Today, we speak with Michael Stefanov, a freshman mechanical engineering major from Rockaway (Morris County), NJ, who lives on campus in Holly Pointe Commons. Michael will share his #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University student and how he’s getting the most out of his college experience as a Rowan Prof.
Name: Michael Stefanov
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minors and concentrations: Computer Science minor, Honors Concentration
Year: Freshman
Hometown and County: Rockaway, Morris County
On Campus Resident: Yes, Holly Pointe Commons
Academic clubs: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Athletic clubs: Rowan Fencing Club
Social clubs: Leadership Rowan (OSLP), Student University Programmers
Why did you choose your major? I’ve always been a tinkerer kind of person, taking things apart and seeing how they work, or assembling new constructs, (You should have seen some of my Lego builds when I was younger.) So I always knew I’d be doing something about inventing and creating, pushing me into engineering and comp sci. And after doing 3D modeling and drafting in high school, I fell in love with the design and creation, and was fascinated with 3D printing and shop tools to the point that I signed on to be a mechanical engineer. The computer science minor came with the fascination in how 3D printing works exactly, and my programmer dad not so subtly begging me to do it.
One reason why you chose Rowan? What really hooked me was that, out of every school I visited, Rowan was the only one that felt really welcoming. Some schools I visited were very clearly disdained by the student body, and others felt almost scripted and artificial. Rowan was the one place where some guys headed off to lunch happened to drive by our group and call out, “Come to Rowan, we love it here!” I took their advice and don’t regret a bit.
My typical day as a Rowan student:
My typical day is rather … unique for a freshman. My earliest class every day is at 11 am, but to keep up with my 18 credit schedule, I go late into the evening and often stay up doing work until about 2-3 am. Needless to say, it’s a blessing and a curse that I’m now living on California time.
Almost every morning starts the same, wake up at 10, eat a quick breakfast, and head to whatever class, normally it’s Chem 1 (the bane of many freshman’s existence). My classes on Monday and Wednesday are moving from chemistry to calculus, with a nice several hour break until my freshman engineering clinic.
For Tuesdays and Thursdays, I start with a chem lab, and move into my experiencing literature course quickly followed by my men’s choir course (everyone’s got to relax somehow) and my Computer Science and programming lab/lecture. All in all, nothing too strenuous.
But, now that the classes are out of the way let’s get to my REAL time as a Rowan student, the activities! Ranging from homecoming where I got to see some of my greatest friends decimate in battleship, or dress up as the Spice Girls and lip sync a great performance, to Rowan After Hours where I won an Amazon Kindle in poker night, or even all the mini events created by student groups of assassin or zombies, the amount of things to do are endless. Not to mention that due to my schedule, I even miss out on most of the events being held in the first place.
All in all, my typical day is of all my courses, but my day as a Rowan student is made when I get to do all the wonderful things this place offers, combined with the even more amazing people who go to them.
Story organized and photography by:
Vanessa Vause, junior public relations major and advertising minor
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Mimosa Hall Video Tour [Video]
#PROFspective: Mechanical Engineering Major Lexi Basantis
Finding Myself at Rowan