Dennis Taylor

Time Management

Time Management

Apparently, MTU is one of the more difficult schools in the state and perhaps the in the country. I have only discovered this through interactions with my friends and colleagues from other schools. From my perspective, as a graduate of MTU the workload while substantial at times, is in my opinion neither unreasonable nor unmanageable. I have found that one of the main keys to success here at MTU is successful time management. Time management must be a principle consideration when choosing classes for the upcoming semester, and when deciding whether or not, or how many student groups to become involved with. During my time at MTU my average course load was approximately fifteen credits per semester. For me this was the optimal number of credits to undertake, in order to allow myself time to take part in student groups and other causes I felt important to the University Community. I was able to further leverage my course load and level of involvement by taking courses in the summer as well. For three summers of my college career I attended classes for half of the summer, this allowed me to utilize my summer break to catch up on coursework, while also having some what of a vacation. I also used that time to work summer internships and participate in various summer programs in order to gain valuable experience and to better position myself intellectualy as well as financially for the upcoming school year.

Choosing a Major

Upon initially attending MTU I chose to pursue a bachelors degree in chemical engineering. This decision was largely based on my experiences before beginning my college career. During my freshman year when I decided to major in chemical engineering, I had also decided to pursue a dual-major in business administration. In my first semester at MTU I had taken classes in both majors and continued to do so for several years. After approximately the second semester of my sophomore year, I noticed that I enjoyed my business classes much more than I enjoyed the classes in my chemical engineering major. In spite of this fact, I still felt that I should persevere and obtain my engineering degree. This decision was neither based on my true desire to be a chemical engineer nor my passion for the field, but rather was based on what I had been told for many years regarding the great demand for engineers, the job security, and desirable salary engineers received. This was a huge mistake for me, and I regret that I did not follow my mind when I first discovered that I did not like engineering and the fact that engineering was not for me.

Eventually (toward the later portion of my junior year), I finally came to this epiphany, and as a result commenced to change my major to solely business administration. This allowed me the opportunity to do a few things differently. First, I was able to add greater depth to my study of business, and I simultaneously declared a concentration in business; I chose marketing. The decision also afforded me the opportunity to pursue what I truly had a passion for, and a desire to develop a career in. I began to get better grades, and improve my G.P.A., and I feel that, that was a direct result of my liking the classes I was taking, and gaining a great interest in the subject matter, which helped me significantly to excel scholastically.

During my experience changing majors I became cognizant of the importance of advisors. During my high school career, I had had a counselor, which was in effect the equivalent to an advisor, but I had not utilized my counselor much during high school. I did not find her necessary to my positive scholastic performance. However, I found the contrary to be true when I came to college. My advisors had to play a pivotal role in my academics, and I found that my advisor in chemical engineering was not very helpful to me at all, while my advisor in business went to great lengths to assist me. This was a major factor in my decision to change majors. Additional factors that were considerations in my decision to change majors were career options, and over all happiness. As I began to work summer internships I better understood the types of jobs that would be available to me as an engineer, and I discovered that I did not like it. Conversely, I saw what seemed to be an overwhelming number of potentially diverse and interesting career paths I could take as a student majoring in business, and this further excited me about pursuing a career in the field of business. As for my happiness, I was very unhappy as an engineering major. I neither liked nor understood the classes I was taking, and I felt that I was getting little to no support from my advisor, and was not excited in the least about my professional career post college.

My decision to pursue a business degree turned that all around for me and allowed me to better enjoy my time in college . That happiness contributed significantly to my doing well, understanding my coursework more throughly, thereby achieving good grades, and seeing the application of the theory I was learning, which is a good feeling to experience.

Choosing a Major

Living Arrangements

Living Arrangements

During my freshman and sophomore years in college, I lived on campus in the residence halls. Initially, I found this to be a great convenience. I was close to campus, so I could quickly and easily walk to my classes, and also was able to purchase a meal plan, which allowed me to eat in the cafeteria. Also, there were areas in which to study, a community environment, a workout room, and an after-hours café, which served late night snacks. At first I felt that the residence halls were the best living option, until the begining of my junior year when I explored living off campus.

My decision to move off campus was beneficial to me in several ways. Living off campus was significantly cheaper than living in the residence halls; the cost was more than 50% less. I found that I had more space, better food since I cooked it myself, and I did not have to worry about either playing my music too loudly, or being concerned with others making noise, smoking, etc. Also, I found that I had greater selection with respect to the location and type of place where I could live. I recommend that students live in the residence halls for their first year of college, and then subsequently move off campus. I think the residence halls help students build a since of community, and offer the type of support that new in-coming students need, but after the first year I feel that by moving off campus the cost savings far outweigh the benefits of living on campus.

Making Adjustments

Upon beginning my college career at MTU, I had several adjustments to make, and differences to acclimate to. The first and most significant of which was the lack of diversity on the campus. Prior to attending MTU I was given what I believe was a false impression. Recruiters and various other individuals told me that I would find several African-American students like myself, and that there was a close-knit sense of community among that group. I was also told of how large and active the African-American centered student groups were, such as the Black Student Association and the MTU’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.

Upon my arrival I found that this impression I had could not have been further from the truth. I was not prepared to join a population of African-American students who made up less than 2% of the entire campus population. This was simply not what I was expecting, and I also did not expect the student groups would be as small and as inactive as they were. This was somewhat daunting to me at first, but I quickly adjusted to the situation, and found ways to make the best of it. For myself there were several challenges that I had to overcome. Such seemingly small things became significant obstacles to be overcome. Some examples of this were, getting haircuts, finding a church at which to worship, not being able to find the types of foods I was used to. Also, shopping here was very different from what I was used to coming from a large city. The selection of stores was minimal at best, and at the grocery store I was unable to find the food products that I normally bought at home and African-American hair care products simply could not be purchased here.

Additionally, as a lifetime Michigan resident I felt that I knew what to expect as far as the snowfall in the winter time, but this too could not be further from the truth. My first winter here I realized that the snowfall here was far beyond that which I had experienced in Detroit. This again was another challenge that I had to quickly overcome. Some ways that I found to cope with the changes I was experiencing were joining the ECHOES from Heaven Gospel Choir. The Gospel Choir served in many capacities for me. It allowed me to worship God in a place with like-minded Christian believers, and it acted as a since of family for me as the choir was a very close group, in addition to providing a place for me to worship the Lord through singing. While there were many challenges at the onset, there were also some positive aspects to living here. I found that the town was a very small and cozy place to live, where everyone knew everyone else, and a place where safety was simply not a major concern. I noticed that people would not lock their homes, leave their cars running while going in a store or leave their keys in the car, and while this was very different for me, it was also pleasantly reassuring and comforting. I enjoyed shopping at the small local shops and “mom and pop” type stores. Also, the cost of living here was significantly less than where I had come from. I found most things were quite cheaper, which was nice as I was a college student with little disposable income to spend.

Making Adjustments

Getting Involved

Getting Involved

While on the surface it may seem that there is not much to do here, and not many activities in which to become involved, this is quite a myth. For me there were almost too many opportunities in which to get involved and organizations available to join. I joined several organizations throughout my college career at MTU, and served as an officer in many of them as well. I joined some of the African-American centered organizations such as the Black Student Association, and the National Society of Black Engineers. I also was elected to several offices on the Undergraduate Student Government, including Representative and Treasurer. I also became a member of the Memorial Union Board where I served two terms as President. I joined many other student organizations and in addition served on several University committees and advisory groups. Being involved in these types of activities not only made my time here easier and more enjoyable, but also strengthened and complemented many concepts and ideas that I had learned in my classes. Additionally, I gained invaluable experience that would prove beneficial to me both in my college career and beyond into my professional career. These groups also served as a good opportunity for me to meet and interact with my peers outside of the classroom environment, and to work with students from majors different from mine, which gave me a differing perspective and great insight. Above all, the student organizations I participated in served as a support network that helped make my stay here easier and much more enjoyable, by giving me something to look forward to participating in, and in many ways serving as something greater that I could contribute to and feel a sense of accomplishment from.

Reflections

As I reflect on my past five years here at Michigan Tech, I have no regrets and I feel that the obstacles and challenges that I have experienced and subsequently overcome have only made me stronger. The experiences that I have had here have been invaluable ones, and I have learned as much if not more from my experiences outside of class as I have in my classes. Michigan Tech is not the school for everyone, but for those who choose to matriculate here the experience is sure to be an educational and enlightening one, not only scholastically, but also socially, interpersonally, spiritually, and culturally. That which I have learned here will no doubt be beneficial to me far into my future, and will position me well for the diverse experiences I am sure to encounter in many situations to come.