Eli Karttunen, a fourth year economics major studied in Germany during summer of 2012.
Why did you study abroad?
Studying abroad allowed me to see how economics and finance courses are taught from a European perspective. Also, to take classes with foreign professors and students gives you a large networking advantage, as well as the chance to work in multicultural teams, all of which are invaluable experiences for graduate school, as well as later in life. All too often, it seems that economics has the potential of being taught from a politically skewed or nationalistic point of view,so understanding how Germans view different economic theories or events like the European Sovereign Debt Crisis was appealing.
What did you experience?
The first part of the program was a course on German language,culture, and business, which is designed to not only give the US students a working vocabulary and knowledge of German language and grammar, but also to provide insight to German culture and political institutions. Students present on a variety of topics and have to write a paper by the end of the program. I presented on “The German Banking Sector” and “The German Social Security System.”So far, the difference has been that homework and projects aren’t that big in German education. It’s all about the exam grade. In fact, for university classes, you don’t actually register for them here, you just attend the lectures you want, memorize the note packet the professor sends out, and you register for exams and take them. Nothing else is graded.
What was the best part of your trip?
The best part of the trip is simply being in Europe and being able to travel around and experience the culture. So far, we’ve been to Hannover, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Luneburg. With travel plans to Rotenburg, Munich, Heidelberg, and Helsinki the capital of the land of my ancestry in Finland.
Would you study abroad again? Would you go somewhere new or to the same location?
Study abroad is an invaluable experience in many ways: academically,professionally, personally, and socially. You learn of new ideas, new ways of doing things, and meet tons of people you’d otherwise never have known. I definitely would do it again, given the opportunity. Germany is a great place, and I’m sure I’ll return someday, perhaps for work—I’d definitely need to learn more German first—but for sure for vacation some day. But in order to see other places around the globe, I’d probably want to check out somewhere new!
The School of Business and Economics wants to congratulate Coleman Segal for his acceptance into the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. We’re so proud!
Despite being accepted to UC Berkeley out of high school, Segal chose to pursue his undergraduate degree at Michigan Tech. After visiting his Aunt and Uncle in the Houghton as a child, he has always loved the area. The wild, beautiful surroundings, the opportunity to participate in the vibrant folk music scene, and the impressive academic reputation were all factors in his decision to come to Tech.
After researching universities, he learned of the Economics program at Michigan Tech. Economics interested Segal in high school because it can be applied to so many different aspects of life. Segal said, “The study of economics is in large part an effort to understand the mechanics of a functioning society, and so it relates to many different fields. It also provides a good background for law school, which I have planned to attend since high school.”
Segal is a California native and will soon return to his home state to pursue his law degree from one of the top 100 Law Schools in the nation. Applying and being accepted to five law schools –Marquette University in Milwaukee, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, and Albany Law School– Segal selected the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and will begin classes next fall. In addition to their impressive reputation, Segal said he chose McGeorge School of Law based on their location in Sacramento, California. He finds the area interesting as a center of government, with multiple courthouses at different levels in the immediate area.
Crediting his experiences with extracurricular activities such as the iOMe Challenge and the Pavlis Institute for advancing his goals of attending law school, Segal noted that Michigan Tech prepared him well for continuing his education. Mastering skills such as writing and researching papers, in many different subjects, have been instrumental for the pursuit of his law degree.
Eli A. Karttunen, USG president, a senior in economics.
New members have been elected to the Executive Board of Undergraduate Student Government (USG) for one-year appointments. The School of Business and Economics is proud to announce that one of our own, Economics major Eli Karttuenen, has been elected to serve as president.
2012 USG members and Titles:
* Eli A. Karttunen, president, a senior in economics
* Donnie L. Palmer, vice president, a junior in chemical engineering
* Jennifer M. Zarzecki, secretary, a senior in mechanical engineering
* Abhishek Gupta, treasurer, a senior in civil engineering
As a member of the USG for the past 2 years, Eli has seen many ways in which USG could improve student life on campus by making student’s opinions heard, which is a big reason why he chose to run for president. USG is supposed to be the collective voice of students on campus. Eli hopes improve the current relationship between students, USG, and the administration during his time as president.
When we asked Eli about his goals as president, he responded “My first priority is to improve the relationship between USG and the students. An organization only has as much influence as its constituents afford, and this is one area USG has been lacking. I know how this organization works and what students need.”
We wish Eli and the rest of the Undergraduate Student Government the best of luck in attaining and surpassing their goals during their appointments!
Meet Danielle and Don. Both are students in the School of Business and Economics with different goals, ambitions and experiences. Danielle came to Michigan Tech for the outdoors and Don for his career goals. Hear from them why they chose Michigan Tech and what you have to look forward to as a student.
Danielle Boettger
“The Keweenaw is a playground for people like me. There are people here to help you if you haven’t experienced outdoor adventures before. It’s also one of the reasons I came here.”
Four teams of Michigan Tech students competed in the 2011 iOMe Challenge, that builds awareness for ways that local organizations might engage the Y or Millennial generation to think about their own future, 40 years from now. Three of the four MTU teams made it to the final round of judging and one team has received an honorable mention in the 2011 competition. Students were judged on a video submission (above) and an essay. The team receiving the honorable mention was awarded $2,000 and was composed of:
Katie O’Connell, Economics major
Tianlu Shen, Environmental Engineering major
Adam Stigers, Economics major
Teddy Broe, Economics major
Walker Derby, Finance major
Lecturer in Economics, Emanuel Oliveira, was the academic advisor of the four teams competing in this year’s iOMe Challenge. Commenting on the contest’s two components, Oliveira said, “The students put together an excellent essay that contained innovative policy recommendations, considerable statistical analysis, and it was very well written.”
Team leader of the winning team and economics major, Katie O’Connell, noted that it was amazing to find out that their group had received honorable mention in the iOMe Challenge. Recalling her feelings prior to the competition and why she chose to compete she said, “I remember hoping to do well! Receiving an honorable mention was great. I decided to compete in this challenge to get a closer look at how to encourage people to save money. It truly is a challenge in an economy where interest rates are so low and there is no obvious and immediate reward. But it’s also critically important to the future of our economy, and even our society, to reverse the downward savings trend. I hope that our participation in this process will at least help to open discussion as well as spark ideas and interest in creating an America that saves more.”
Congrats to all of this years competitors and Dr. Emanuel Oliveira!
