Hey! I'm Owen, a junior attending Lyman Briggs college studying mathematics with a minor in philosophy. You can always catch me lifting at the student rec center or taking long walks around the more green parts of campus. Despite being from Dexter, a small town right next to Ann Arbor, I've been a Spartan since birth, I even tried out to be Sparty my freshman year!I've lived in both east and south neighborhoods and I'm always excited to show people the best spots around campus. Go Green!

Hometown

Dexter, Michigan

Major(s)

Computational and Analytical Mathematics

Minor(s)

Philosophy

Clubs, organizations & involvement

During my freshman year I was a part of the philosophy club, film club, and vinyl nights club, however I attended these less and less as my course load grew in future semesters

Describe your college experience

I grew up in Dexter, which is a smaller town right outside of Ann Arbor, yet despite my proximity to the University of Michigan, was raised a Spartan from birth. I never truly pictured myself attending anywhere except for Michigan State University, and upon arriving, fell in love not only with the campus life, but with the community as well. I found my transition to college to be easier than I expected, as attending Lyman Briggs gave me access to smaller class sizes and the highest quality of instructors. I attended every football game, dove deep into the multitude of extracurriculars offered here, and even tried out to be Sparty all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. My sophomore year I lived in Case hall, which showed me a whole different side of campus which I did not have the opportunity to explore the previous year. It was a pleasant surprise to see how big this campus truly is while still being pretty much self-contained. I am very excited to enter my Junior year here at MSU!

Tip for future students

The biggest tips I have for future students would be, first of all, to come in with an open mind. I know people who have had very different college experiences thus far despite having very similar majors or course requirements. You have to be very aware of your own personal needs in order to succeed. For me, one thing that helped greatly was creating a more formal and structured studying schedule, studying the same things at the same times each week made it much easier for me to grasp the variety of topics I have gotten to study so far. Another big piece of advice I'd give to future students would be to put yourself out there, even if you're introverted. The social aspect of college is very important for your success both in academically and mentally. While it is nice to study alone and get a good amount of peace and quiet, you also need to let yourself have some fun and meet some new people, this is a huge college with a myriad of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, to miss out on that would be to miss out on a huge part of your true college education.

Favorite class

My favorite class so far has been Transitions, it was a really interesting and challenging introduction to rigorous mathematical proofs. This was the first more abstract math class I had taken at the time and it really challenged the way I think about doing math, this ended up being a really nice change of pace for me. I found I learned a lot and grew in this class more than any other, which, when paired with the excellent course direction by the professor and smaller class size, made it my favorite class.

Career goals

After college I plan to attend grad school for mathematics and begin to find ideal research opportunities for my desired concentration. I would like to teach at some point, however I'd say my main goal is to contribute as much to the math research field as I can!

Ideal way to spend a free night

I'd say my perfect night starts with going for a long nature walk with my girlfriend, then at my apartment watching a tv show or a movie, before reading and cuddling with my kitten and calling it a night

High school or secondary school

Dexter High School

Favorite spot on campus

While there are so many amazing options to choose from, I'd have to say my favorite spot on campus is the Holmes upstairs spartys, not only was it one of my favorite study spots my first two years, but, in my opinion, it had some of the best options for combos anywhere on campus.