Abby's SI Admissions Blog

The weather in Ann Arbor is not that bad

If you're not from Michigan and you've told people you're considering coming to U of M, I bet you've heard some variation on what I heard : "Great school, but it's really cold there." Lest that discourage anyone from coming, let me give you a second opinion : it's not that bad. I'm from upstate New York, and I lived in Ontario, Canada for awhile, so I'm used to the cold. But if you're from the Northeast, you have nothing to fear. If you live elsewhere, the thing about the cold is that you can layer, drink hot beverages, and learn to love blankets. I'll admit when it's 9 degrees out you don't want to hang out outside, but toss on some long underwear and insulated boots and you'll be okay. Also, you get to feel super tough when you have walked a couple miles in sub-zero weather. And it's a great excuse to buy hot chocolate.

SI and your technological background

I end up talking to lots of people about the MSI at the School of Information, and many of them are like me : background in liberal arts/humanities, little or no experience with programming, computer literate up to a point. And some of them are nervous about the technological component of the MSI. I should say right up front that one of the reasons I chose Michigan was to have that strong technology component - I think it really gives future librarians/archivists an edge over people from other schools. But I understand the concern about it, and whether you can succeed at SI without a strong technological background. I'm happy to say that the answer is yes!
I'll qualify that by saying that if you want to specialize in Human-Computer Interaction or one of the tech-ier specializations, and you have no experience, you might be at a disadvantage. That's not to say you can't do it, but it'll involve lots of hard work and extra study. But if you're interested in Library and Information Services, or Archives, or something like that, you'll be just fine. The required course, 502 (Networked Computing), is geared towards the programming novice. Dr. Chuck, the amazing professor behind it, makes programming in Python and HTML accessible and understandable. More experienced students can place out of it, so it really is full of beginners. It's still hard work, but at the end of it, I feel much more confident about my technological skills, and my ability to take more challenging courses. And it'll certainly be useful in the job market. So don't worry if you've never programmed or don't understand how the internet works; you will, and it will be relatively painless.

Take advantage of advising!

I got my undergraduate degree at University of Toronto, where there were something like 50,000 students. I never had an advisor, or met with anyone to plan my academic career. I loved the school, but it left me with the impression that I don't need any advice on classes or future plans. Well, it turns out I was wrong - or if not wrong, at least missing out on some great advice. At the end of last semester I met with a professor at SI to discuss my next semester, and it was wonderful! For half an hour we sat down and discussed my career goals and academic interests, and then reviewed the courses I had taken and wanted to take. I left the office amazed by the interest faculty take in each student and the quality of advice I got. I ended up changing almost all of the classes I had planned to take and I could not be more excited about the semester ahead. So I would encourage everyone to meet with at least one professor from time to time - the resources here at the School of Information are amazing, and you should take advantage of them!

Having fun in Ann Arbor

This past weekend I had my first official visitor to Ann Arbor! One of my best friends came to stay for the weekend, and as I was planning our weekend I realized that I have been so busy with school that I had failed to spend much time doing fun things off of campus. Lest you get in that same rut in Ann Arbor, here are some fun things my friend and I did this weekend. With the caveat that we love food, so if you are not as into food our activities will probably not be as interesting.
We started out on Saturday morning with a trip to the Farmer's Market. Ann Arbor has a great Farmer's Market, and there happened to be a lot of great samples this week. We tried herb infused olive oil, locally made yogurt, and some amazing locally made chocolate. After the Market we headed over to State St. for the obligatory tour of campus – I had forgotten how huge and impressive the University of Michigan is, and it was a fun reminder. We then shopped around campus at State St. and South University, where there are some cute little shops that I never had time to get to before. After that we headed over to Main St. where there is slightly fancier shopping. There are two fin chocolate shops downtown, so we treated ourselves a little bit. For dinner we went to a great Korean restaurant that was very reasonable. Ann Arbor is full of day. great restaurants, and although I don't indulge in eating out very often, you can find places where it's not too expensive. We also had a fun walk around Ann Arbor at night – at least until we got cold.
Sunday we continued our food theme by touring the Zingerman's Creamery. Zingerman's, for those who aren't local, is this amazing (and swanky) local food empire. They have a great deli, a bakery, a coffee roastery, and a creamery, where they make cheese and gelato. The tour was great – for $5 you get a bunch of cheese samples, plus a tour and samples of fresh mozzarella and gelato, and a coupon for $5 off any purchase you make there. We were so excited about that experience that we decided to go to the Zingerman's deli for lunch the next day. Granted all we really did was eat and walk around, but it was great to spend a weekend showing Ann Arbor to someone who had never been here, and great to spend a weekend being reminded that there is a life outside of school. If you end up at SI, try not to forget that the rest of the town exists and to take advantage of it from time to time – it's worth it.

Saving money in grad school

Being an out-of-state student, I am staggered by the cost of school. I actually believe that it is worth every penny, but it is definitely an adjustment financially. In that spirit, I bring you my tips for affording life outside of school.
1. Find a roommate. Splitting costs like rent, internet, and utilities is a great way to save money. You might even be able to split other costs too, like food.
2. Learn to cook. If you don't already cook for yourself all the time, this is a great time to start. Yes, you will be super busy, but try not to give in to the temptation to eat and drink out a lot. It's less healthy, but also adds up cost wise. A week's worth of sandwiches made at home cost about what one sandwich purchased at a deli.
3. Make lists when shopping. I (obviously) adore making lists for all things, but grocery lists are probably the most helpful. Figure out what you will want to eat and then only get what you need. Sticking to the list keeps you from making impulse purchases, so you can better control what you spend.
4. Look for fun free things to do. Ann Arbor seems to have a lot of free events. There are a ton of talks and movies and things on campus, and fun things in town as well. A couple of weeks ago I went to a local food festival where I got to sample a ton of local foods, and it didn't cost a penny. Some of the talks on campus have food, so it's a great way to learn about something and get fed. There are lots of great parks that, in the nice weather, are good places to spend a day.
5. Need furniture/appliances? Hit up the salvation army, craigslist, freecycle, or the SI email list. Lots of people leave college towns and don't want to take their stuff with them, so you can pick up a lot for free or cheaply.
6. Have a budget for fun things. If you like to eat out/go to bars/see movies in theaters/go to concerts/etc., have a budget for it. Look at what you can really afford, and then treat yourself when you really need it, but don't spend more than you can afford.
7. Consider whether you need a car. Ann Arbor is very easy to navigate without a car. The buses are good and free to UM students, so not bringing a car could save a lot of money. I've made the choice to live downtown, so I walk everyplace and use my car only when absolutely necessary, but if I had it to so again I might not have brought it at all.
There are probably a ton of other ways to save that I haven't mentioned, but I think those are good ways to start. And it is definitely possible to live frugally and have fun.

Taking the GRE

First, here is the most important piece of information about the GRE: they are not that important. Not that you shouldn't take them seriously, but they're not the only thing any admissions office is looking at. They won't make your future great or ruin it. That said, here's my advice for taking the GRE:
1. Relax. Yes, it's a pretty big test. It costs money. You want to do well the first time. But don't stress about it too much. Just like any test, you do better if you are not panicking.
2. Study. Maybe you're like me, and you hadn't taken math in about 9 years before the test. Or maybe you're like my boyfriend, who had done nothing but math. Whatever you're background I'm guessing there are things that you haven't done in awhile, or maybe haven't done ever, that will be on the test. It's probably better to find that out before you get to the test.
3. Practice. I was pretty confident when I signed up for the exam. I did pretty well on my SAT (almost 10 years earlier), and I think of myself as being a good test-taker. But the GRE is a little different. It's good to have a sense of the questions and the content before you go in. It's also important to be realistic about how much prep you will need to do, so having done a practice test or two will give you a good idea.
4. Don't overdo it. I will admit I didn't study much. I spent a day looking at the math that's on the test. I took 2 practice tests. That's all I did, and I did okay. I still got into grad school. Obviously you should do as much as you need to do to feel confident, but once you feel okay, don't worry as much.

That's my secret to GRE success (or GRE adequacy). Basically, study, but don't worry. Just like the SAT, it won't matter once you're in a program. It's not as big a deal as it seems like. Good luck!