SP ’18 Semester in Review

My second semester flew by even faster than the first. I took a much heavier class load than the fall semester. My schedule consisted of Spanish 1103 (Spanish III), Chemistry 1210 (General Chemistry I), Biology 1114 (Form, Function, and Ecology), and Math 1149 (Trigonometry). I was much more busy than I was first semester and that resulted in a few more challenges than I initially faced coming into college.

I was always prepared by my teachers, parents, and older friends that college is a lot harder than high school. Therefore perfect grades, while always the goal, may not be achievable. Yet, my first semester seemed to go pretty well for me. This made it even more difficult to face the notoriously difficult classes at OSU though, because it may have given me false hope that college isn’t as hard as everyone makes it seem. Also, I missed out on the initial shock of receiving a horrible grade that my peers had in the autumn, which made it a little bit harder to cope with the failing averages on some of the chemistry midterms, because I did not have peers that were facing the same challenges at the same time as I was. Although because I took many of these harder classes my second semester, I did know a little bit about how hard it was going to be from my roommates and friends who took the class before I did. Despite the shock of much more difficult classes, I managed to pass all of my classes knowing I put forth as much effort as I am capable of, which is all I can ask for I suppose.

Another downfall of the heavier course load is the fact that I did posses some of the time management skills I thought I gained my first semester. I talked about how I had learned to manage my time and balancing school and social life, yet I did not know what it was like to take classes that require hours of studying and preparation outside of class. My first semester, while was not easy by any means, did not require the extensive number of hours I spent in Thompson studying this semester. While this was yet another shock, it taught me valuable time management and perseverance when all I wanted to do was to go spend time with my friends. I had to make difficult decisions to study instead of going out with friends, which was hard at first but paid of in the end. Also, not that the semester if over I can see that I still spent a lot of time with friends and even learned how to do both study and hang out by taking trips to coffee shops in Columbus.

In all, this past semester was full of even more learning curves that come along with beginning college. I thought I had a handle on time management, but quickly learned I had a lot of improving to do. Also, I was quickly humbles by the grades of much harder classes, which pushed me to work even harder in my studies. If I learned one thing from this semester, it would that I can achieve what almost seems impossible (decent grades in difficult classes for example) if I am willing to put in a little effort to get there.

Also, below are some pictures from throughout the semester. I went to Hocking Hills for Spring Break, where I became even closer with my new friends from last semester. My roommate received a 4 Paws dog to begin training. His name is Beetle and he lived with us after Spring Break, and will continue living with us for a few months next semester. He is what encouraged me to finally submit my application to be a part of the organization so I can help in training him and future dogs!

4 Paws Introduction

Coming to college I always planned on joining a club on campus called 4 Paws For Ability. The club is through an organization outside of the university, but has a chapter at OSU. The purpose of the club is to help train and raise dogs that can go on to become service animals. These dogs are trained to perform tasks like closing doors, opening handicap doors, and tracking. First semester I refrained from applying to focus on school though. This semester my roomate, who was already approved through the organization, received a puppy to train. She was the main handler for this dog, named beetle, which means he lived with us. This experience really pushed my to apply to become a handler (or sitter) for the organization. Because of this, I have now been approved and will be attending orientation in Xenia this may, so that next semester I can begin participating in this club! I am very excited for the chance to hep train these dogs to help someone who really needs them.