Veronica Derricks, Cohort 2014, Social Area

Before I arrived in Ann Arbor, I was really nervous about the fact that I had committed at least five years of my life to a city I had barely seen. Once I got here, however, I knew that I made the right decision.  There are so many amazing graduate students in the Psychology Department, and many of the older Social Psych grad students immediately reached out and invited me to their social gatherings/events. Because of them, I have found out that there’s actually quite a bit to do in Ann Arbor.  Ann Arbor has so many amazing restaurants (Frita Batidos, Isalita, Zingerman’s, and Mani Osteria should be some of the first places you go), fun things to do (kayaking, football games, visiting the Farmer’s Market, roadtripping to Lake Michigan), and events throughout the year (Restaurant Weeks, Art Fair, Summer Festivals, music performances). The first semester can be stressful because you’re trying to figure out the new norms while balancing all of the expectations laid out for you (classes, reading, research, applying to fellowships, etc.). The most important tidbit of information I learned during my first semester was to use the older graduate students as mentors. Although the faculty here are wonderful, the students really know all the little things to help make graduate school more manageable (e.g. which classes should you take/not take, what should you be working on, how do you prepare for meetings with professor X, how do undergraduate research assistants work here?). Fortunately (or unfortunately), your first year will go by very quickly. Use this time to build your research foundation, understand your interests, and get to know your colleagues. Best of luck!

Zachary Schudson, Cohort 2014, Women’s Studies and PSC

Before coming to Michigan, I had lived in California my entire life, so people told me I’d have to get used to an endless winter and never being happy. I had also heard that going to a PhD program meant I’d never be having fun. Now, “being happy” and “having fun” are things I quite like, and I didn’t really intend to give them up just for grad school. So I made some commitments to myself: I committed to making Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan feel like a new home for me, and I committed to building happiness and fun into my day-to-day life. Now, looking back on my first year here, I think I’ve done a solid job following through on those commitments. I’ve met some fantastic people, both in my program and outside of it, who have become my close friends, and I’ve taken some wonderful classes with brilliant, caring professors. I’ve also found that novelty helps me bring happiness and fun into days characterized by routine, so I did things like make it my goal to eat at every single lunch spot in the South University area at least once, and explore somewhere new in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area once every few weeks. Thinking about what I was committed to having in my life and finding ways to have it – whether or not I was super busy or it was snowing outside – helped make this first year a fabulous one.

Haoyang Yan, Cohort 2014, CCN Area

In my first year, teaching was definitely a challenge. Although with lots of excitement, I was still nervous. Luckily, we had the teaching academy to discuss diverse issues inside and outside of the classroom. This helped me to rehearse the teaching scenarios in my mind and made me feel supported. I also taught with one of the best-rating professors and had a nice easy start of my teaching career. Ann Arbor is a lovely college town that is perfect for graduate students. As a classical music lover, I am thrilled about the programs that University Musical Society has to offer and how affordable the tickets are. I still can’t believe that I met the violinist Itzhak Perlman and the pianist Richard Goode at the Hill Auditorium, which is within minutes of walk from my office!