Success Stories

A man of many passions and pursuits, Michael McMain (LSA ‘20) graduated from the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, where he majored in economics, philosophy, mathematical sciences, and statistics. “I’m very proud that I was able to go to the University of Michigan and study everything I wanted to,” he says.

Finding his Way

McMain actually started as an astrophysics major, with plans to become a professor. “I took honors physics during my first semester but learned I really didn’t enjoy it,” he says. “So I transitioned to economics, which was something I really enjoyed. I was drawn to the idea of understanding and modeling human behavior in maximizing utility. That was an intriguing concept to me.”

Born and raised in Warren, Michigan, McMain says he always knew he would attend college. “My dad, like many people in Metro Detroit, worked for Chrysler as an engineer. So I just assumed that when I grew up I’d work in an office as an engineer just like my dad. My mom was a teacher, so I knew that was an option as well,” he says.

But he found himself looking in new directions during high school. “In my 11th grade AP class, we read one of the dialogues in ‘The Republic’ by Plato,” says McMain. “This really informed my decision in terms of going to U-M, and more specifically to the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. I knew I wanted something that was not as concrete as engineering. I wanted to have a wide breadth of information and insight.”

Grateful for Support

In his senior year of high school, McMain applied to U-M and was accepted. He also learned that he qualified for the Go Blue Guarantee. “The Go Blue Guarantee changed everything. To recognize that I didn’t need to be concerned about the financial part of my education was a huge sigh of relief,” he says. “It’s amazing to go to a school as renowned as U-M and not leave with any student loan debt. I would not be where I am right now without it.”

Leaning into Philosophy

In the pursuit of four majors, McMain also turned his focus to the study of philosophy. “I took a class focused on Martin Heidegger and Ludwig Wittgenstein, two German philosophers,” he says. “It was a very small class with about 15 students, taught by the chair of the Germanic Languages and Literature Department. We spent half of the semester reading Heidegger's books and the other half on Wittgenstein's books. It was the first time I devoted this much time to one chapter of a book. It was a really cool experience for me, and one of my favorite classes.”

He’s also fascinated by existentialists. “I actually read ‘The Plague’ by Albert Camus in December 2019, which was an odd time to be reading this book because just three months later we were all thrown into the COVID-19 pandemic,” he says. “But it was actually a really nice time to read this book because, at the end of the day, it is very hopeful. It brings perspective about getting to the other side of an extremely difficult time and making meaning of it.”

Gaining Wisdom

The best advice McMain ever received was when he was in high school, and it came from his father. “He told me to not compare myself to other people. He mentioned how easy it can be to compare yourself and your grades to others, but that this was never a good thing to do. He reminded me that the only thing you can control are your own actions and how you respond to things. And to just focus on how you can do the best you can do. Not the best other people can do. That helped me a lot.”

The Next Chapter

McMain is now a PhD student in economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I studied economics at U-M with honors, which entailed writing a thesis. I really enjoyed the research process. It was also clear that I enjoyed teaching. So it was pretty obvious that becoming a professor was the best course of action, and that a PhD was an obvious next step,” he says. “It is important to me to connect with others through teaching and mentorship. For that reason, becoming a professor is very clearly what will be the most fulfilling career for me. I’m very confident in that.”

Fond Memories

McMain says there is one moment that stands out among others during his time at U-M. “I was studying with five of my friends at Alice Lloyd Hall during my first year. It was really late, probably midnight. One of my friends started playing music and sort of rapping about Valentine’s Day and first love. It almost felt like a fever dream, because we had been studying for so long,” he says. “I was with five of the smartest people I’d ever met, and we were just laughing and having fun. Even though we’re all scattered across the country now, we remain in touch and continue to support one another.”