Michigan State University Top Questions

I'm not sure about this subject. While I know that there are many opportunities to go out and get involved on campus. I couldn't quite get out of my shell freshman year.

I play on the rugby team at MSU and joining in on activities like that was a great way for me to meet lots of people quickly. I would strongly suggest joining some clubs or teams. just get involved!

MSU offers soooo many ways to get involved with school. Extracurricular activites are endless. Living in the dorms freshman year was a blast. The girls on my floor were/are my best friends. There was always someone to eat with, to hang with. People can party as often as they want. The options there are pretty endless too. Partying doesn't necessarily mean drinking, but even a night out on the town is always a fun time.

The most popular people on campus are definitely people involved in the college a cappella scene. Maybe not really, but some of them are. I'm involved in one of these groups and it's a great way to get exposed to a lot of different people, and have a lot of fun doing it. It's also a good way to NOT sit around in your dorm room doing nothing. You don't have to be in a singing group though, or a sports team (although they definitely get a lot of attention too). There are a lot of different groups that are active on campus. You can do volunteering, or you can play IM sports with other teams from MSU (because we have enough people to do that). You can organize the student government in your hall (or for the entire campus if you're really ambitious). You can also be a part of the UAB (University Activities Board) and help plan the cool events (rock shows, free movies, guest speakers, campus-wide parties during welcome week) that go on. Frats and sororities are as important as you choose to make them. They are really popular and they throw great parties, but the more people out of frats than in them, and it's not too hard to find another place to make really tight friends and have fun. It's also important to know that the north side of campus runs along Grand River Ave which has just about everything you could need for a socail scene. Bars, restaurants, Ice Cream Stores, Taco Bell (YES!), Insomnia Cookie, there are plenty of cool places to go. There's also a lot of good stores to get clothes, books, and MSU gear. A couple of miles down Grand River (literally, only a couple) is the Meridian Mall. It's a pretty decent size mall, and a lot of kids from campus like to hang out there. So it's got a pretty good scene.

There are plenty of organizations and groups to join. The dating scene is also very good, whether you are looking for a "hook up" or a regular bf/gf.

UAB organizes various events such as PHOTO SCAVANGER HUNT, GHOST HUNT, Comedy shows, Spartan Idol.

IM teams are a fun way to keep in shape and meet people. fraternities and sororities are pretty much there if you want them, but if you don't they're avoidable. on a given weekend, you could... -go to a hall event (they're fun sometimes) -"chill with your bros and play some gamecube" (no really, that's what i did about 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the time" -walk around grand river and buy food -go to the cafeteria -start a band i met most of my friends because they either lived on my floor or knew people who did. also some people in my classes, and some people on my teams.

MSU provides a lot of clubs and organizations. Unlike many universities, I feel like people at MSU are more invovled with these clubs and actually are a part of them. Dorms are a great community and a great way to meet close friends. Doors are always left opened, and especially during freshman year, you always see people roaming the halls trying to meet other people. There are several traditions at MSU, ranging from protecting Sparty to the whole school screaming midnight before the first final. MSU has a very strong community, and everyone has so much school spirit that it makes you proud to be a part of it.

Many people are very friendly and open. Greek life is not very large around campus so it is not a big deal if you are not in a house. My closest friends are from my classes and my roommate from my freshman year. On a day where you do not want to drink, there are always clubs (fashion, computer, packaging, etc.), free movies, free bowling on Thurs. nights at the Union, and tons of other things to do. Do not be afraid to not drink at MSU.

Students generally leave their dorms open if they want company, or if it is hot within their rooms. People drop into dorms quite frequently, and people learn the names of other people very quickly. Even if you do not leave your dorm open, however, people still make an effort to learn your name and learn something about you.

MSU's size helps give it lots of activities and that gives you a chance to have a great social life. Every resident hall has something going on, all the time. Guest speakers are on campus for lots of reasons- books, majors, or just because. The Wharton Theatre always has some kind of play or something going on. There are parties almost everynight, either at someone's house, apartment, frat. or sorority. There's also great athletic events and gyms to keep in shape and entertained. Even the grassy areas between buildings and sidewalks offer a spot to lay out and tan or play some frisbee (which is big on campus).

Dorms can be anywhere from party halls to study halls. It really depends on what kind of people you're living with. There's plenty to do besides drink, but the majority of the population drinks. It's just part of the culture at MSU, no one really forces it on anyone. At least I've never felt pressured or anything.

Tons of clubs/activities/events. You can be busy every day if you just leave your dorm and find an event.

It is an incredibley good idea to get involved in clubs and organizations at MSU. It's an easy way to meet people outside of your dorm . It keeps you involved in the school and in the community. Buying football tickets is a good idea as well. Football is an important sport at MSU and even if you don't enjoy the sport the games are fun. Everyone cheers and just has fun.

Can't speak personally for the activities and social life there because I commute from Flint. However, I can tell you that my niece left here and immediately became immersed in activities and friendships that have remained throughout her four years there. In fact, she has chosen to attend a fifth year before she moves on to medical school. She absolutely loves MSU and has made some important and lasting friendships with some very great people.

I was on a Coed floor my freshman year and I absolutely loved it, everyone left their door open and we mingled quickly and became a tight nit group. We went out together and ate together and attended classes together when you had the same ones of course. People always were stopping by each others rooms on the way to their own and always hanging out. Sororities and Fraternities have their own life, I did not become a member but i had plenty of friends who were and who loved it. As I got older, generally I avoided the frat parties which seemed to be full of a crowd i was less then enthusiastic of hanging out with.

For the first few weeks EVERYONE has their doors open in the dorms. Then after that a lot of people leave their doors open, if not open then many are just unlocked. By then everyone tends to know a lot of people and they don't need them to have their door open to go talk to them. The athletic events are amazing. Football tix fa sho. & basketball too. People party the most thurs, fri & saturday but theres always those random nights when some people will get together and drink. Definitely on HUGE college holidays (St. Patty's & Halloween) - those weeks are intense. Or during final week - if you and a few friends all have a day you dont have an exam or maybe you finish early. The Greek life seems to be declining and although I'm not actually in a frat I'm really considering it for next year. my roommate was in a frat and it seemed awesome, a lot of work but awesome. He met a ton of people and always had a ton of fun stories. If you aren't into drinking theres still a lot of stuff you can do, especially on the weekends. The UAB and the other student organizations are constantly having activities for people (obviously they don't include alcohol) and I attended some of them - they actually were pretty cool. We also have "campus cinema" where they play new movies in a movie theater style - its cool .. & free.

Dorms are great as a freshman because if you leave your door open, and make a point of meeting people on your floor, you will have lifelong friends. I know many people that stayed with their freshman roommate throughout undergrad. Some people lived on floors that were mostly upper classmen and didn't have such a great experience. But you can always just walk to a different floor and meet people with their doors open. Parties here start on Wednesday and Thursday and last until Sunday morning. It is physically exhausting and mentally dangerous to party as much as many students here do. For those who party once in a while, this is a great place because your options are endless. While you probably hear about frat parties, they're not what they are cracked up to be and usually not the place to be.

Because MSU has such a large student body, if you want to be social, there is definitely the option. On the other hand, if you are someone who would much rather stay in and study and relax with a movie, there are plenty of kids there with those same ideas. Joining the Greek system is a great way to make the campus seem smaller and a way to meet people that you may have never had contact with. If Greek life is not for you, there are many other groups on campus that are always advertised in the dorms, in college buildings, and libraries that you can join. The dorms are by far the best way to meet people. All dorms are different on campus in comparison of what you are looking for. Some dorms are "party" dorms, others are considered more quiet. There truly is "something for everybody".

The most popular and largest groups would be the football and basketball teams. Howerver, as you can imagine, with 45000 kids from all over the world, there are clubs for any sport you can imagine. Some of the largest organizations are the religious organizations who have been for the most part very tolerant of someone like myself with a complete lack of spirituality. My favorite group is not an official organization, but an offshoot of SCF (spartan christian fellowship) who play ultimate frisbee twice a week. It is just a group that likes to have fun adn run around chasing a disc. Most people like to leave their doors open, but it really varies from community to community. It depends a lot on the demographic of students on the floor, and how close people get during welcome week and the early parts of the semester. Athletic events are wildly popular. On a saturday afternoon there are people spilling out of cars and dorms all over the place heading for spartan stadium. Guest speakers and meetings are posted in the cafeterias andon bulliten boards, along with theaer and comedy performances in the Wharton center. Outside of that, there are movies every weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights) that have just gotten out of the theatres but are not yet on DVD. These are held in lecture halls and are free (FREE) to students in the dorms. 45000 people with a pretty even split from all over the world results in lots of options for either gender. There are so many places to go, from restaurants to movies to sporting events that anybody with an ounce of creativity can come up with a nice and inexpesive outing with their significant (or prospective significant) other. I met my closest friends jsut by chance through the wonderous sport of frisbee. I was walking back from class one day after taking a particularly awful test when I saw a disc flying through the air and asked if I could play with them. It was the start of friendships that will most liktely last for many years, and it is a bit of a microchasm of my experience at MSU. Im usually not awake at 2AM. If I am, I'm likely procrastinating, or playing frisbee with glowsticks and a luminescent frisbee (my favorite pasttime). There are all kinds of traditions at MSU. I guess they just develop after a university has been around for so long. Football season and tailgating come to mind, as well as midnight scream during exam week (I think the name is pretty self explanatory), as well as Spartywatch during the night before the UM game just to name a couple. People party a lot, way too much in my opinion. If that is your scene (it is not mine) then you are going to have to get that information elsewhere, but I hear its not a difficult thing to find. Just keep in mind there are other things to do. Fraternities and Sororities play a large part in some students college experience. Personally I am a bit removed from that part of the university, but these organizations do a lot of things such as community service that are admirable, even if they often get a reputation as just hosting lots of parties. Last weekend I went to Shenandoah National Park to hike on the Appalachin trail. I got an internship here in Virginia for the summer thanks to some professors at MSU, so I am not going to be at MSU until the fall. However, a typical fall or spring weekend for me would be a saturday of Mountain biking, probably at Pickney state park ~1 hour away, followed by an afternoon of watching football at Spartan Stadium or playing Ultimate depending on the season, followed by a sunday of more Ultimate, doing laundry, and then watching a movie in one of the lecture halls. On Saturday nights I am usually pretty exhausted from the day. I am very outdoorsy, so I am usually beat by the time the sun goes down. However, I would say the most common thing that people do besides drinking on saturday nights is go watch movies. There are usually 3 choices each weekend every night at 2 times around campus. There are also periodic concerts hosted by the residence hall association. It is not hard to find activities provided you aree willing to look. I do a lot of biking off campus, as well as play a lot of frisbee and hang out with friends who live of campus. When I have family around, I escape the dorm food (which isn't bad, just a little monotonous) and go to one of the restaurants around the area such as Old Chigcago or Iggy's Cafe.