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Nervous about starting at Michigan State? Worried about your class schedule, living away from home, or where to even start? The Spartan Orientation Station (SOS) is a podcast hosted by New Student Orientation staff and was created by students for students. This podcast will launch twice a week throughout the summer, and each episode will feature a unique interview with campus departments discussing their services, common misconceptions, and fun Spartan engagement opportunities. When you need help at Michigan State, it is okay to signal SOS! Don’t worry – MSU is there for you.
You're listening to the Spartan Orientation Station on Impact eighty nine FM, the podcast by students for students. Now this week's episode.
Andrew P.:Welcome back to the Spartan Orientation Station. Today, we're gonna be talking about life as an out of state student here at Michigan State University. My name is Andrew, and I'm a student coordinator with New Student Orientation and a fourth year student here at Michigan State University. Now I'll let my co hosts introduce themselves.
Kirsten D.:Hi everyone, my name is Kirsten, I am a third year here at MSU, I'm also a student coordinator and I am an out of state student from Eastern Ohio.
Jonah D.:Hi guys, I'm Jonah, I'm a fourth year student here at MSU. I'm also student coordinator and I'm an out of stater from Pennsylvania.
Maddie B.:My name's Maddie, I am a second year student and also a student coordinator at New Student Orientation, and I am from Northern Chicago Suburbs.
Andrew P.:Yeah, alright. Well, thank you all for joining us today. How can I meet people if I don't know anyone else starting at Michigan State University?
Jonah D.:The big one for me is the first year seminar abroad. This is a three week study abroad program that you can do before your first year. They have a bunch of different locations that you can travel to, and it's a group of 30 people who go abroad. It's a great way to meet new people.
Kirsten D.:One thing I'm gonna shout out is our Sparticipation event, which has most of our registered student organizations there. You can walk around to the different tables, see what clubs you like, and potentially join them. I think that joining clubs is such a great way to meet new friends that align with your interests.
Maddie B.:I would also say just unofficially, try to put yourself out there as much as you can. Everyone's kind of in the same boat even if they're in state. Everyone's trying to make new friends. Everyone wants, like, a fresh start. Just put yourself out there.
Maddie B.:Leave your residence hall room door open. You know, go outside. It's beautiful the first couple weeks of the semester at least. First couple months, I would say.
Jonah D.:I would also just say go to the sporting events, even if it's a sport that you don't like. There's a ton of different communities, and it's a fun time no matter where you go.
Maddie B.:And all the tickets besides basketball, football, and hockey are free with your student ID.
Andrew P.:Thank you all. What should I do when families and friends visit me? Well, first thing
Jonah D.:is you got to find them a place to stay. MSU has a ton of hotel options around it. There's the Kellogg Center. There's also The Graduate, which is right on Grand River. There's also a lot of other hotels scattered within a five to ten minute drive off campus.
Maddie B.:I would also say if it's for any big event, try to book out well in advance, especially for, like, graduation and stuff. I know, as a new student, you're probably not thinking about that yet. But just for any big weekends like homecoming or parents weekend, make sure that you're booking those hotels well in advance because they do fill up.
Jonah D.:I'll add move in week to that.
Kirsten D.:So one thing that my mom and I really enjoy doing when she comes is walking around the 4 H Gardens on campus. They are these adorable little gardens with a bunch of interactive sort of things going on there. There's also the Beale Botanical Gardens. There's an arboretum on campus. The Broad Art Museum is also really, really cool as well as the MSU Museum.
Kirsten D.:There's a lot to do. You won't be bored.
Maddie B.:There is an MSU, like, bucket list you can find online, and it has a lot of good options on there to check off with family and supporters.
Andrew P.:Yeah, thank you all. And then, how do I get to campus from out of state?
Maddie B.:Planes, trains, Leave it in.
Jonah D.:If you are from a state that's a lot farther away, like California, Florida, any of those places, there are three airports that are very easily accessible from MSU. So there's the Lansing Airport, which is a lot smaller and can definitely be a little bit more expensive sometimes, but it is the closest one to MSU. There's also the Detroit Airport that has a bus run from campus to the airport. And if you are completely out of other options, is the Grand Rapids Airport, which is about a two hour drive. I don't believe there's any busing that gets you right there, but if you need to get an Uber, you definitely can.
Kirsten D.:It helps to mention that that bus is called the Michigan Flyer if you're looking for tickets for it. I know a lot of people use our Amtrak system, which is our train that is right off campus. I know that there's one that goes to Chicago. I know that it can go to a bunch of different places that have Amtrak stations. You'd have to look on their website.
Jonah D.:Something worth noting with the trains. If you're going to a more major city, then they leave basically every day. If it's a smaller city, like Pittsburgh, which is where I'm from, then it doesn't happen every single day. You gotta find which days they're gonna be leaving.
Maddie B.:And they fill up quick right before breaks.
Kirsten D.:Also from the same station that the trains leave from, we also have Greyhound buses that go to a bunch of different locations. I don't exactly know where all they go, but that should also be on their If you are someone that is from a distance that's drivable to campus, like me and Jonah were from similar areas, you can't always have a car in your first year. So I would make sure that you look into parking options before you decide whether or not to bring a car.
Andrew P.:Yeah. Alright. Thank you all. That's very helpful. And then what happens if I can't go home on break?
Kirsten D.:The short answer is it depends on what break. So say you need to stay for spring break or fall break, one of our shorter ones, your residence hall will stay open. Most dining halls may close, but there will be dining options available for you. Oftentimes, your resident assistant may not be there. There won't be a ton of people on campus, but there's not nobody on campus.
Kirsten D.:However, if you can't go home over a longer break, such as winter break, the residence halls do not stay open. You may have to pay to stay over break, which is an option for you.
Andrew P.:Alright. And then my final question for everybody. What is the biggest difference living in Michigan compared to other states?
Jonah D.:I think something that caught me off guard was how often you ask someone where they're from and they show their hand. If you don't know, Michigan kinda looks like a mitten if you look at it on a map. So a lot of Michiganders will pull their hand up and show you exactly where they are by pointing at a spot on their hand.
Kirsten D.:And if they start bringing out two hands and one's perpendicular, that's the Upper Peninsula. I was really confused about that for a long time. Another thing for me was when I registered to vote. I didn't really register to vote until I got onto campus because I have a later birthday. You can register either on campus or in your hometown depending on where you wanna vote.
Jonah D.:Another thing to note is that for local and state elections, you can vote in both your permanent and your temporary residency. That does not apply for every year that you're in school. If you're leaving the state soon, you cannot continue doing that. But if you were going to be in Michigan for the entire length of someone's term, you can vote for them while still voting for the same role back in your home state.
Maddie B.:Driving is also a bit different, I would say, in Michigan and just around campus. There's a lot of what's known as a Michigan left. So there is an absence of green arrows a lot of the time, and you have to go past the light and then make a U-turn. So just be cognizant, and also just review driving laws in the area.
Andrew P.:This was really eye opening. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences, and thank you all for tuning in to the Spartan Orientation Station. Tune in next time. We're looking forward to seeing you in the fall.
Maddie B.:Thank you. Bye.
Narrator:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Spartan Orientation Station on Impact eighty nine FM. Let us know what you think by connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram at MSU underscore NSO.