User:Michael P. Herbert

Hi, I'm Michael Herbert. I don't mind being called Michael, but I'd prefer if you'd address me as Mike. I'm currently a student at Knox College in Illinois, working on dual bachelor's degrees in history and biology. As of right now, I'm attempting to get into medical school, but I may decide to become a physician's assistant or a history professor instead. Microbiology and genetics are my favorite disciplines within biology; for whatever reason, I find performing Gram stains and running PCRs oddly therapeutic. I generally like all forms of history, but one could probably call modern Asian (particularly Japanese and Chinese) my favorite area.

Video games are my preferred method of using (and admittedly in some cases, wasting) my free time. I'm generally knowledgeable about the subject, but my favorite series are The Legend of Zelda, and Metal Gear Solid. I've also recently gotten into Guitar Hero and Rock Band. At Knox, I'm the secretary of the GIN (Gaming Information Network), which oversees many areas of gaming, including the video, card, board, die-based, and live-action genres. In some ways, one of my majors ties into this position--as a biology student, one becomes very accustomed to writing synopses.

After 5 years of instruction in German, I'd say that I have an intermediate understanding of the language, at least in terms of reading; I'm only decent at writing and one step shy of terrible at speaking. If you wish, feel free to send me some basic messages in German so that I don't forget everything that I've learned--my formal training in the language is over. I also hope to have at least one year of Japanese under my belt by the time next summer rolls around.

That's about all I have to say at the moment. College is a period of transition, and lots of this is apt to change in another couple of years. Plus, I'm sure there's many, many articles that you could be filling in. So, hop to it!