My First Semester at OSU

Wow! It’s hard to believe that my first semester at OSU is almost over. It feels like I’ve only lived here for a month, yet it feels like it’s been a year at the same time. I remember worrying about how hard all of my classes were going to be. Now that the semester is behind me, I can honestly say my classes weren’t really that difficult. I was also worried about making friends, but that certainly isn’t a concern anymore. Within the first few weeks here, I had already made a whole group of friends. Now we hangout every night and have constant JackBox marathons or watch LivePD and Gravity Falls. I’m so lucky to have such a great group of friends. I feel like I’ve known them for my whole life. I love this school so much. OSU was my top college and I’ve wanted to go here since 8th grade. This school has met and exceeded my expectations and I know for sure that I chose the right university. I love the spirit and energy this campus has. I’m so glad I became part of the Humanities Scholars group as well. I have had so many opportunities to get to know my fellow scholars, as well as Ben and Alex. I’m so glad that I got the chance to explore Columbus, go to Chicago, and do tons of other fun things with my peers. If it weren’t for this Scholars group, I wouldn’t have met all of my friends. I look forward to many more semesters to come at OSU!

Where am I from?

I’m from Maumee, OH, a small town outside of Toledo. A town that is a little speck compared to Columbus. I come from a close-knit community. A high school graduating class of 400 where I knew everyone’s name, despite this seeming like a large amount of people. It was not uncommon to go to the grocery store and see at least one person from school. I’m used to seeing the same people in school everyday. I come from knowing all of the cliques in my high school. I come from a close-knit group of friends, most of whom I saw at least once a day in class.

I come from 8 years of music instruction, where I spent time in class every day making music with a group of like-minded individuals. From 5th grade to 12th grade, I became a better trumpet player every just by spending 42 minutes playing my instrument each day. I come from a high school marching band, that my mom forced me into joining. However, I met some of my best friends in marching band. Band gave me the opportunity to spend countless hours at practice with friends, making new memories and strengthening our bonds. I come from football Fridays, sitting in the band stands watching football, cheering on the team. The pure feeling of adrenaline that I experienced every time I stepped foot on the football field for another halftime show. I come from a band that is well-known in the area, a band of 170 people known for the excellent music produced and the clean, high-stepping marching technique exhibited.

I come from hard working parents, who have always made sure that my sister and I had everything we needed. I come from my mom, a English and Spanish teacher at a local high school. She is the reason why I decided to begin taking Spanish courses in 8th grade. 5 years later, I have decided to minor in Spanish because I love the language so much. I come from my dad, a hard working man who is full of both compassion and passion. I come from a split family, the product of a divorce when I was only 8 years old. This single event is the source of most of the trauma in my life. However, it is this sole event that has made me a stronger person. I come from my younger sister, who is the one person that remains consistent in my life during the times my parents are in disagreement. I know I can always count on her to be there for me. I come from being the only person in my friend group with divorced parents. My sister is truly the only person I can share my experience with, because she had been through it with me.

I come from numerous trials and errors, in friendships, in school, in life. No matter how much I have struggled, I know that these setbacks have made me who I am today.

My First Week at OSU

My First Week at OSU

Upon arrival to my first year at OSU, I was very excited. I’ve wanted to go to OSU since I first toured this campus my freshman year, so naturally I was very happy to be accepted. All summer long, I couldn’t wait to move in here and start the next phase of my life in Columbus. I was super excited to meet new people during my first week here. I was really excited to attend the involvement fair so I could learn about clubs that I might be interested in joining. I did find a few clubs that I wanted to join, and I’ve already attended a couple of club meetings. The Casual Debate Club is my favorite so far and I’m looking forward to attending more meetings throughout the school year. 

Coming into it, I expected the Humanities Scholars program to be a bit more formal, since we had to be accepted into the program based on our academic record. However, I was very glad to find out that it is more of a casual, informal environment in which we participate in activities with our peers. All of the leadership council members are super nice and enthusiastic and I know that I could come to them if I ever needed any advice about college. I’m really looking forward to being involved with this program and I really hope to make more friends and memories as the year goes on. 

Coming into this school year, I was really nervous about finding my way to all of my classes, especially since Ohio State has such a huge campus. However, it hasn’t been that difficult. After using the Ohio State app on my phone to navigate to my classes for a few days, I now know where all of them are. The campus busses are a great resource too and have saved me from making some long walks to my classes that are farther away. I was pretty scared about the classes themselves too. I’ve heard from some of my older friends that college is a lot of work and the professors can be pretty tough. So far, my professors all seem very nice and approachable, and I haven’t had too much homework. I know this will change as the year progresses, but I am glad that I haven’t had too much work to do so I can use my free time to explore campus. 

Overall, my first week at OSU was excellent. I really love the atmosphere of pride at this university and I look forward to participating in more events on campus. I hope to make more friends in my classes and scholars program and I’m looking forward to a great first year.

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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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.]

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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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 includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

Hi! My name is Caitlin Dansack and I am from Toledo, OH. My goals for my time here at Ohio State are to pursue a major in psychology and prepare myself to enter the workforce after graduation. I hope to pick up a minor in Spanish as well because I want to learn more about the culture and I hope to become fluent in the language. I’ve started this ePortfolio to keep a record of my growth throughout my time here at OSU.