Weeks 1-2: August 20th-September 3rd
The Autumn 2018 semester has now begun! This is something that hit me when I had to weave through hundreds of freshmen cluttered on campus while traveling to the first Peer Mentor training of the year. Many of them were eager for new beginnings: new ways to advance their academic careers, new clubs and organizations to join, and new friendships to create, all while exploring a new campus and/or city. The first-year student excitement was evident in the way the freshmen chattered in their first survey class. I found this to be a pleasant surprise and in sharp contrast to the survey class I Peer Mentor-ed in last year–where, even at the end of the semester, students didn’t converse much with each other and when they did, their conversations remained hushed.
With all this new-ness, there should be an organized way to familiarize students with campus resources, right? In comes survey class. The first week was spent introducing students to the survey course syllabus and expectations while the second week launched into an outline of GE requirements. As I listened to my survey instructor field questions, I realized how far I have come in my own journey at OSU. While I could faintly remember having the same questions as the freshmen at one point and time, that time seemed forever ago and I now know the answers by heart. This realization increased my confidence in my ability to provide first-year students advice on both the big and small things–extending from ASC honors GE requirements all the way up to big college and life questions, like “What’s the point of taking a literature class if I want to be a doctor?” and “What kind of career can I have so I can help as many people as possible?” After the first two weeks of Peer Mentor-ing, I became extra excited about helping students out and interacting more with them.