Today we are featuring another Big 10 school in that neighboring state to Ohio. Ohio residents looking for an economical alternative to the local flagship university should certainly consider MSU - the Ohio Spartan Grant automatically awards a minimum of $10,000 to admitted Ohio students. Apply by November 1st for maximum award consideration.
Here are 5 Fun* Facts about Michigan State University:
1) MSU has 3 outstanding residential college options that enable students to connect with like-minded peers, professors and staff in a smaller environment within the larger campus - RCAH (Residential College for Arts and Humanities), James Madison College (Public Affairs and Public Policy), and Lyman Briggs (Interdisciplinary Studies and Sciences). Not interested in a residential college? There are 27 residence halls in 5 different neighborhoods on campus.
2) Students pursuing any major can elect a minor in Entrepreneurship. The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation supports students through courses, study abroad and experiences like the New Venture Challenge and Discovery Program.
3) Each year over 2,500 MSU students participate in over 275 study abroad programs at over 60 countries. Students can select to go abroad during a semester or a university break and take advantage of classes, research, internship opportunities and more.
4) Michigan State has one of the country's oldest and most distinctive honors programs. Students who place in the top 5% of their high school graduating class, have test scores averaging a 1400 SAT or 31-32 on the ACT, and who have evidence of leadership, service and or research interests may be invited to the Honors College. If high schools do not use rank, GPA and course rigor are considered. This year, test scores are not required for consideration. Students who are invited to the Honors College can access special programs and services, like the ability to bypass course pre-requisites, securing a special faculty mentor advisor, taking up to 3 graduate level classes and tremendous research opportunities.
5) Michigan State is a large, comprehensive research university where undergraduates get to join in on the fun as well - undergraduate research is a big part of the culture at MSU and about 36% of undergrads conduct a research project of some sort. Each undergraduate college has research opportunities, some that come with funding. Whether your interests are in art, psychology, engineering, music, education or any other academic area you can think of, research opportunities likely exist at MSU.
*Since you may laugh at the notion of "fun facts," since these aren't necessarily so entertaining, I will throw in a legitimately fun one - the first Sparty mascot was a papier-mâché Spartan head made by Theta Xi fraternity brothers in 1955. It weighed more than 60 pounds and was six feet tall!