Nine short months ago I was heading into what seemed like the scariest transition I would ever face. I was leaving my friends, my family, my home, everything I knew, and running headlong into a world of unknowns. Like any major transition, moving into college came with its challenges. I was forced to make new friends, try new things, and explore new places.

But, through that, I built great relationships. My friends and I studied together on weeknights, explored the Short North and downtown Columbus on weekends, and spent countless evenings at Kcomm simply enjoying each others’ company. I tried plenty of exciting new restaurants, with AAB India Restaurant being one of my favorites, and visited countless coffeeshops.

I also took challenging courses, got overly involved, and ended up spreading myself too thin. But, by the time spring semester rolled around, I took the time to prioritize my activities and focus on the important things. I realized very quickly that studying was a necessity, so I learned to do it efficiently. As finals approached I even found myself enjoying the hours spent in the library, poring over textbooks and lecture notes. I became involved in a research lab, where I spent my free time looking at neurons through a microscope and studying various mutations in DNA and reignited my passion for cellular biology and the medical field as a whole.

Overall, freshman year was a success. I learned lessons that I know I’ll carry with me throughout the rest of college. I gained a level of responsibility that I’d never been forced to take on at home, and I started applying that to other areas of my life. I hope that the growth I’ve experienced over the past few months is indicative of the rest of my time at OSU. I know that the friendships I’ve built and the skills I’ve learned this year will last me a lifetime, and I can’t help but be optimistic about the next three years here.