Journal #3

Coming to the closing of the first semester here at Ohio State, I have to say that the university Scholars program helped a tremendous amount with the transition from high school to college. The scholars program helped the transition in the largest capacity in my social life. I worried that coming into college I would have trouble making friends, but though the scholars program, I have met some really great people I am happy to call my friends. Scholars also made it easier for me to travel around and discover Columbus and to see what this city has to offer.

Other classes I would like to explore include a guitar class and a photography classes. I think a photography class would be interesting because I love photography. I like taking pictures and aerial photography is sort of my thing. Also, I may look to see if there is some sort of aerial photography class.

My scholars participation relates to the G.O.A.L.S. directly. With global awareness, I am considering studying abroad, where I can learn more about world cultures; my knowledge of the world, for most of my life, comes from a very homogenous way of life. Looking to the future of my college career, I am interested in getting involved in research in the medical field which falls in line with the original requirement aspect of Ohio State Scholars. My course load through my collegiate career will not be easy; I will be taking many hard courses in the sciences including many chemistry and biochemistry classes which goes directly with the academic enrichment goal. With leadership development, I look to become a residence hall tutor when I am an upperclassman to help students who are struggling with their academics. The last goal of scholars is service engagement and I plan on volunteering with the city of Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks to clean and maintain the beautiful parks in the city..

Next semester, the steps I will take to reach these goals include: finding a tutor for myself to grow academically and to learn what it takes to be an academic mentor, talking with individuals who have studied abroad and listen to their experiences, and continue to make meaningful connections in my personal, educational, and professional life.

Columbus To Do List: Part 2

After visiting a few more parks and outdoor recreation locations, I can say that Columbus is a lot more nature friendly than I had previously thought it to be. The first of the last three outdoor recreation/parks I visited was the Olentangy Trail. I started out where Lane Avenue meets the Olentangy Trail and went on a run up the trail to Clinton-Como Park. It was nice to get off campus and get some exercise, but on the way back to campus I walked the way back, taking in the sights and smells of a nice fall morning. It was very relaxing to walk the trail and see children learning to ride a bicycle and to hear the sound of the Olentangy River flowing. The second place I visited was the Scioto Mile. I took a bus down High Street to downtown, and then walked to the Scioto Mile. It was a brisk fall day and it was nice to sit on the swing chairs and relax, escaping the modern life for a few minutes. Closing my eyes, I couldn’t even tell that I was in the middle of a major city because it was so peaceful. After spending a few minutes at the Scioto Mile, I walked back towards downtown to the Columbus Commons Park, and I do have to say that after briefly visiting this location for the Scholars Downtown Tour, it wasn’t as appealing to me during the fall which I find ironic because I generally like fall more than summer. For some reason I did not connect with the Commons Park this time which okay because I really liked all of the other locations I visited. It was very difficult to pick a favorite location, but I think that Goodale Park had to be the favorite for a couple of reasons. One reason is that back home, there is a park that slightly resembles Goodale Park with a pond and has many walking paths. I would always take my dog on walks there and fish in the pond so it was nice to make that connection in less familiar place. The other reason is that Goodale Park is really big, and is surrounded by houses and apartments, so there are always interesting people to pick up a conversation with as you’re sitting at the pond. This project has lead me to want to visit more parks throughout Columbus, and I have a goal that by the time I graduate, I want to visit every park that is a reasonable distance from campus. I would recommend this to a friend with little hesitation because it was so nice to get off the crazy campus and just go relax out in nature, even if it was just for a few minutes. It seems as if the stress of my life just disappeared for a few minutes at these parks, but there is one piece of advice I have for someone who is looking to complete this list: download the COTA app on your phone so you know when bus schedule so you don’t have to wait at a bus stop for an hour. 

Columbus To Do List: Part 1

I am choosing to explore the nature an outdoor recreation option of the Columbus to do list, but more specifically I plan to visit public parks. I chose parks because I enjoy the peace and serenity that parks have to offer. I have always been one to love visiting parks, and I find that a park is one of the few places that I can go to meditate, think with clarity and to be free from our modern, busy lifestyles. From this assignment, I hope to find a few parks that I really like, that I can go to anytime to feel all of these feelings and emotions.

The first park I went to was Goodale Park in the Short North. To get there, I took the 1 COTA bus from Torres House to the Short North. Then, my journey to Goodale Park was completed on my own feet. Upon first arriving at the park, I found that it was very beautiful. I took a nice walk though the park after sitting on a bench near the pond reflecting on how beautiful this new place was. The picture I took is from my personal drone. I would without a doubt recommend Goodale Park to a friend.

The second park I visited was Whetstone Park of Roses. Walking into the park of roses, was something I will always remember because I have never seen roses in the multitude of roses at the park. There were simply so many of them. But, even though the park of roses was very pretty, I did not feel that special connection I did with Goodale Park, but Whetstone Park of Roses was still very beautiful.

Journal #1

My first impressions of Ohio State were quite different from many other first year students. I participated in RLead, an early arrival program and move in a week before the official move in day. As I arrived, I noticed that campus was very quiet and there was one other student living on my floor for the first week. I met many people from all different backgrounds and I feel that some of them will be good friends for a long time. Welcome week was a lot of fun. There were so many activities to do and there was never a time when I felt like there was nothing to do. There is something to do for every person. There are so many clubs and organizations that you can never be bored but choosing what clubs to join was very overwhelming to me because how the amount of them.

Classes are a lot different to what I expected. Before coming to Ohio State, I was told by everyone that every class is giant and there is no way that I would get individual attention. After the first week, I’ve found that most of my classes are rather small. Only two classes of mine are in a large lecture hall and recitations provide for that one on one attention from a TA. Professors are more accessible than I previously thought, also. Coming into college I thought that professors feel they are too good to help out students, but I don’t feel that at all for all of my professors exceed all of my expectations.

The adjustment to college life has been very smooth for me. I have yearned for living on my own and only depending on myself for some time now. I like my weekly schedule very much because I start classes at 8 every morning and I am done by 1:30 most days so I have the rest of the day to nap, do schoolwork, work out or whatever else I have on the agenda. I do miss my family though because this is the first time I’ve actually been away from them for an extended period of time, and I especially miss my puppy as I know most every student does.

What I expected coming onto campus and what I experienced on campus were very different. Campus is so much smaller than I thought it would be. I had been on campus many times before I came to OSU and it always seemed like a giant place, but I feel like I am already familiar with most of campus.

About Me

My name is Christian Deardorff or Chris for short. I come from the small town of 8,000 people, Kenton, Ohio. Kenton is in northwest Ohio and is a decent trek from anything (it’s out in the boonies). In high school I participated in almost every sport my small high school offered, the sportsmanship committee for our athletic conference, academic groups, and the NHS to name a few.

I am currently a freshman at THE Ohio State University where I am studying Health and Rehabilitation Sciences with a minor in Psychology Research. After my undergraduate studies, I hope to obtain full-time employment in research, and data analytics.

Some hobbies of mine include hiking, working out, music (guitar and drums) photography and aerial photography, technology, and traveling.

I look forward to what this semester brings and cannot wait to meet my peers.