Books and bathrobes

Living-learning programs not for all students, choose wisely

Our university is a behemoth of an institution. Even though we're not as large as our Big 11 brethren Ohio State and Michigan State, the University has in the neighborhood of 35,000 students and an army of faculty and staff. We also have enough land in the middle of Ann Arbor to parcel out into fiefs. This is a huge place.

Given the complexity and size of a university like ours, incoming first-year students may feel as if they are thrown into their classes and residential life with no anchor, no direction and no help. To combat this impression, the University has what

FILE PHOTO Students in the Residential College - one of the numerous living-learning programs on campus - are able to express themselves through theatre productions.

are called living- learning programs. These programs, without using confusing, post-secondary education-ese to describe them, are programs that combine a student's academic environment with their living environment. Most of these programs are created for first and second year students.

The first of these programs is the Lloyd Hall Scholars program, housed in the Alice Lloyd residence hall. The oldest on campus, founded in 1962, the Lloyd Scholars program offers its own teaching staff and academic advising programs, allowing it to offer the advantages of a small liberal arts school (360 students) with the resources of a large, research institution like the University, a claim that most living/learning programs make.

The Lloyd Scholars program requires its students to complete one community service course/practicum, one writing workshop and one other course from its offerings. Apart from these requirements, the program offers classes on a wide range of topics in the humanities and the science, which can be mixed in with other offerings from the rest of the University curriculum.

One of the more recent additions to the living-learning stable is the 21st Century Program, housed in Mary Markley residence hall. The purpose of the 21st Century Program is to help students make a smooth transition from high school to college. It provides an environment that encourages students both academically and socially. Students in this program must complete a one-credit seminar, a subject mastery workshop and "actively participate in 21st Century Program activities."

The goals of these first two programs are similar. They both try to ease students into the University environment and help them make use of all the resources available to them without overwhelming them with meaningless, out of context information. Both programs cultivate discussion within its classes and residences, attempting to draw out students and engage them in University life.

The remainder of the programs are more academically oriented. The Honors Program admits only the top 10 to 12 percent of students admitted to the College of LS&A. Applicants must have a 1410 SAT, 32 ACT, 3.8 GPA and all the rest of the academic accolades you would expect. First-year students must take a humanities seminar their first semester. Apart from that, they must take two honors courses a semester.

The Honors Program, despite its rigid academic standards, is rather flexible unit. They provide housing in South Quad residence hall, but students are not required to live on the Honors halls, if they choose not to. Upon entering their junior year, students must elect an Honors concentration, but can pick from an extensive list that spans nearly all of the University departments.

The final program is the Residential College, housed in East Quad residence hall. The most involved of all the programs, the RC has several requirements. Students must live in East Quad their first- and second-year. They also must take a first-year seminar and demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language. To this end, the RC offers intensive, eight credits per semester language courses as well as readings seminars. Apart from that, RC students are allowed to pick classes from any section of the University, as well as their major.

The RC curriculum focuses mainly on either the humanities or the social sciences. Interdisciplinary approaches describe most of classes and students are encouraged to discuss and talk in class as much as possible.

The RC offers its own academic counseling, allowing you to design your own major, as well as its own social events.

Other living-learning programs include Women in Science and Engineering, housed in Cousins residence hall and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program which will be housed in Mosher-Jordan residence hall this year.

So, is a living-learning program right for you? Some people will tell you that they are too stifling, that they don't allow you to look around and find your own way. This is mostly untrue. Nearly all of the programs go out of their way to make sure that their students have access to all the University offers.

They also provide the small, careful environment in which to explore these new possibilities. If you're looking for a way to take in the University without drowning in faces and course schedule, it would do you well to see if one of these programs fits you.

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