VISIT: Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

As you may know, there were several acts passed in the ninettenth century that granted federal funding and land to each state for a university. These “land-grant colleges” were mandated to provide a practical education to that state’s citizens, and these schools specialized in agriculture, mechanics, engineering, forestry, and other such vital pursuits. Texas A&M is the land-grant college for our state; MSU is Michigan’s. And just as A&M is true to its roots as a school specializing in engineering and business, MSU is similarly a leader in agriculture, forestry, veterinary medicine, and pharmacy. MSU has the top advertising program in the nation, and their engineering, natural sciences, and liberal arts programs are all highly regarded. They have special programs in the liberal arts (James Madison College) and sciences (Lyman Briggs College) in addition to a central honors program. There are hundreds of ways to study abroad, and there are tons of scholarships available to help you do so.

When I arrived at MSU, I was immediately struck by the beauty of the campus. One of my friends has described the campus as “A&M with trees”—and, in a way, that’s spot on. The campus is right in the middle of a medium-sized city but it feels like its own little world. The campus is heavily wooded and feels very welcoming; for example, it started to rain and not one but TWO people offered to share their umbrellas with me. No one said “howdy” to me, but I was impressed by the students’ generosity and warmth.

I had a great meeting with, one of the many friendly admissions officers at MSU. He and his colleagues offered me a great packet of information tailored specifically to out-of-state students, including handouts on generous scholarship packages and honors programs at the university. These scholarships are extremely generous; check them out here: . These would truly make MSU an affordable choice as an out-of-state student. If you’re looking for an out-of-state experience at a big school that feels small and personal, I would highly suggest you check out MSU. Check out the scholarships here: http://admissions.msu.edu/finances/scholarships.asp.

MSU’s admissions requirements are listed on their website here: http://admissions.msu.edu/admission/freshmen_profile.asp. As I spoke with the admissions officer, he mentioned that the requirements are a little more relaxed for out-of-state students (read: lower test scores and GPA than listed here are acceptable for admission). MSU is just beginning an initiative to increase their out-of-state student body from 12% of all undergraduates to 18%, and they want to move toward that in the next incoming class. This means that if you want to go to a great school that offers a lot of merit-based aid and has great programs for undergraduates, MSU might be a good choice for you. Also, keep in mind that Lansing is the capital of the state of Michigan, so there are government-related opportunities in this city as well.

One of the best points we dicsussed was about students who choose to major in agriculture, hospitality, environmental studies, or marketing. He said that many of these students actually aspire to positions in business, and they’ve chosen their majors based on the industry in which they eventually want to work. Like A&M, MSU has such great resources in these areas, and students can do cutting-edge, hands-on work in these fields while also gaining an education in business essentials. This is a great option to keep in mind if you’re aspiring to be a business major in college—namely, it’s worthwhile to get a more specific sense of the industry you want to work in rather than just majoring in “business.” Many students imagine that they’ll major in business and start a job after college that vaguely involves sitting behind a desk and using a pen. While that’s a cursory view of what a corporate job might entail, there’s a huge variety of positions you might find yourself in after graduation. To make the best use of your time as an undergraduate—and to make yourself exceptionally marketable as a graduate—it might be worth thinking about a major in a specific field rather than in a generic business major.