Making the Most of Michigan

Take advantage of your U-M experience with ALA 171: Making the Most of Michigan.

This one-credit, seven-week course connects you to community, campus, and an array of resources. 

Facilitated by upper-level students, ALA 171 helps you navigate your new environment, connect with other incoming students, and build skills for career and leadership opportunities.

In the course, you will:

• Visit and learn about resources across the university campus

• Create online portfolios that detail your goals, aspirations, and key experiences and connect you to career networking tools such as LinkedIn, Handshake, University Career Alumni Network (UCAN), and LSA Opportunity Network

• Explore social identities and build important communication skills across differences

• Grow as leaders in the diverse Michigan community

Transfer students said this about their ALA 171 experience:

• "This course made me feel comfortable at Michigan when I was considering transferring closer to home. I was introduced to Michigan's diversity through all of our conversations and I really got to adjust. I also learned about facilities and services I did not know I had available to me which was very useful, especially because the pandemic has made it even harder to meet people and learn about Michigan. Overall, I think this course was a phenomenal introduction to everything Michigan has to offer and I would recommend it to every first year."

• "It was a great class. I feel I was really able to grow as a person, becoming more self-aware of my goals, desires, and identity for what I want to do while in college as well as beyond college. It was also so great in helping me strengthen my collaboration skills and get to know others. The course helped me develop my awareness of cultural diversity and being open minded to all."

• "I grew more as a person in these past 7 weeks than the past 7 months. I would definitely do this again and recommend it