Final Reflection

The first semester of my freshman year has flown by extremely quickly, and it’s overall been a new and eye-opening experience.

  1. My biggest challenge this semester has been my grades– college was definitely much more difficult than high school (Whoever said college was easy was a liar. Period.), but after changing my study habits a bit after the first week of midterms I was able to turn things around. Math has always been a hard subject for me and by all means not my strong suit academically, and my first midterm grade reflected that. My study habits for this subject especially were poor but after developing a system I can say my grades rose from a 75% to a 91% by the second midterm– a fairly large percentage jump for me.
  2. Through the lectures, I was able to find out more information about Fisher and CA&S, and Health and Rehabilitation. I chose to explore these colleges and the majors they offered because I knew beforehand that the majors I was considering were housed in these colleges. I am really keen to embark on a marketing/communications track, but I just couldn’t make the decision between the two.
  3. My thoughts about majors hasn’t really changed at all, since I am still considering the same two majors I initially began with. However, through this exploratory class, I was able to gain a different perspective on the majors I was pondering and was introduced to including minors. The lectures definitely shed light on the differences between the two majors and helped me understand both.
  4. The majors I have considered I feel really play with my interests and strengths both. In regards to my interests, I knew from the beginning that I hate feeling tied down and I love having flexibility in what I do. Being creative is extremely important to me, but having stability was also a key factor in my decision in a major. Both marketing and communication majors have the ability to open many doors of opportunity and are applicable to whatever interests I may have. With my strengths, I feel as though they both play in nicely as well because they fit in with all my academic strengths.
  5. The most beneficial aspect from attending lectures personally was getting a keener look at the requirements for each college. I was able to ask my own questions to ensure I knew what each college/major took to get into and that in turn ensures my future success with arriving at a major. You can’t choose a major if you don’t know how to even apply for it.
  6. I wish more majors housed under the college were discussed during lectures. I felt as though it really only focused on a couple each lecture, but it’s impossible to get through every major during one lecture when there are dozens within each college so it’s understandable.
  7. My goals for next semester/summer are definitely to get jobs/internships that reflect with my interests and in turn, my career aspirations/major. I will use OSU’s job search function to aid me with this, especially with next semester.
  8. If I could go back to the beginning of the school year and tell myself something, it would definitely be to keep my eyes on the bigger picture. Small bumps along the way are nothing to be worried about and they happen to everyone. Work hard and play hard!

Informational Interview

My interview with Julie Woods, the Digital Marketing Manager at Taylor Automotive.

Q: Describe the process by which you arrived at your undergraduate major.

A: “Well it was sort of a process because I started out in computer engineering, and how I actually came to that was because I loved working on websites…Clearly that wasn’t the case. I actually had a class similar to yours where I got to explore different majors. I learned computer engineering wasn’t for me. It was a lot more about circuits than creativity and so I went with business. There’s just so many different possibilities and it’s a lot of fun and I am really glad I went this route because I know this is what I want to do.”

Q: What kinds of extracurricular activities (internships/co-ops/etc.) were you involved with in college? How did they benefit you professionally?

A: “I actually had four internships when I was in college. My first one was between my junior and senior year and it was great, it was my entire summer, while I didn’t learn much about marketing and it was more of an admin/secretary position, but it taught me how to work from 8-5 and being in an office, working with management, and got me acclimated to a professional setting. My second one, I worked more HR and it made me realize I did not enjoy working on the HR side. It was a lot more filing and managing other employees pay but actually, I got the opportunity to attend trade shows. I was able to meet a guy who became a mentor to me and encouraged me to go to networking events. I love networking and got me into working for different organizations and nonprofits. My other one was with the UT Athletic Department and my fourth internship was only six weeks. I learned a little bit from each internship and it was a great experience.”

Q: What are some of your day-to-day activities on the job?

A: “I am responsible for the websites– I’m always busy with fixing things and checking links. I also work with Google Analytics & Adwords and different third-party websites for driving traffic to our company’s websites. I look at coding, work on photoshop and social media as well. Online reputation is so important and I also have to constantly learn about different online marketing techniques. My day-to-day activities are constantly different.”

Q: What do you think are the most important skills for someone in your career?

A: “I think with our stuff it’s definitely not a tangible skill, for example, I never even knew photoshop until I came on the job. A lot of the stuff I learned in college was foundational. You learn a lot on the job. Two years ago I had no idea what platforms like ProMax, photoshop, etc. were, but I know them now due to the nature of my specific job. I think the most important skills are rather to be strategic, analytical, creative and knowing how to target your audience/customers. There’s so much that changes in this career industry and being able to learn all the time is extremely important. Another piece of more advice is to network. Networking is an essential skill to have to be able to build relationships and get opportunities. I’m constantly involved in different organizations and talking to new people all the time. This job is really based on who you know more than what you know, and being able to cultivate relationships with other people in the industry is really helpful.”

Q: Do you feel your undergraduate major helped in your career?

A: “Yes, again, a lot of what I learned in college was foundational. Even just learning professionalism from career fairs in college was helpful and the experience and internships were super helpful. Because my ultimate goal is to be an entrepreneur and start my own company, learning foundational business such as accounting and finance was also crucial.”

My interviewee was actually my previous internship supervisor. I had taken a business career course during my junior/senior years of high school and the requirements for the last semester of my senior year was to obtain an internship. I was already looking for a possible career within the marketing industry and Julie immediately came to mind when I was assigned this project. This interview has definitely aided me in choosing a major– she really made me feel comfortable with the possibilities this career field could offer me. Your major is really what you make of it, especially in regards to internships and co-ops. I realized that Julie undertakes a lot more statistical data analysis than I previously thought, but she also heavily reinforced the fact that networking and internships are crucial in creating a foundation for a future career. She gave good advice on how to meet new people in the industry and shed light on how so many different opportunities lie within the marketing field. I feel as though I still need to learn more about other people’s experiences and careers after getting a major at OSU and would like more anecdotal advice on their journey through their career such as Julie’s. I have definitely utilized all the pages on the exploration website listing majors and descriptions, as well as minors. Thoroughly learning all the different majors was extremely helpful. Also learning about the different learning/tutoring centers was helpful. I was really able to choose a major based on eliminating what I did not want to be, really being picky and honing in my own strengths and weaknesses. Through the learning centers I am further able to be held accountable for my weaknesses, take responsibility and initiative and overall, improve them to turn them.

College Transition Lecture Reflection #1

College creeped around two weeks ago and while the chaos of move-in day did nothing to calm my nerves, every passing day of classes grounded me and I feel myself increasingly calling Ohio State my home. My biggest worry coming into higher education was definitely my indecisiveness when it came to choosing a major. Going into the exploratory program sounded like the right fit for me, but I still felt unsure of the program and myself. However, after I attended the first survey class lecture, the anecdotes of past Buckeyes resonated with me and eased the unsettling feeling I received from being labeled as a student with an undecided major. The most prominent piece of advice that came from the first lecture dealt with the choice between choosing a major that brings joy and brings wealth. Most students on the panel chose happiness, and seemed to be passionate about their studies. I realized I wanted to feel the same elation they felt about their major and I feel motivated to go against the notion of deciding based on monetary value.

While I started the Fall semester full to the brim with feelings of nervousness and disorientation, excitement bubbled within me as the days passed by at Ohio State. The skies are my limit at a university with one of the largest on campus populations with thousands of clubs to choose from. I would like to make co-curricular activities a constant in my life, and through the involvement fair, I was able to find clubs that satisfy different sides of me. These include sports clubs such as ski club, and volunteer organizations like Refuge. Welcome Week opened me to exploring my interests and meeting new people. Finding and honing in on my passions truly excites me for the next four years to come.

In terms of academics, I feel myself as a student with strong study habits. Coming from an environment where academic success was prided, I have figured out which study methods work for my personality and focus. Also, taking more challenging courses during high school helped me in regards to becoming a well-rounded student. Skills such as public speaking and researching were heavily taught to me and I carry those skillsets over with me to Ohio State. However, I can definitely pinpoint areas I could improve in- such as time management.

Overall, while as the nerves from starting my new life at Ohio State dissolve away, they get replaced with hope. I stand excited for my future and creating goals for myself to succeed in my life.

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

[Your “About Me” is an introduction and should provide insight into who you are as a person and a learner.  This should include a picture of you that is appropriate in a professional/academic context. This information should be continually updated.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio.  Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]