eDemocracyCamp 2

Dana has already explained what the eDemocracyCamp is. As an MSI student focusing my study on Information Policy and Digital Government, I got much benefit from this Camp in terms of getting new ideas from many people who have been working in this field how to use Information Technology to promote democracy in the community.

I am interested in how Interactive Messaging for politics to get people engaged and respond to comments, messaging, and e-mails as well as using social networks like MySpace and Facebook to benefit building “strategic communities.” to create the potential to reach a much larger percentage. I could use the ideas and knowledge gained from this Camp for my future research in

There are also similar Barcamps taking place several times a year around the States which will be useful for MSI students especially those in Information Policy and Social Computing specializations who are interested in using IT and web2.0 technology for promoting democracy in their communities.

More information about the eDemocracyBarcamp can be found here.

Radaphat (Pae) Chongthammakun
MSI Student
School of Information

Posted by radaphat on March 11, 2008 at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)

What to do on a campus visit

Typically when students tell me that they want to come for a campus visit, we try to work to make sure that they have a robust experience. In general, we work with our faculty so that visitors could sit-in on a class or two. This can be a great way to see what the SI classes might feel like, and what types of materials are being covered. You can get a good feel for the size of classes, and how interactive various classes might be.

Another thing that many visiting students do is connect to a current student for a tour of SI facilities and the UM campus, as well as to ask questions about what the student's SI experiences are. This can be such an opportunity to hear what classes a student has taken and really liked, what they may have done for a summer internship, how they are balancing their work/school/life responsibilities, and what they think about SI. We generally try to match students up by specialization interest, although that isn't always possible.

In addition to visiting with a current student, we also encourage visitors to look online to see what events are happening at SI during their visit. We publish a full listing of SI events on our Web site for you to check out. You can think about going to a seminar speaker, or something more casual like a reception. Both will be great opportunities to meet people with similar interests to you. You may also want to check out the individual links for the SI Student Groups. The student group events are typically listed on the SI Events page, but you may find one or two events they are hosting on their pages directly.

Finally, I would also encourage you to set up a visit with me, or another member of the admissions team. We can often answer any questions you might be having about the application, admission, or funding process, and are here to help.

So, how do you arrange this visit to SI? Just email us, and let us know you are interested in coming! We will work with you to help you find a date that will work best for you, and to connect you to classes, current students, events, and an appointment with me, or someone from the admissions team. We hope to hear that you are coming for a visit soon!

Posted by lauramb on October 27, 2006 at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)

To visit, or not to visit?

Many students that I talk to ask me whether a visit to the school is something they should consider. I can't stress enough how important a visit can be in choosing a graduate school. It's an opportunity to learn more about the culture of a program, to get a better picture of what you have been reading about, and to connect with some current students and faculty. In general, you can visit at any point, but the two most popular points are sometime during the fall term as you are choosing which graduate schools to apply to, and sometime in the spring as you are choosing which graduate school to attend. At both points in the school year, most campuses will have some sort of organized visit that you can sign up for.

Here at SI, we have an open house event in the fall term for prospective students called Connect with SI. This year, we will host Connect with SI on two dates; one on Sunday, Oct. 22, and the other on Saturday, Nov. 11. Both events are the same, so either one you attend will be helpful. At both events, you will have a chance to meet in small groups with faculty and current students. This will provide an opportunity to ask questions and get a feel for the culture of a program and the curriculum. Culture of a program may refer to the involvement of the faculty with the students, the community feel of the student body, or the types of classes offered in the curriculum. The more questions that you ask about these types of things, the more you will know about a school's culture. If you can't make Connect with SI, you can always schedule an individual visit to campus by emailing si.admissions@umich.edu. What should you do at an individual visit? More about that in my next entry...

Posted by lauramb on October 12, 2006 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)