Until the early 1900's, the President's office handled registration and information concerning rooms for student. Increased enrollments made this impractical, the Young Men's Christian Association, Located in the basement of People's Church, assumed the task shortly before World War I. Prior to the advent of adequate on-campus dormitories, most short course students were housed in private rooming houses in the East Lansing area. Financial hardships brought on by economic conditions in agriculture caused many students to form cooperative boarding clubs and other share-the-expense type living groups. It was not uncommon to find five or six boys from one area rooming and boarding together, with their mothers alternately baking a week's supply of bread and pastries and sending a ham and several gallons of milk to the campus with the student after a week-end visit. Local restaurants offered meal tickets at reduced rates to short course students. Other students lived with local families and worked part-time to earn expenses.

In 1937, a 100-man barracks was called into service to alleviate overcrowding in East Lansing, but it was only a temporary solution. When the of students increased further because of the Kellogg Foundation and National Youth Administration programs, more room was essential. In 1941 the N.Y.A. built the Short Course Dormitory and Cafeteria which served as the center of activities for short course students until other campus facilities were available.

Health services were very limited for all students until after World War I, when Doctor Olin was hired and a hospital organized. A "college hospital" was originally set up in 1893, but on a very tenuous basis. The seven-room building and caretaker-type duties were operated by various college employees, who cared for patients in exchange for rent. An nurse was hired in 1901 and until the influenza epidemic of 1918, she was apparently adequate to the health needs of the campus. The epidemic postponed the opening of short courses until the winter quarter and precipitated the addition of the new hospital staff and facilities, since 18 college students died from the flu. Regular physical examinations and smallpox vaccinations were later required of all students and necessitated a normal health fee plus a 25-cent charge per visit.

Although short course students have participated in extracurricular activities, with the exception of intercollegiate athletics, on the same basis as regular college students, they have maintained a group identity and cohesiveness through their own clubs and associations within the College of Agriculture student groups. The Farmers' Club of the early 1900's was replaced by groups interested in specialized areas of agriculture, such as the horticulture, animal husbandry, and dairy clubs. It was customary to bring students from all types of short courses together one or two evenings each week to hear lecturers, watch films or skits, and to otherwise entertain as well as educate them.

The Literary Society formed in 1916 served this purpose for several years. Among the lecturers in 1930-31 were President of the College, R. S. Shaw; Dean of Agriculture, J. F. Cox; poultry extension specialist, J. A. Hannah; and many local agricultural leaders. The Short Course Club, started in the mid-1920's, actively promoted recreational, social, and educational activities among all short course students. The Short Course Council of today succeeded the Club and although made up of Young Farmer course students, sponsors and directs activities among the on-campus groups.

The Short Course Orchestra and Choral Club provided musical entertainment for campus affairs and at the height of its popularity, the orchestra played concerts and dance dates in the Lansing area. Professor E. C. Sauve of the Agricultural Engineering Department directed the vocal groups on a voluntary basis from 1927 until 1941. Since no records, other than Short Course Catalogs, mention Professor Sauve's participation, the duration may have been longer.

Athletic participation among short course students has been very active. During the 1920's and 1930's, the short course student basketball team played many area high school, college, and independent teams. Mr. L. D. Kurtz, Mr. Eva, and "Stub" Cole coached by Cole, was undefeated in 13 games. Mr. Fendley Collins, former MSU and Olympic coach, coached wrestling, and Mr. Fran Sietrich, current MSU coach, coached track and directed tournaments for short course students for many years. Monogrammed letter sweaters were awarded to members of debate, boxing wrestling, handball, indoor baseball, swimming, track, and volleyball teams, as well as to the orchestra and choral groups. Intramural athletics are now supervised by the Men's Intramural Department and , although sweater and letter awards were discontinued after World War II medallions are still given to championship intramural teams.

Short Course students were expected to attend lectures of the Liberal Arts Association, an all-campus group, and were encouraged to take part in the bi-weekly Y.M.C.A. lectures and the special Short Course Sunday School class taught in People's Church. The students were often called on to help the Department in conducting tours for visiting high school groups and farmer organizations.

Livestock judging contests have been an important educational and recreational activity for short course students. The President's trophy, originated by President R. S. Shaw, was the overall contest winner's coveted award during his term of office from 1928 to 1941. Annual awards were also given to outstanding students in each on-campus course, which in some years required more than one dozen trophies.