If you can, schedule a visit. Some incoming students visit campus in the spring and summer to meet with advisors and get a feel for the campus. If you are already planning a visit, start your housing search early. Although many individual apartments may not be available for viewing this early in the summer, apartment complexes are more likely to do tours year-round and often have a model unit they keep vacant for this purpose. If you are able to visit, make appointments to view any apartments you can to get a feel for what is available and to get a closer look at Ann Arbor's residential neighborhoods. I think that they all have a different feel so it's good to get an idea of which one will be best for you.

Can't come to town until orientation? In this case, you will probably have to do your home shopping by internet. There are a number of resources to consider.

Northwood Community apartments are University housing for graduate students and families. It is on North campus (meaning you will most likely have to take the campus bus to class) and is generally pretty nice. They have furnished and unfurnished units, and start at $746/mo for an unfurnished economy 1-bedroom.

Local apartment communities abound in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and many are on bus routes that will take you straight downtown (which are free with your student ID). They vary from very nice to not-so-nice, but sites such as apartmentguide.com and others will help you to find complexes in the area and compare rates. Some inexpensive complexes on bus routes include Mill Creek Townhouses, Spicetree Apartments, and Westwood Apartments. Through apartmentguide.com or their own websites, you can usually get a virtual tour of a model unit, and information on rates and size. However, I HIGHLY recommend cross-referencing these names on a review site, such as Apartmentratings.com to get an idea of what the residents actually think, as any problems with maintenance or pests will probably not appear on the complex's website. When you do this, remember that the complex's web site and angry reviews represent two extreme views on these places, the reality is probably somewhere inbetween, so weigh your information accordingly. The upside: they are often cheaper and/or larger than campus housing. The downside: there aren't many affordable complexes within walking distance to campus or campus bus routes, so you will have to depend on city busses or communiting (and campus parking) to get to class.

Renting from smaller companies and individual landlords is a little bit of a gamble but can really pay off if you put your time into finding the right place. Ann Arbor is full of rental housing, and it comes in all forms. I have always had good experiences with renting houses (and sharing with roommates) from individuals instead of larger rental companies. There are a lot of houses/duplexes/apartments for rent in this area, but since they aren't part of a large company they are more accessible through Craigslist or Mlive, local newspaper classifieds, etc. The upside: A more interesting selection of homes, sometimes cheaper and some of them are a much better value and more private than large complexes can offer. The downside: They are harder to find and evaluate from afar, as the real thing might be a lot better or worse than how it is described online. I highly suggest requesting recent photos from the landlord before making any decisions.

Ann Arbor Neighborhoods SI students often populate single houses and apartments just north of the Rackham Building(Ann Street or Catherine Street), in Kerrytown (on Ann or Catherine, but near Main Street), Burns Park (Packard Ave and Stadium Blvd) West of downtown (West of Main Street) or farhter out in the Ypsi-Arbor area (generally along Washtenaw closer to US-23). The West side of town is my personal favorite. It's close enough to downtown and campus that you can walk on a nice day, but there are enough busses through the area that you won't have to. Also, the neighborhoods are generally quiet and filled with families, so it can be a nice escape from school.

When should I start? I would suggest starting your housing research early if you are not familiar with Ann Arbor. I've heard that you should apply for Northwood Apartments early because they often start filling up at the end of the school year, and early research into apartment complexes will allow you to catch any summer move-in specials that may be available. Individual rentals usually run up to six weeks ahead of move-in dates, so there isn't much point in looking into those places until late July, as most landlords won't advertise months in advance, and what you see on Craigslist in May won't be available in August.

Furnishings If you do not already own a bunch of furniture (or can't afford to ship it out to Michigan), there are some great places to find used (cheap) furnishings for your new place. There is a furniture rental store right downtown called Instant Furniture Rental. If this is too pricey for your grad student budget, there are a ton of thrift shops around town. There is a Salvation Army on State Street, A St. Vincent DePaul on Broadway Street, and the Ann Arbor Reuse Center (my personal favorite) in Industrial Blvd. You can also glean used home goods from other students through the UofM Marketplace, which is a classified site strictly for the UofM community. When students leave town or get new stuff, they often sell their old TVs, couches, books, cars, etc. on Marketplace. I've bought and sold TVs, dressers, kitchen appliances and other things there. It's really useful.

Other tips Once you have some areas or companies in mind, use the Incoming Student Facebook or Ctools groups to ask current students and Ann Arbor residents if they are familiar with any of these places. Also, use a mapping site like Google maps or Mapquest to get an idea of how far these places are from campus. You can use the AATA website to find bus routes, so you might find a great deal that is five miles from campus, but right on a bus route. Last but not least, consider roommates. You can save a LOT on rent by sharing a two-bedroom apartment instead of living alone in a one-bedroom. People often use the Facebook and Ctools groups to find roommates, so don't be afraid to put out a call. You can also use the UofM Marketplace to find another student to share your pad.

You see, there are two classes through which internships can be magically turned into PEP credit (See http://www.si.umich.edu/outreach/pep.htm for details). Long story short, one can be completed in Fall for a summer internship, while the other must be completed in Spring/Summer, complete with Spring/Summer tuition. However, the Fall class is only available for full-time internships.

I have about 101 projects I would like to accomplish this summer, very few-if any-are mentored. Therefore, I have decided to get all of my PEP credit from coursework and pursue an internship without academic credit. This gives me the whole summer to find something, part-time or full-time for four months or two, whatever works.

Right now I'm waiting on a dream gig over at the Ypsilanti District Library. Though a number of local public libraries are hiring interns this summer (and I have applied, believe you me), when a professor told me she could set me up to talk with the Community Liaison in Ypsilanti I jumped at the chance.

It was a great talk, and I really encourage anyone to do the same. If you hear of someone with a job you want, see if you can meet with them. It was a great chance to hear what the job entails and what features make for a good candidate. Also, in talking with her I was able to hear about internship opportunities, meet a number of people in the library and get my name and face in there so that when I turned in my materials the next day they already knew who I was. Also, I was able to talk with them about my interest in a split-time internship between two departments of interest, and meet both department heads. This is what they're talking about when they press the importance of networking.

I'll keep you posted on how this pans out. How exciting! With a part-time internship I will still have time to work on my individual projects (at my own pace) while also getting mentored experience for next year!

I have been fortunate. Finals week was very brief for me. Most of my classes were over by the last day of class. I had only one final during finals week (this morning). I think part of the reason for this is that there aren't a lot of actual exams in SI classes (at least not in non-technical areas). For me, a lot of classes end in papers and project presentations. I think it's a nice structure because finals time means bringing everything you've been working on to a close and shining it up all pretty to present to your peers. I'm all about it.

On Tuesday we presented our finished product for SI 623: Outcomes-based Evaluation. This is a qualitative research class with group projects that evaluate new or existing programs for various community organizations, including (but not limited to) local libraries. Groups are allowed to seek out their own project if they wish, and so my group set up an evaluation with a local youth center. The result was an extraordinary experience both for us and for our client. They were wonderful people to work with (I am considering some volunteer work with them this summer) and our evaluation came at just the right time for them. Our contact from the Center came to our presentation on Tuesday and enthusiastically told the class how useful our work had been and the changes it had already enacted in their organization.

It was an incredibly valuable experience, and worth sharing because it represents one of my favorite features of SI projects, which is the possibility of working with real clients who can really benefit from our assistance (it's the non-profit lover in me). Not only did our group learn about the realities of running an outcomes-based evaluation, but in doing so it was also able to benefit a local organization that could not otherwise afford such assistance. Yay us.

Last night I had the joy of sleeping once more in my own bed. After an entire day of driving back from DC, I do not envy the New York group (who had an extra hour or two to go). Even thought the weather and such was pretty ideal, I still would just as soon have spent the day somewhere other than in a car.

Nonetheless, it was a wonderful week. We continued processing personal papers, each of us taking the time to focus on a few individuals assigned to us by our mentors. We then chose one and dug up their interviews and photographs, and used this information to prepare a short presentation on the individual for the staff meeting. This is how the staff becomes acquainted with the files in each collection, since they all share reference duty but do not equally share processing. It really helped us to get a sense of what we were working with.

On Friday they prepared a feast of traditional lebanese fare for us and joined us to eat and say goodbye. They made us each a card signed by the staff and we chatted as we ate about...well...anything interesting. I brought up video game archiving and a pretty good discussion ensued. It was nice to be surrounded by professionals in a casual setting, where we could pick their brains without the pressure of raising your hand and articulating something a whole room of people will want to hear, but instead to just chat in a small group about whatever comes up.

Mid-afternoon we realized that we'd accomplished a lot more than we had expected, and so instead of digging into cold storage for more to process in our last two hours there, they gave us the option to hop out once the family papers were done, to get some extra time to talk with people at the Smithsonian, or go see some of its museums before we left town. I took the opportunity to check out a few museums I hadn't hit yet, and do the long, long, long hike out to the FDR and Lincoln memorials.

Now I'm back in Ann Arbor and wish Spring Break were two weeks long...but oh well. It was a wonderful opportunity to visit another city and make invaluable connections while getting hands-on experience under the guidance of professionals who are happy to help you. I know it seems like a lot to fit into your one week off in a busy semester, but I recommend ASB to anyone, especially those with multiple work environments that they'd like to explore. It's a great way to get a taste of one possibility while still having all summer to explore others.

P.S./Once I get my pictures back I'll upload a few. Good stuff!

Two days down and three to go for my five-day engagement at the Smithsonian Museum of American History! DC is a good twenty degrees warmer than Michigan, so even through it’s February, I still feel like I’m on vacation in some tropical clime, where flipflops and sunscreen are more important than my laptop and notebooks.

There are four of us working on processing the Naff collection, which is good because its HUGE! We spent a good chuck of the first day rehousing photographs, which can be pretty boring work except for the whole part where you get to look through 100 years of family photos from dozens of families you’ve never met. For every cute baby or wedding picture, there was something completely bizarre, like a hula dancer at a church social or snapshots of the aftermath of a Druze rebellion in 1925. Then we moved onto a very broadly defined series of “personal papers” which basically contained every piece of paper donated by these families-poems, newspaper clippings, letters, naturalization papers, you name it. Some are completely in Arabic, so we have to trust that the historian who collected all of these materials correctly and comprehensively labeled them in English (which is not always the case).

Our supervisors have done a wonderful job of working in specific learning opportunities into our practical processing experiences. Each day at lunch a different staff member gives a talk while we eat. Today a music archivist showed us clips and talked about musicians and how their styles can be affected by changing technology and media, from television to digital sampling. Very cool stuff. Also, as we run into preservation needs, such as specialized rehousing, they teach us all how to create these items. Today we made “sink mats” to hold fragile glass negatives. Mine was particularly conservation-tastic, if I do say so myself.

There are so many things to do in the city, it can be tempting to go explore every night. Luckily, the hotel has wifi and I’m tired enough to be perfectly happy doing homework in my hotel room while the city bustles below. Our hotel is right Capitol Hill area (only three blocks from the Mall) and so there’s always something going on below us. I’m a heavy sleeper who likes cities, so I’m pretty much in heaven right now.

I’ll try to write more in a few days, to give you the full view of my Alternative Spring Break experience. Until then, g’night!

-Megan

This year I signed up for Alternative Spring Break. I remember ASB from my undergrad years as a service opportunity: usually, students would travel somewhere and build houses, feed the homeless, etc. for a week instead of partying in Cabo San Lucas. SI, however, puts a spin on it to make a particularly valuable opportunity for MSI students, particularly those with their eyes open for summer internship opportunities.

ASB through the School of Information is also a service opportunity, but SI targets organizations specific to the field of information science, such as academic and public libraries, community nonprofits, and larger organizations such as ALA and NARA, and sends students there to work on 30-40 hour projects, like a mini-internship. Students gain a week of great experience (and are sometimes offered summer internships) and participating organizations get a week of free labor and the chance to impart a little wisdom to the next generation of information professionals.

And the cost? Just $25. Oh, and you have to pay for your own food and transportation (around the city, not to or from it, which makes walking a good and often feasible way to minimize costs). SI raises funds to cover your housing and transportation to and from the host city. They also find student volunteers to organize carpools and social events, so you'll still get a chance to hang out with good people. (You know what they say about all work and no play...)

So, I am very excited. There were a lot of great projects available at really exciting sites, like the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, and the Federal Trade Commission. I was assigned to my first choice, the Smithsonian Museum of American History, where I'll be working with a small team of SI students and some of the archivists there to process the Naff Arab American Collection, which is a collection of oral histories, photographs, manuscripts, and other articles documenting the experiences of Arab-American immigrants in the early twentieth century. My inner history geek is, well...geeked.

Oh yeah, and right now it's 28 degrees outside. In DC, it's 42 degrees. Should be a good 10-20 more when I'm down there. Heck yeah!

Alright, enough from me. I'll write more when I'm actually down there.

-Megan

Anyhow, in the quest to fund your MSI you might find that though there are a number of jobs available to bright new SI students, none of them are going to help that much with the price of tuition. Without a scholarship to ease the pain, what is one to do?

Well, of course there are always loans...They're a necessary evil of graduate school (at least for Master's students) but it can't help to look for alternatives, can it?

A little known fact about the University of Michigan and the Graduate Employees Organization (read: union) that teaching or research assistantships are a great way to work and pay for school. They're hard to find (for MSI students, at least) but totally worth it. Depending on how much you work, you can get a full tuition waiver (for each semester you hold the position), health insurance, and a stipend. And yes, that tuition waiver covers out-of-staters, too!

Now, here's the rub. Normally, teaching assistantships go to Master's or Doctoral students in a department for assistance in undergraduate-level classes. And SI only has one of those. However, many other departments hire SI and other students (especially departments with a small graduate student population and very large, popular undergraduate courses). Information on this can be found at http://www.hr.umich.edu/acadhr/grads/postings.html, which gives a list of departments, links to their sites (where job postings and contact information can be found) and information on how often they hire outside of their own department.

As for research assistantships, these positions often go to Doctoral students, but occasionally an interested MSI student will take the leap and contact a faculty member in charge of an interesting project, and end up on the project. So check out active projects on http://www.si.umich.edu/research/default.htm and feel around. It can't hurt to try, right?

Alright, that's it for now. So much to do! Spring break approaches!

-Megan

What a lovely winter break. Two large snowstorms, yes, but in the last few days it has all melted away and left sunshine (after the eerie fog cleared up) and moderate warmth. It's a nice 41 degrees outside (not too shabby for January) and only a few stubborn snow piles remain. Of course, it will snow again by the end of the week. Welcome to Michigan.

In my constant quest to save you all time, money and frustration, I would now like to share my own University of Michigan book-buying experiences, in hopes that they might prove useful to you in the future.

Books are expensive, no matter what. If I had a dollar for every class I've taken with less than $50 in (new) textbooks, I probably wouldn't have enough to buy lunch. In SI, most classes draw form a wide range of texts, and so professors make every effort to provide resources electronically through Coursetools or electronic course reserves. If one text is used in its entirety, it might be assigned, but thus far, most of my texts have been available online.

Note: If you, like me, value your eyesight more than trees, this might still mean some sizeable printing fees, not to mention the task of organizing all of your printouts, but it's significantly cheaper than buying whole texts.

However, the best way to save money on SI texts is to be aware of all of your resources.

The Benefits of Social Networking

If it is a class most people take *cought*foundations*cough* you might find other students willing to sell or even loan key texts to you (giving you four months to decide whether or not to buy it). Also, they can often point you in the direction of cheap places to purchase it, other than Amazon, Borders, or the student book store.

The Benevolence of Professional Organizations

Some texts are directly available from professional organizations that offer discounts to its members. Sometimes this discount is sizable enough that it almost covers the student membership fee (something to consider if you are already interested in the organization). The Society of American Archivists is a great example of this. A $44 student membership saves you $28 on the required textbooks SI 580 (Introduction to Archives and Records).

The Beauty of E-Commerce

If your professors and classmates have no suggestions for inexpensive copies of the text, then do a little comparison shopping of your own. Sometimes professors will mail their classes in advance with the syllabus and/or text lists, but even if you must wait until the first day of class, take your information straight to your computer (search by ISBN if possible, or at least make sure you have the correct edition). Check out online book sellers. I usually stop by the student book store to see what they're charging, then check both half.com and amazon.com for cheaper copies. Sometimes you can find a used $40 textbook for $26, which is cheaper than the book store copy ($46), even after shipping costs.

Note on shipping: Amazon (especially around the holidays) loves to offer free shipping with new items, while used items are always subject to individual shipping charges. Sometimes the difference in new and used prices is negligible. If this is true for 3 or more books, compare the price of buying your books new and getting free (or cheap) shipping, if there's less than a $3 price difference per book, you might end up in better shape with new copies.

Getting them on time: In most situations, texts will be available on course reserves, or you might find upon viewing the syllabus that some texts will not be necessary for 2-3 weeks. Keep the date by which you need this book and the availability of temporary copies in mind when buying your books. Patience can save you money. That's why Halloween decor is so cheap in November.

-Megan

By this time next week I will have completely finished attending weekly classes. I'll be down to final papers and exams, and it will be beautiful.

Ok, so holidays and such-yay! But what has me all riled up right now is the prospect of wrapping up my last three months of work into a neat bundle with a final paper or exam on top, like a bow.

For all the complaining that goes on at finals time, I think it still beats the heck out of midterms, when you have the same large assignments due but are still expected to keep up with weekly readings and assignments. At finals you get a chance to see what you've gained from your classes and, instead of all that weekly reading, you get to pour your brain into (four or so) large deliverables. I have to give SI credit on this: my classes have wrapped up in a way that has really helped me to see them as a cohesive set. On top of learning all of the knowledge and skills for each class, certain themes have been interwoven through my classes, and a lot of my courses are ending very neatly, instead of just stopping because we've reached the thirteenth week.

Yes, it's stressful. Yes, I miss sleeping. And yes, I am definitely looking forward to break, but I've got a project that I've been working on for the entire semester, and I can't wait to see what these last months have yielded. And as much as I don't like trying to refresh months and months of new information, I DO enjoy completing a test that effectively portrays a new, smarter Megan.

That's not to say that a test or a paper or a project can really capture all the ways that this semester has changed me. I've met many great, new people. I've learned a LOT about how I work and how I work best. I've learned a lot about the information field, about the library profession, and what really lights my intellectual fire.

So yes, I'm counting down, but in a good way. I'm closing up this chapter of my life at SI, and - after some well-deserved rest - ready to begin the next one. Is that so bad?

-Megan

But what about those who aren't already halfway there? Those, for example, who have a vague, if any, idea of what they'd like to do, but no real idea how to begin such a career?

Think of it as a question closely related to "What can I do with a (blank) degree?" which is a question that many students ask directly before applying to certain academic programs, declaring an undergraduate major, etc. In some circumstances, there will be a helpful resource, a chart or booklet, that notes career options. In my experience, only the most thoughtful counselors think to procure such a document for their students. (To SI's credit, all of the individual specialization web pages have this information) And I, having been in both of these boats, have decided to address this question for the benefit of my dear, dear readers.

If you have your eyes on the field of Information Science, there are a number of resources available to you through the School of Information.

First, there is the always helpful "MSI Pathways to Success." This tool lists a number of environments (corporate, non-profit/cultural/educational, or government) and a number of potential SI careers within each field. It's simple, just click an environment, then a career, and *poof*! You will be presented with a list of useful SI courses, cognates, internship opportunities, related research, and even a list of jobs that SI grads have found in these areas.

Now, as helpful as the Pathways to Success can be, they fall short in their breadth of career listings. I, for example, am interested in special collections libraries (particularly the historical variety), which is not listed. Now, I KNOW SI has prepared a number of people just like me for such careers...so where can I find out how they did it?

This is where that magical, wonderful thing called "networking" comes in. If you, like I, do not find a published recipe for finding the job of your dreams, it's time to start talking to people.

SI has published Alumni Profiles. This list of graduates can be quite useful. Just find someone who is doing something you'd like to do, and read up on how they got there!

Next, there are faculty and current students. If you're already in SI, just start asking around. Go to a student group meeting and ask people there. Bug the second year students in your classes. Talk to faculty in that area. And don't just talk to one person, talk to many. There is no one way to do things, so get a wide range of perspectives, and it will prove valuable every step of the way.

And last but not least (and this is applicable far beyond the reaches of SI), talk to people who HAVE the job you want. This is especially easy if they are public servants of some sort (professors, librarians, administrators, etc.) but even if you cannot just walk up to a desk and ask for five minutes of there time, the Internet is a wonderful thing. Sometimes they will have a web site with their qualifications or bio listed, or an email address. Although I'm sure this varies by industry, but many people are happy to talk about their successes. Sometimes they'll even slip in a few secrets on what their company usually looks for when they're hiring.

I hope you'll all find this to be helpful. And if not, there's always career services, right?

-Megan

Although I can't give any official University of Michigan reasons for this, I can think of a few reasons myself. Perhaps its just the way this program is set up, with such an emphasis on networking, discussion, group work and other interactive, but now that I'm knee-deep in the program, I'm happy to be spending my time on campus. So my advice to any prospective SI student is this if you think that this is the school for you, make campus your second home.

Here are a few things you don't want to miss out on:

1) Interacting with your peers.

If you are going to build the social network that will serve as an invaluable resource throughout your career, you need to meet people. And what better way than by spending 12-25 hours of your week in the trenches with them? In particular, you'll find that though you might not have class with some people, you always end up in the student lounge at the same time. One of these days, you'll end up talking and realize that your program is rich with interesting people. Anyone here will tell you, your peers are one of your greatest resources here at SI.

2) Student Groups

On top of offering a professional network and a heads up on certain scholarship, internship, and job opportunities, student groups are an excellent way to get involved, learn more about topics that interest you, and most importantly, to get practical advice from older students. Also, student groups often set up field trips, community service opportunities, or other ways to get some interesting experience under your belt.

3) Happy Hours (i.e. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy)

At the beginning of the year many groups (often consisting of benevolent second-year students) will organize unofficial SI outings so that they (and shy first-year students) can relax, get to know each other, and have a good time. They become more scarce as we become more familiar with each other and work begins to pile up, but my recommendation to anyone who'll listen is to attend at least one of these events.

The MSI program just isn't the type of place where you can find the answers on your own. You need to learn from the people around you. It's just too social, too fun, too dynamic to be completed from anywhere but right here. So if you think SI is the right place for you, then take the leap.

-Megan

In general, any student who is admitted into both the School of Information and another University of Michigan graduate program can work with advisors in both schools to develop a dual-degree program. Currently, there are established program with the School of Business, the Medical School, the School of Public Policy, the School of Nursing, the Law School, and the School of Social Work. Areas of interest for dual-degree students in these programs include E-commerce (MBA/MSI), Intellectual Property law (JD/MSI), Clinical and Information Management (MSN/MSI).

The most useful question to ask yourself when considering whether to work with one school or two is: Is the non-SI subject I am interested in a skill or a topic? Are you interested in acquiring skills that SI can teach, but want to focus those skills on a specific, non-SI area, like music or art librarianship? Or do you want to apply SI concepts and skills to a career that requires training other than what SI offers, such as practicing copyright law.

A dual-degree program can be very valuable to students who want to incorporate the study of communication systems, recordskeeping, or information processing into another career, and do so by examining these fields from a number of perspectives. However, it not necessary for every student who has a secondary interest. Although it is faster than pursuing two separate degrees, you might find that all of the skills you need will be covered by one MSI.

-Megan

1) I have a background in (insert your undergraduate major here), is there any place for me in an information school?

Of course. For the most part, there aren't too many schools out there with undergraduate information studies programs, so the majority of SI students have undergraduate degrees in different areas. VERY different areas. An impromptu survey of the twelve people in the student lounge yielded me the following majors: English, Computer Science, Communications, Publishing, Environmental Studies, Anthropology, International Business, American Studies, and History. We come from all over, from different schools, countries, employment backgrounds. What we have in common is an interest in "bringing information, people, and technology together in more valuable ways." (which is something you'll hear a lot in SI...it's our mission statement summed up into a neat catchphrase!)

Two things that play a huge part in developing your path at SI is a combination of what THINGS you want to do, and the CONTENT with which you'd like to work. (See my blog on the Tailored MSI for a better illustration of this.) This means that your previous education and experiences might help you figure out what you'd like to do, and in what sort of environment, but they might not. What's important is that SI can teach you how to work with information, but you get to decide how to personalize your experiences through cognate classes, internships, part-time jobs and volunteer work.

2) What is a School of Information?

Remember what I said about connecting information, people, and technology? Well, that's what we do here. For some people, that means preserving information, for others it means managing access, helping corporations communicate, creating tools to help people find information, etc. Some of us are librarians, it's true. But some of us are designers, programmers, policy analysts, managers, conservators, archivists, usability experts, and more.

If you would like more information on the myriad careers open to SI graduates, check out the "Pathways to Success" portal or the Alumni Profiles. These will give you a good idea of how many different ways an SI education can serve different interests.

Until next time...

-Megan

You might be thinking, "Why wouldn't ten specializations be enough?" Because this is the nature of SI: flexibility and innovation. Although most students find that their academic and career interests fall mostly within one specialization, the tailored MSI allows a student to custom design a degree that directly addresses their goals. For some students, this is an opportunity to create a mix of classes from two specializations (dual-specialization is also now an option at SI), to qualify oneself for work in a particular type of environment (non-profit organizations, special collection libraries and archives, etc.) or to focus on an emerging field or technology.

What is important to note is that no matter what specialization you choose, you will have MANY options to pursue your specific interests within your coursework. Between class announcements, email, and postings on the walls of West Hall and SI North, you will find endless opportunities to participate in research, attend conferences, hear guest speakers and join student organizations. In addition, you can apply for internships and part-time jobs that are specific to your interests, not to mention required and elective classes that cater to particular areas, such as government work or science librarianship.

Nonetheless, students that would like a more active hand in deciding what classes will suit their needs should check out the School of Information web page "What Can I Do with a Tailored MSI?" I think it's an excellent option for students interested in taking a new direction with their degree or adding a focus that is not already a part of the existing specializations.

Take the bull by the horns readers. It's your future.

-Megan

This is the first of many entries for me. I hope that over time I will be able to share the experiences I've had in this program and with Ann Arbor in general, and help some of you to make the decisions you need to make. I'm here to pass on my hard-earned wisdom and answer any questions you might have about the MSI program, admissions, orientation, the school, or the city. Whether you're researching graduate programs, newly admitted, or in the process of completing your coursework, this can be a very exciting, busy, and nerve-wracking time. Hopefully, I will be able to ease some of your concerns, or at least give advice on how to make the most of it.

Although I'm in my first semester of the MSI program, I attended U of M for my undergraduate studies. I know a lot about Ann Arbor, University culture and procedure, and the admission and orientation process is still fresh in my mind. Also, as a Tailored student, I've spend a lot of time researching the myriad specializations that the School of Information offers, so I already have a lot of information on possible study paths, degree requirements and career options.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at messelti@umich.edu. Make sure to add a telling subject line, such as "Hey, I've got a question for you," or "I've heard you know where to find free parking."

It's true. I know many parking secrets. Let me share them with you.

Hope to hear from you!

-Megan