this week. MSU students are ALWAYS willing to chat with you or help you if you're lost. If you're not interested in drinking there are always University sponsored activities on campus. Actually, there are usually multiple different choices. If nothing else, every weekend night there are 4 movies that are played in Wells hall for free if you live on campus- if you don't live on campus it cost $2. The movies are always really recent and it's a great deal.

I'm not a huge party person, so what I know about the typical college life is somewhat limited. From what I understand, dorm life at MSU is just one of those things you have to put up with (much like dorm life anywhere). If you like to play beer pong and beer golf, that stuff is going on all the time, but don't expect to do well in your classes. The dorms aren't really good for serious students even if you can find a serious person for a roomie, because even the quiet floors are loud until 3-am, and by the demographics you'll most likely get stuck with a couple of party animals for suitemates. Living off campus is the only really good choice for a hard worker, and only if you can manage to avoid living in the student ghetto. The worst drugs you'll find in the dorms are usually pot and booze for the underage folks. The student ghetto that's close to the east lansing strip has tons more booze and pot, and I suspect a smattering of coke near the concentrations of frat houses. Further out in the worst part of the ghetto (Chandlers Crossing, etc...) you'll get the occasional meth lab and bulk pot dealer people. This is where you get the majority of the burned out juniors and seniors who haven't managed to flunk out yet being loud, and all the apartments out there are absolutely trashed. Most of the east lansing rentals in general are poorly maintained, and managed by the crappiest company in the area since they have a monopoly on them (DTN). The coop system is a little better, but then again, quite a few of the members have habits like loud sex with the door open, walking around naked, and hotboxing the entire house. If you really want to live somewhere nice where you can get to bed on time, have your living place fixed properly by maintenance, and go for walks without being harassed, I suggest finding a place in Okemos or Haslet along the bus route (runs right into campus), avoiding DTN owned places if at all possible. There are some okay neighborhoods in Lansing, but for the most part you shouldn't be walking around outside there if you don't want to be harassed, and you might get your car or apartment broken into. Stay away from the capital area and south lansing at all costs, as this is crack den central, and you are much more likely to have your stuff ripped off. There's a lot of fun stuff to do on campus if you have interests outside of drinking and partying. Just to name a few things, there's the gardens when it's nice out, the planetarium on fridays and weekdays, cheap movies at wells hall, bowling and pool in the union, and lots of shopping on the strip. If you're a nerd like me, there are couple of nice hobby stores where people get together to play games, and an arcade for goofing off. Campus food is slowly getting better, but still crazy expensive. There are some good cheap places on the strip, but most are a little pricey for the student budget, so you have to get acquainted with the area before you'll find the best spots. Lots of good international fare for those who like it, and three different sushi places (one quite reasonable). The Wharton Center has a lot of really awesome shows that play, but most are for the rich east lansing and okemos alum, and student prices are only reasonable if you really REALLY are interested in seeing them (I saw Jethro Tull with my husband at the auditorium for $20 a ticket). Football and Basketball are the same way with prices, but the less televised sports are cheaper and easier to see. If you have any hobbies or interests, there is undoubtedly a club that caters to them. All you have to do is look them up from the main webpage, and likely there will be at least two or three that meet at different times for what you're interested in. Most of the clubs are free, and fun to join. With the campus as big as it is, it's impossible not to find something to do during the school year. While the drinking and rioting is the aspect of MSU that gets most advertised, the campus is one of the most friendly to people with a variety of non-drinking interests I've seen.

I am involved with the MSU Model United Nations group. It is very fun and is especially helpful for future international relations people or political majors but is also a lot of fun for everyone. We travel to different states and sometimes other countries for Model United Nations conferences where we pretend to be representatives from other countries and debate topics of interest. People in the dorms generally do leave their doors open, and people are normally pretty social. Although if you feel like closing your door and being more by yourself you won't be shunned for doing so. Athletic events are huge at MSU; the most popular are basketball, football and hockey. There are always four movies playing free of charge for MSU student residents at Wells hall, shows through out fall and spring semester at the Wharton Center. There are comedians like Will Farrell, singers such as Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, Circuses, and other types of entertainment at the Breslin center. There is never a shortage of things to do especially with all the free events put on by the University Activities Board such as free massages, tarrot card readings, free bowling and billiards at the Union on thursday nights, and much much more. I met my closest friends through other friends, through our combined interests, and through classes we took together.

There are so many activities at MSU. I am in a couple clubs for my major, and play IM sports. I also go to football games and strongly support all of our sports teams. One of the best things about MSU is the student body, and the friendly, outgoing attitude we have. My roommate and I always left our dorm room open freshman year becuase we wanted to meet as many people as we could. I know that everyone isn't like that, but I think that most of the students at MSU are nice and have a great tiem together.

Greatest frat is AEPi, if you're jewish. I say this because it just started up again like a few years ago and quickly became the largest small house on campus and now is a big house and is moving into the biggest house on campus. They won spirit week or w/e, and they have the highest gpa on campus to add to it. Extremely popular, sexy, and smart. And every sorority wants to do something with them.

Anything you could think of...I'm a party person, so I find it easy to get to/back from parties. And I generally feel safe at them. The rest of the social life is great too though. With at least two major theaters and 2 more arenas for anything from sports to the circus, there is never a dull moment here.