Finding Your Unique College Experience - Jiahong Min

Finding Your Unique College Experience

by Jiahong Min

Photo Credit: University of Michigan College of Engineering

When asking about college, the first thing that comes to our mind is probably finishing up assignments, studying for exams and getting high GPAs. However, here at the University of Michigan, there are plenty of ways to make your college experience a unique one.

Two years ago when I first transferred to Michigan, I was looking for an adventure. I wanted to do something that I would never do after I graduate, and then I met the University of Michigan Solar Car Team.

Every two years, the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia welcomes teams from more than 20 countries to race their solar electric vehicle across the continent, an epic 3000 kilometer journey through the desert. The University of Michigan Solar Car Team has been a top performer in this race since 1989, with five top three world finishes.

I joined the team in my junior year and worked on the aerodynamics of the team’s latest vehicle: Aurum, a one-seater electric car with its body covered in solar panel as the source of power. In the summer of 2015, I took my involvement in the team one step further by being part of the race crews who built the car piece by piece and eventually headed to Australia for the World Solar Challenge. .

The race was an once-in-a-lifetime experience. We started in Darwin, a northern city in Australia. It was hot and humid, with human-sized termite hills scattered around the road. As we travelled south, plants started to vanish and the terrain opened up. Crosswind and ‘willy-willy’ (small tornado) struck us violently without any mercy. During the day, we battled with other teams, passing each other back and forth. During the night, we camped next to the road, performing repair and maintenance on the car under the dusky light from our portable lamps. The night in the outback was truly amazing. We saw thousands of stars, and the lights from our opponents’ camps right down the road.

We eventually arrived fourth at the finish line in Adelaide, just five minutes behind the third place over a five day race. The result might’ve been disappointing but it didn’t keep me down. I saw the car started as a random spark of idea on a whiteboard to an insanely efficient machine piercing through the desert at 100 kilometer per hour. There were so many emotions inside of me at that day that I could not describe with language.

So that was my college adventure. At the University of Michigan, there are plenty of ways to start yours too. Here are my suggestions.

Maize Pages is a great website to check out all the student organizations on campus. The number and diversity of the organizations on this campus is so huge that I’m sure you will find one that interests you. During welcome week of each school year, student organizations will gather around the central, north campus diag, and the palmer field to show off what they have. It’s a great chance to meet with them. Be sure to check your email.

If you want to go somewhere beyond the campus or even the country, both LSA and College of Engineering have international programs that allow you be become an exchange student to foreign universities across Europe, Asia and many other places. It’s a great chance to experience different cultures and make friends across the globe.

For engineering students, be sure to check out the Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP). It allows you to earn credits or even a minor for your commitment in any student project team such as Formula SAE, Baja Racing, Human Powered Submarine and the Solar Car Team. There are also projects funded by faculty members and companies that you can find on the MDP website. The hands on experience these projects provide can be extremely useful for your future career.