Dear Spartan,

Welcome to MSU! 

Many of you have already completed your New Student Orientation modules, made appointments with your academic advisors, and signed your housing contracts. As you continue to prepare for an in-person college experience this fall, I wanted to share some information with you to help you get off to a successful start at MSU:

We will be in person this fall
This fall we will be back on campus and functioning once again as an in-person, residential university. The Wharton Center will host plays, concerts, and public talks; the stadium will be filled with spectators for football games; and residence halls across campus will be full. About 85% of this fall’s classes (and about 67% of the seats) will require students to attend in-person classes, and the full range of in-person academic, social, and career support services will be available to you.

Some lingering effects of the pandemic
There will be a few lingering effects of the pandemic as we adjust to being back together again. For example, there will be fewer large in-person lecture courses this fall. Instead, we have broken large classes into smaller ones of 100 students or less, increased our online offerings from about 9% of our fall course catalog to about 15%, and increased the number of classes that will be taught as hybrid courses. MSU’s hybrid courses include in-person meetings for all students for discussion and collaborative work as well as online delivery methods for lectures and other aspects of the class that work well online. During the pandemic, many high schools used hyflex teaching methods, where some students are in the classroom and others are viewing the class remotely online; MSU’s instructors very rarely use the hyflex instructional method. We have spread the three instructional modalities we do employ — in-person, hybrid, and online — across the entire course catalog, and many of you will have courses in all three modalities this fall.

Your course schedule
First-year students are already enrolled in several courses appropriate for their major through a process called “pre-enrollment.” Your pre-enrollment schedule is just a starting point for you and your academic advisor to build your fall and spring schedules, and you will have ample opportunity to make changes to it after you meet with your academic advisor. Once you finish your New Student Orientation modules, your college will be informed of your completion and will reach out to you to make an appointment with your advisor. During that appointment, you and your advisor will discuss your pre-enrolled schedule and make adjustments as necessary. Please remember to let your advisor know about AP, IB, CLEP, or any other exams you might have taken or any transfer credit you might have.

What you need to do now 
The last year has been incredibly challenging, so I strongly encourage you to take the time this summer to rest, relax, and recharge. But I know you are excited to get to campus this fall, so here are some things for you to do this summer to prepare to start college:

  • If you have not already, please get vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect yourself and those around you. The vaccines are safe, incredibly effective, free, and absolutely critical to us to returning to living, working, and learning together again on campus. You can use this site to find a vaccine provider near you.
  • My colleagues in New Student Orientation have made a checklist to help keep you on track this summer that you can use to make sure you are getting all of your orientation work done.
  • Would you like to start taking classes this summer, and do so at a substantially reduced tuition rate? MSU’s Spartan Early Start Program allows new students to take up to two classes this summer from a select list of courses for only $100 per credit.
  • Please continue to check your MSU email regularly for updates and reminders.
  • Keep in mind these important dates throughout the summer and into fall, and visit the University’s Academic Calendar as you make plans for the fall semester.
  • Download the MSU app to start getting a feel for campus.
  • Come visit campus to experience its beauty before the hustle and bustle of fall semester. There are guided and self-guided tours available, and the campus is in full bloom. While you are visiting, stop by the ID Office to get your MSU ID. 

We are excited to embark on this journey with you. Go Green!

Mark Largent
Associate Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education
Michigan State University