Suzan Tasleem

Profile:

I enrolled and matriculated into Michigan State University Dubai as a part of the inaugural class in August 2008. Academic rigour and excellence were the critical factors in my selecting MSU; the admissions standards here are very high as are the demanding expectations that faculty have of students. I wanted the most academically challenging and exciting university experience possible and I found that here at MSU Dubai. If MSU Dubai had not opened, I would have moved to the US to pursue my undergraduate studies. I am studying Media Management and Research because I think media can promote powerful changes in a society for the better, and I want to be a part of that.

I love the close-knit environment at MSU Dubai. I get the best of both worlds; the opportunity to study at a university of a large size and offerings on the main campus back in Michigan , to have access and benefit from its numerous study abroad programs all over the World, and to attend classes at MSU Dubai where the small teacher - student ratio in classes make  learning interactive, lively and exciting. The faculty are overwhelmingly from the US and they insist that we get engaged in critical discussions, both student-to-student and student-to-faculty in the classroom and in all of the activities we participate in outside of the classroom.

I know I have made the right choice for my education and career planning. I have established friendships with students from many different countries at MSU Dubai. Every student is unique and irreplaceable. I am surrounded by the geniuses, the artistic, the adventurous, the philosophers, and the multi-talented. The professors are the best I have ever had; they all have carried their own research work, and are prominent in their fields. They bring their research into the classroom and demand that we participate and engage in that research.  MSU even has Research Professorial Assistantships that provide support for the best students to work directly with faculty on their research projects.I wake up looking forward to class every morning – it’s a nice change!

I want to pursue my graduate studies and become an attorney, and build a career  with an international organization such as the United Nations or another equally influential international non-profit organization that advocates for human rights. You’ll always find me striking up a debate, especially on women’s rights, in a classroom or in the Agora (our common area; “Agora” is what the ancient Greek’s called their common public areas where ideas were exchanged and debated!) – with my professors or other students. The best part about it is that the diversity of our student population adds richness to the debate.

I generally like change, so I have never had hobbies but the one thing I have never let go of is reading. The Library at MSU Dubai is my favorite room on campus, it is absolutely perfect for quiet reflective study – yes I am a dork!

MSU Dubai will give me the best possible headstart in life; the rest is up to me! With an MSU degree and all the associated in-class and out-of-class intellectual, scholarly, and community training that MSU provides I believe I will be ready for a great future in three years.