Your transition to the University of Michigan can be a rewarding and challenging time.  From campus life, to academic schedules, to housing options- coming to Michigan is full of growth opportunities.

Responsibility. Veterans know a thing or two about responsibility— from saving lives, to serving in combat, to serving as reservists, to working as a team— to being University of Michigan students.

Many student veterans come to U-M with these specific responsibilities:

Suicide is often described as that moment when an individual believes their pain exceeds the resources available. 

Nearly 35% of University of Michigan students surveyed say they think about suicide to some degree.  On a national scale, the number of lives lost to suicide is climbing, especially among our veterans and service personnel.  According to published reports, more veterans have died by suicide than those killed serving in Afghanistan.

For some student veterans, attending the University of Michigan as members of an underrepresented community can be stressful.  At times, student veterans may experience a loss of identity, loss of community, and feelings of isolation.

Others student vets have reported feeling misunderstood by professors, graduate student instructors, and other students.  As a result, student veterans might find it difficult to understand, interact, and connect with U-M peers— who may be younger and have different experiences, beliefs and/or values.  

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

We’ve all heard this, but what does it really mean? And what does it mean to you, the student veteran? 

Sixteen Ford School masters students speak about their experiences around race and racism on camera in this new student-produced file, "Walking the Line of Blackness." Find the video HERE.

Unfortunately, once again, our staff wants to acknowledge the range of feelings that many U of M students, staff and faculty might be feeling as a result  of the Staten Island grand jury failing to file any charges against the white police officer whose videotaped actions resulted in the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, in NYC on July 13, 2014.

It is important to acknowledge when one is partaking in perfectionist thinking (e.g., checking and rechecking, apologizing too much for minor mistakes, spending too much time doing less important things like cleaning your house). Acknowledging one’s perfectionistic thinking is the first step in being able to change it.

In order to change perfectionistic thinking it is important to:

Perfectionistic Thinking and Behavior

In fact, when performed excessively, perfectionistic behavior can have an affect that is opposite of what the person intended. Perfectionists are more likely to experience decreased productivity, impaired health, troubled interpersonal relationships, and low self-esteem. Perfectionists are also vulnerable to: