Preparing incoming freshmen for the academic challenges at Michigan State University begins before the students set foot on campus for class.
Freshmen have the opportunity to learn from MSU faculty in Japan, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand or closer to home at locations across Michigan.
“The idea is to expose students to some of the very coolest things we do, the ground-breaking research that’s out there, so that students then can go into the rest of their curriculum with an idea of how it all fits together,” said Linda Gross, director of freshman seminars initiative.
“Basically what the students are able to do is travel to a country and take a look at a specific issue taught by a faculty member.”
Students have studied community development in Ireland, apartheid in South Africa, food systems in Italy, health care in Japan and ecological sustainability in New Zealand. In Michigan, students can take part in seminars in Detroit or MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station in Gull Lake.
“What you’ll find when we talk to students after they’ve gone through the freshman seminars abroad is that they see the world differently,” Gross said.