What to Expect When You’re Expecting…Your Second Year to be Different

You are nearing the end of your first year at Ohio State! You’re probably studying for finals, maybe figuring out your summer plans, or possibly thinking about your second year already. Whatever the case, I’m glad you are here, because I am going to share about how my second year was different than my first year.

As I returned to campus for my second year, my mindset was different than the previous year. This time around, I felt more confident and prepared. I knew the drill when it came to classes and living on campus. I had time to think about how to approach other aspects of my second year, like applying for my major, committing time to my involvement, and working an on-campus job. In my first year, the majority of my time and efforts was spent on academics; I didn’t have many other responsibilities. I was nervous to see how my new commitments fit in with my course load. I was approaching my second year with excitement and caution. I wanted to continue good standing in my classes, but I was also ready to take advantage of opportunities to help me grow outside the classroom. As I would learn over the course of second year, it is all about learning what’s important to you and finding a balance.

In my first year, I developed some habits that needed to be adjusted for success in my second year. Most of these habits were related to academics: where I studied, how I studied, and when I studied. I started to realize that I did not organize or structure my school work during my first year. This became a big problem for me at the start of my second year. My increased involvement and work forced me to re-evaluate my studying strategies. I learned that I needed to plan when I would work on homework or study for classes in order to do my best. For me, setting small goals for what I wanted to accomplish during a study session was very helpful. During my first year, it was nearly impossible for me to study in my room. I was constantly distracted and unmotivated when I found myself at my own desk. It was challenging for me to study in my room at the beginning of my second year, but I wanted to break that trend. By using my planning and goal-setting strategies, I learned to be disciplined and stay focused when studying in my room. These are just some ways that I have changed since my first year.

The biggest difference that I have seen between my first and second year at Ohio State is in how I spend my time. My first year was a stream of random events and occurrences that were squeezed in between my classes and homework. During my second year, I took time to think about what my priorities were and I ranked them in a top ten list. I then looked at my calendar for a given week and totaled the amount of time that I spent on each of those priorities. I was surprised to find that my priorities were disconnected from what I spent my time doing. I was motivated to change this and began thinking of ways that I could align my time with my priorities. Often you hear about time management skills and how important they are to success in college. I found that filtering my time through my priorities has been the best way to find a balance for my time. I was able to fully invest in my job and involvement while staying on top of my studies, and most importantly, I enjoyed what I was doing.

Your second year isn’t bound to look like mine, but I hope you found my experience helpful. My best advice to you is to reflect on your first year. Think about what you learned and how you grew as a student. I encourage you to think about how your second year might look different and what you can do to prepare yourself. I didn’t think very much about how my second year would go. Take advantage of the opportunity that you have to form some second year expectations and how you will approach reaching your goals, it will serve you well.

Senioritis plagues us all

We’re at the beginning of Week 7, and I still feel like the semester is just starting. Every week I look at my syllabi and have no idea what’s going on in my classes. I’m graduating in May–less than 3 months away!–and I have less motivation than ever before. I feel very apathetic about doing the things I need to get done.

I’ve heard from a few first-year students that have admitted they’re in similar situations. The weather has been snowy and dreary, and if you mix that with a warm, comfy blanket and Netflix, you get a perfect storm that equals you not going to class. Trust me, I’ve been there! And the weather recently has been so nice that I want to spend more time outside, instead of studying in the library.

For some people, it’s more than the weather. Once the newness of classes wears off, our obligations don’t seem as important. We get in a rut and convince ourselves that not going to [fill in the blank] won’t really matter. We need to be reminded that our choices can have serious repercussions later down the road if we’re not careful. Letting yourself skip one class becomes five classes, and suddenly you’ve missed a few pop quizzes. It’s a slippery slope to go down!

If you think you might be sliding down that slippery slope, as yourself these questions:

  • Have I been managing my time well?
  • When I have free time, I usually ______.
  • Do I tend to procrastinate instead of working ahead?

It’s easy to think that the answer is to tell myself that I should do better or I just need to try harder. Except that’s not encouraging, and definitely not what I want to hear. I think it’s okay to recognize that these feelings are valid, but it’s not okay to keep sitting in this season of complacency. I can see where I’m really pulling away from some responsibilities, and why I don’t want to experience those outcomes.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re in the same boat:

  • Reward yourself only AFTER you’ve accomplished a set task. (e.g. I’ll spend 15 minutes on Instagram after I finish reading Chapter 12.)
  • Change your scenery. Do you always workout at JOS? Try rock climbing at the ARC. Always study at Thompson? Try a study room in your residence hall. Sometimes exploring new settings can help re-energize you!
  • Identify what’s holding you back from success. Is it the need for a nap? Or do you get stuck watching hours of Netflix? Do you always say yes to hangout with friends when you need to study?

The struggle to find motivation plagues all of us at one point or another. Think about some of my suggestions and how you see those playing out in your own life. I also encourage you to start a conversation with a roommate, friend, coworker or mentor about different motivation strategies. Maybe someone has a cool approach that you want to try!

As always, know that the FYE Peer Leaders are here to help! Reach out to one of us if you have any questions or concerns. You can also email me directly: hageman.64s@osu.edu.

Bad Grade? Bounce Back in 5 Steps!

Now that the first round of midterms is almost over, you’ve probably started to get your first midterm grades back. If you didn’t do as well as you expected on an exam, don’t be discouraged! Taking college exams is not an easy task, especially if you’ve never taken one before. Now that you are more familiar of how an actual college exam works, let’s take some time to reflect on how you can improve the next time around!

Here are some tips that I have found helpful after getting a disappointing grade on a midterm.

Talk to your instructor

Stop by office hours and go over your exam with the instructor. This is really helpful because you’ll be able to go over your mistakes and find out why your answers were incorrect. Make sure to ask questions and always ask to clarify a topic that you do not completely understand. Your professors are always willing to give you guidance on how to approach their class, so don’t be afraid to reach out to them!

Develop new study habits

In high school, you may not have studied much for midterms. In college, studying may require hours at Thompson Library, memorizing pages of notes and study guides. This is not always the most effective way to study the material. In my time as a college student, I’ve learned that it’s not about how long you study, but rather how well you study. The Dennis Learning Center in the Younkin Success Center has several student resources for effective study skills. You can also attend Use Your Brain! Memory Tools for Effective Studying (register through the First Year Success Series) if you want to learn a new way to study!

Make use of the resources on campus

Ohio State has so many resources on campus. The university wants its students to succeed above and beyond and it is only fitting that we use these resources to our advantage. Check out these campus tutoring centers (if you haven’t already) for help with subjects that many students study in their first year.

Campus Tutoring

Hold yourself accountable

Too often we place the blame on the professor with a different accent, or on our friends for distracting us, but we need to be the one to take responsibility for the disappointing grade. Placing the blame on someone or something else is counterproductive because then you will never be able to recognize how you can do better in the future! If you do get a bad grade, it’s okay to be upset about it, but then try to find ways to improve yourself. The best way to deal with a bad grade is to put in the effort to do things differently and to strive even harder the next time for the grade you feel like you deserve.

Stay motivated

Getting your first bad grade on an exam can make you rethink a lot of things in life: your major, your career choice, and maybe even your time here at Ohio State. Don’t fret! Everyone struggles with staying motivated at one time or another…I know I still do! Just know that we can get through this together! I found this article about staying motivated in college to be helpful.

The most successful students are the ones who ask for help when they need it! Don’t be afraid to ask for help and support, whether it’s from your professor, your TA, your RA or even your Peer Leader. Just know that together, we are all here to help you pave your path to success! Stay positive, work hard and make it happen!