Year in Review

Honors Contract G.O.A.L.S:

 

Global Awareness:

As an honors student and a Political Science major, I have taken courses that involved increasing my global awareness especially as it relates to political situations. I have taken a course on the ethics of international policy and am currently taking a course on democratic erosion in which I am specifically going to research and give a presentation about a foreign country’s state of democracy. I will continue to increase my global awareness by taking part in one of the study abroad programs offered at OSU or participating in and designing original research as it relates to the realm of politics and the world.

Original Inquiry:

My main involvement with the research process has been through classes on the methods and statistics that go into it. To further my understanding of this area, I will take advantage of the many professors who are actively working on original projects and need help from eager students like myself. I can then use the information that I learned from helping on their projects and can apply it to an original project of my own when I decide to pursue one.

Academic Enrichment:

The Honors Contract shows my commitment to Academic Enrichment in many ways. As a Political Science and Psychology major, I have to coordinate with two different major advisors regarding my classes and any revisions that need to be made to the contract. This may make things harder for me, but I am committed to making the best of my time here, and I feel that this is reflected in my willingness to go through this process of finishing two different majors. Also, every class I chose for my Honors Contract reflects my choice to hold myself to a high academic standard. Whether it be for a GE or one of my majors, I am committed to making sure my Honors Contract has more upper division classes than the bare minimum, and that the classes I take are going to challenge me, but be useful in the long run. These are just some of the many ways that the Honors Contract demonstrates my commitment to Academic Enrichment.

Leadership Development:

So far, I have been involved in many different campus activities. I am a member of the Security and Intelligence Club. This club has helped me learn more about careers in the FBI and other intelligence agencies. As a Political Science student, this club has exposed me to other fields in which I can utilize my degree. It has also contributed to my leadership development by teaching me skills that could prove useful if I was in an emergency situation and needed to take control of it to help save someone. I am also a member of the Casual Sports Club. This club has also helped my development as a leader because I am constantly working together with my team towards the same goal, and sometimes that involves taking charge to make sure our team is on the right track. These activities contribute to my development as a leader, and they contribute the furthering of my passions like Political Science and sports.

Service Engagement:

My main involvement in service activities on campus so far has been through BuckeyeThon. I am constantly interacting on social media on where everyone can go to support this amazing cause, and it has allowed me to raise enough to attend the dance marathon two years in a row. I plan to continue to fundraise for BuckeyeThon by registering the next two years, and I have plans to potentially join as a team member in the future to get more involved with the entire process.

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness:

As an honors student and a Political Science major, I will take courses that involve increasing my global awareness especially as it relates to political situations. This will include taking part in one of the study abroad programs offered at OSU or participating in and designing original research as it relates to the realm of politics and the world.

Original Inquiry:

As a part of my studies here at OSU, I will take advantage of the many professors who are actively working on original projects and need help from eager students like myself. I can use the information learned from helping on their projects and can apply it to an original project of my own when I decide to pursue one.

Academic Enrichment:

With a constantly changing political landscape in the world, there is always a lot to learn and to understand. That is why I am pursuing a major in Political Science. I will take many courses that help me better understand this changing landscape and in turn can allow me to apply my own thoughts and ideas to it through potential original research projects. My interest in politics has also led me to pursue a minor in Social Psychology because many of the ideas and concepts can be related to similar political phenomena. I want to invest a lot of my time in these fields and that is why I will take many courses at higher levels in order to gain the best knowledge I can from each of them.

Leadership Development:

While a student at OSU, I will take part in multiple student organizations on campus. This will allow me to meet people with similar interests as me and to participate in service work to better the community. By becoming an active member in these organizations and potentially creating my own, I have the ability to become a leader and to work on important leadership qualities that can even be applied to my field of interest in the future.

Service Engagement:

As a member in the Psychology Club, part of my initiative is actively participate in service activities in the community at OSU and outside of it. Another opportunity I will participate in is BuckeyeThon. Organizations like this will help raise awareness and allow me participate in service opportunities to help the community at large. All of these opportunities will provide me with experiences for the betterment of the community and for my own self development.

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

 

eportfolio-pictureMy name is Thomas Baumgarten. I’m from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and went to Cumberland Valley School District. I am a huge sports fan and am really excited to enjoy the great sports atmosphere of The Ohio State University. I am going to Ohio State to earn a BA in Political Science and Psychology. I plan to pursue a graduate degree in Political Science once done with my undergraduate studies, but I am still trying to figure out what field I would like to go into. I took many Honors and AP courses in high school and am looking forward to the challenge of OSU’s honors program.