Final Reflection

          My first semester at Ohio State has been pretty great overall, but there have been some hiccups. My biggest challenge has been maintaining a normal sleep schedule. I’ve been able to address this by setting multiple, very loud alarms to wake me up in the morning. However, some nights I don’t get enough sleep, come home after class, and nap for hours. Caffeine may be the solution I need.

          Through Exploration Survey’s lectures, I’ve learned about all of the majors that interested me. I decided to attend any lectures that seemed remotely up my alley. I attended lectures about Architecture, Engineering, Business, Arts and Sciences, and Environmental Sciences. At the beginning of the semester, I was dead set on Computer Science, either through the College of Engineering, or Arts and Sciences. Since then, I’ve been exposed to tons of different majors, and am considering business or environmental majors too. Long term, I want to get a job right out of college, make enough to live decently, work with people, and not do anything too stressful or physical. Both business and computer science jobs line up with my interests and goals, and I think computer science is the best fit.

          The most beneficial thing about attending lecture, was learning about majors I didn’t even know existed. I learned about Professional Golf Management, Meat Science, Aviation Management, and more. I do wish career prospects were covered more, with starting salaries, employment opportunities, and types of jobs discussed more in lecture.

          Next semester, I will continue exploring. My goal is to be completely sure of major choice. I will keep talking to people in business and computer science fields, to learn more about the career. I will also make steps to getting an internship, to see what the field is like for myself.

          If I could go back to the beginning of the semester, I would tell myself everything will be okay. I started out the semester very overwhelmed, but now I’m more organized, have routines, and have performed well in all of my classes. I might also tell myself to study more for that physics midterm!

 

Informational Interview with Emily McIntyre

Interview Questions

 

Did you start in this major? If so, did you ever question your decision? If not, what was/were your previous major(s) and how did you decide on this one?

I started undecided, but knew I would do engineering. I should’ve started in undecided engineering.

Do you feel you made the right choice of major(s)?

Not really, but whatever. I don’t feel too much regret. I like computer science and find it interesting, but I am not as into it as many others in the program.

What was your favorite major course, and why?

Animation, I really liked that class. It is funny because I have no plans to do anything like that in the future. We got to make tiny video games, and it was pretty fun. You get to see everything you programmed directly the way you did it. It might be CSE 3541.

What was your favorite course outside of your major, and why?

Ping pong. It was an amazing class. You literally just play ping pong on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour. The professor is an amazing man.

How engaged/accessible are faculty in your department?

I’ve never had any professors go out of their way to talk to me, but if I talked to them they would respond. Overall, they’re alright.

What kinds of extracurricular experiences (research, internships, co-ops, student organizations, study abroad, etc) have you had? Why did you choose those particular opportunities? How have they benefited you?

I did an internship at Motorist Insurance Company and I was a release engineer intern. I helped everything run smoothly between coding teams between a team India and a team here in the US. I received DevOps and Agile training, and played a lot of foosball.

 

Synthesis Questions

 

How did you find this interviewee, and why did you choose to interview this person?

I interviewed Emily McIntyre, a Computer Science & Engineering major in her final semester at Ohio State. I know Emily through church, but years ago, she also went to the high school I graduated from. I chose to interview Emily because I know her well, and knew she would give me honest answers about the CSE program, which I am currently interested in.

How has this interview influenced your major and/or career exploration?

After interviewing Emily, I am still left unsure of whether I will pursue CSE or business, but it was still helpful learning more about the major. The environment she described at her internship sounded really cool, and career wise I think CSE is a good fit for me, but business probably would be too. I think I will continue to stick to the CSE path though.

Did you learn anything unexpected from the interview? If so, what? If not, which ideas did the interview reinforce?

I did not expect Emily to feel like she did not make the right major choice, as I want to be 100 percent sure my major choice is the one for me. However, she did not think any other major would have been better, which is somewhat reassuring.

What do you feel you still need to learn about this major/career before being able to make a confident decision?

I want to know if all of the hard work is worth it. CSE is not an easy major, and requires time and dedication to get through it. I do not want to put in all of that work if it ends up not being worth it. While I know the major is stressful, I also want to know how stressful the field is, and how rewarding it can be. I do not want to lead a super stressful life after college, but I do want to feel rewarded in my work.

Which major exploration tools/activities/resources that you utilized this semester were most helpful to you and why?

Looking at four-year plans for each major was the most helpful resource I used. Seeing each class I would need to take was a great look into each major. I also thought the major overview sessions were a good resource, as I could learn all about different majors in an hour and later look up the ones that seemed interesting.

College Transition Lecture Reflection

College is an exciting, yet scary time for me. I spent my entire senior year of high school researching and thinking about everything there is to college. I had to decide where to apply to and attend, and ended up at OSU!

I’m Caleb Goddard and I am stressed and excited about my future. I need to be at my academic best as I move forward, passing all my classes, and keeping a GPA high enough to keep me competitive enough to get into the major I end up choosing. The difficult classes and work I’ll need to put in to achieve this goal is what worries me most about college. On the bright side however, college can be fun and there’s lots to look forward to. I love making new friends, and the freedom college provides. I’m most excited about football games, deep talks with friends, and late-night dinners at Sloopy’s Diner. I’m nervous heading into this semester, but I hope I can manage everything and come out on top.

In high school, I studied more than I slept. I took multiple AP and dual credit classes, as I’m sure a good majority of the incoming class also did. I also balanced all my schoolwork with a part time job, clubs, and sports. I learned how to manage my time, and I learned that some things need to be cut out and priorities need to be made if I ever want to sleep. I also often studied in groups, always attended class, always did every assignment, and excelled in my classes. I found math to be a slight weakness, but college English to be a breeze.

I’ve been in a magic trick club, an environmental club, cross-country, and various churches. Needless to say, I’m excited to get involved here at OSU. I definitely want to join a church on campus, and I’m already looking at various clubs like Best Food Forward, a food co-op, Block O, the maker club, and others. I’ve also already gotten involved with my learning community, EXP, and the local Smash Bros scene.

I’ve been really overwhelmed lately. I need to know what assignments I need to do, when they’re due, and how to access and turn them in. I’ve found this to be a bit overwhelming even in my one credit hour courses. The panel mentioned writing down every assignment, on a calendar or in a planner. I’ve never really done anything like that, but I think it would help me out, and that was the advice that resonated with me most.

Thanks for making it to the end of this post! See you next time.

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.]

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.]