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Mac Hird

Junior from Regina, SK, Canada
Physics major with a minor in Political Science

What do you like about living on campus?
I like staying up late, eating whenever I want, and getting in all sorts of trouble with my roommate, Kevin Tydlacka, who is also a first year leader.

List some clubs or organizations you are involved in at UT Dallas.
A Modest Proposal, Student Government, and Student Ambassadors

List some of your hobbies.
Kayaking, reading awesome books, and generally doing anything that might be a good laughs

List something unique about yourself.
Nerf guns are some of my favorite things in the world. I have a large collection of them (fifteen to be exact) and have them hidden all over my room.

Why did you decide to become a First-Year Leader?
I love UT Dallas, and I feel that this is the best way for me to instill that love in the incoming freshmen. Getting involved on campus has had a huge impact on my life, and just like my FYL helped me get involved on campus, I want to help freshmen find the activities that they are going to participate in for the next four years here at UT Dallas.

What advice do you have for the freshman class coming into UT Dallas?
Get involved in campus organizations. There is much more to University than only going to classes, and it is incredibly important to get involved on campus. I have met some of my best friends through campus organizations and have gotten 10 times more out of my experience here at UT Dallas.

What do you wish you did during your freshman year that you didn’t?
Got to know all of my professors better. UT Dallas has outstanding professors, and since my freshmen year I have really gotten to know these professors a lot better. They are great people to get advice from, can write awesome recommendation letters for things both in the university and grad schools and can get you great opportunities like into research labs.

What do you like about UT Dallas?
UT Dallas offers incredible opportunities to each and every student. It always offers great academics, is easy to get involved in a large variety of campus organization, and even allows undergraduates to do cutting-edge research.

Why did you decide to attend UT Dallas?
This place really felt like home to me when I visited. The people here were all so nice and friendly, and I instantly knew that this was the place that I could see myself for the next four years.

What has been your favorite or best UT Dallas experience so far?
Definitely Oozeball, which is our annual mud volleyball tournament on campus. This is a great opportunity for everyone to just relax with your friends before finals and have a great time playing in the mud like little kids. Besides, there is nothing like that feeling of mud squishing between your toes.

What did you learn about college life that you didn’t know before?
How free you are! You have four years to get an education, and no one is going to tell you what to do along the way. You can get involved in anything you want, plan your schedule anyway that you think works best and spend your free time however you feel at the moment. That said, all this freedom is hard to control and you really need to have some sort of planner to organize yourself and make sure you don’t miss important assignments or other commitments.

What do you like to do to unwind after class?
I really enjoy just kicking back with some friends and having a good time. Sleeping is another good thing that I try to get at every opportunity.