Bryce Mortera, first-year, pharmaceutical sciences
January 8th, 2018, January 1st, 2018, and August 22nd, 2017. All of these dates may appear arbitrarily related to one another, but they are not. Each of these days signifies to me and to many other students something important: the start of something new. These days are the start of college, the start of a new year and the beginning of the new semester. Beginning a new experience is a unique time for many; having a clean slate offers so many possibilities that can allow individuals to grow and strive to achieve new goals for themselves.
Starting Right
One of the most important things to starting fresh is starting right. Although that might be an obvious statement, it is not always easy to do. I know this first hand. During my senior year of high school, I entered it with the mindset that “Senior year will be a time for easy and fun classes, along with some cringy senior quotes.” Although my senior year was far from that, that made for a good transition quote. College, as many new students will find out, is a place where you are in total control over what you do, and I do not mean that in the causal sense. As a first-year student, the number of responsibilities including complete control over your classes, maintaining contact to build strong relationships with faculty, attending your lectures and labs and much more fall on you. Such responsibilities may overwhelm some. Make it of the highest importance to organize yourself from day one.
Organization
As my second semester just started a little over a week ago, I had realized from last semester that I needed to be optimistic about the spring semester and the new opportunities that are ahead. This is one of the easiest parts of making a new semester and college in general as successful as possible. Besides maintaining optimism throughout this new experience, laying out goals and making a plan are also both highly advantageous for many. Knowing what you want to achieve for this specific time period is the first part of making a plan, followed by actually developing a way to finish those goals, whether it is through using a calendar system or just writing down the steps to complete your objectives. The third and final step that I would recommend to help stay organized is to be prepared to modify. Flexibility is the key to making any task or job work; so, be open and able to make sudden shifts to your original plan and or goal(s).
New Year, New You
Hearing the phrase “New year, New you” is a common occurrence around this time of year, but actually becoming “new” is a matter of determination and how well prepared you are to actually succeed in change. As I have said, starting fresh in college and in general provides everyone with the opportunity to become the best they can be. Here at Ohio State Newark, it applies just the same. Striving to become a well-rounded student in and out of the classroom is well within reach of all incoming and present students. Following your goals, staying optimistic, and passionate about those goals through developing and modifying a plan can lead everyone to succeed in a Fresh Start.
More about Bryce Mortera
I’m a Buckeye Guide here at Ohio State Newark! I’m currently working towards a degree in pharmacy with a minor in marketing or financing with plans to open a business in addition to working in a hospital pharmacy. Some of my hobbies/things I follow: Science news (especially chemistry!), markets/politics, and I enjoy volunteering with friends and family. My hometown is Mount Vernon, Ohio (which is about 40 minutes north of Newark); I graduated from Mount Vernon High School.