University of Michigan International Center

Hi everyone, welcome back! This week, we will talk about how to approach and develop a mentoring relationship with your professor. What’s your definition of professor? A person who marks your paper with a red pen and tells you to rewrite everything? A person who gives you an exam question that you have to recall a tiny detail that is at the edge of your memory? A person who celebrates your academic achievements with you on the Friday night in a bar?! In my opinion, a professor is a mentor and friend who helps you see your potential, guides you on your way, and encourages you to take another adventure after your recent success. In the U.S., a student-professor relationship is greatly appreciated because an interactive, sustained relationship will lead to long-term success. A professor is a great resource of knowledge, experiences, and networking, which you may want to utilize regardless of which career pathway to take in the future. But, how can a student initiate, deve...

  If you think choosing a major and getting straight A’s are what college life is all about, you might want to think again. While those criteria should certainly be any good college student’s priority, the University of Michigan offers much more than just academic excellence. Through your meaningful involvement in student organizations, you can build relationships, enrich your campus experience, and perha ps even create lifelong memories, all of which may not be possible with simply attending classes or going to library.  (“You do not want just this to define your college life, do you?”)   There is no strict guideline as to how to join a student organization, but the best and surest way to get as much information as possible is through Festifall and Northfest. These are the annual fall student organization information fairs, and they provide an excellent opportunity for new students to learn about different organizations and discover wa...

 I was born and brought up in a small country called Oman. To be honest, coming to the States was    a big deal for me back then as I never ever lived alone at a new place by myself. Though I was a bit nervous, I also had this excitement as I got a change to be independent, make my own identity, and more importantly be a part of this very prestigious institution.   Before arriving at this university, the only part of the U.S. that I had seen was inside the movies where they usually showed busy metropolitan cities like New York, where they usually show high rises, heavily packed areas, traffic, and people busy with their hectic lives. I was under the impression that Ann Arbor would be pretty similar, but I was mistaken.   Upon arrival to this town in July, I was shocked mostly because Ann Arbor looked nothing like what I had pictured it would be like in my mind. I was mesmerized to see the very beauty of this place, as the place where I come from has mo...