One Semester In

Throughout my first semester, my biggest challenge has been balancing both classes and all that comes with being a student-athlete at The Ohio State University. I’ve had to change how I take on school work, as well as a new practice schedule. I was able to address this challenge by staying focused and creating a daily schedule so that I could plan when I need to study, sleep, practice and go to class. It was something I never had to do before, but it really helped when it came to staying on top of everything.

While choosing which colleges and majors to explore during lecture attendance, I chose to find a path in the STEM field as it is something I’ve always been interested in and something I plan to pursue. At the beginning of the semester I knew I was interested in a career in engineering but I was unsure of which type. After attending the different college lectures, I have decided that the major that best fits is biological engineering. However, throughout the course of the semester I was considering environmental and biomedical engineering, as well as different careers outside the world of engineering.  These majors all fit with my strengths because I love math and science and I truly wish to make the world a better place, whether it be environmentally or medically. However, I am hoping to find a career after graduation (and maybe grad school) that allows me to combine my passion for both, as I believe the two are deeply rooted together. The majors I have been considering will allow me to do this.

I believe that the most beneficial thing about attending lecture was that each one did give us critical information about certain majors and areas of study. The lectures that had the student panels were the most interesting though, because it was great to hear from students who were once in our position and had decided on a major in a variety of colleges and areas of study. However, I do wish more information on job placement and life after graduation had been covered during lecture and that they had brought in former students who were in the majors that were being discussed and had already gotten a job or were in graduate school.

Some goals I have for next semester are to better my grades and continue to focus on school while working hard in rowing. I plan to utilize the Younkin Success Center, my professors and TA’s, as well as the training facilities located on campus.

If I could go back to the start of the semester, to my first day of college and move-in day, I would tell myself to stay focused and not stress about the little things. I would say that at one point or another, everyone is going to have a breakdown- the combination of stress and school and activities and having a social life will get to you- but it’s okay. Everything will be okay. Find time for yourself and don’t forget to have a little fun once in awhile, but remember that school is the most important thing in your life.

One Major, Many Paths

Starting her career at Ohio State as a freshman in undecided engineering, Anna Ralph has had a truly unique experience at Ohio State. From her time on the Women’s Varsity Rowing team to her current studies at OSU’s College of Dentistry, Ralph opened up to me during a recent interview about her  undergraduate degree and what lead her to pursue a major in biological engineering.

 

Madison Graham, interviewer: You’re currently in the dental school, but you’re undergrad was biological engineering. When and why did you choose biological engineering?

Anna Ralph, interviewee: It was about halfway through sophomore year when I kind of decided.

MG: Did you start in Exploration as well?

AR: I started in undecided engineering. And then it was the end of my freshman year [when] I decided, okay, I’m going to go into biological engineering because I was thinking about something in the medical field. I was looking at either medical school or dental school, so I decided to commit to dental school sophomore year. I started applying and looking into that; but for biological engineering, that was more so towards the end of freshmen year when I kind of started looking in to that.

MG: And what made you choose biological engineering?

AR: A lot of the overlap with the prereqs for dental school. So, I knew I’d get O-Chem [Organic Chemistry] out of the way, and I think Bio-Chem. Everything just kind of overlapped.

MG: Do you feel like you made the right choice of majors?

AR: I do, yes.

MG: Why is that?
AR: I was looking at biomedical, and with that one, I’m glad I chose biological because I think it is, and it was, more manageable. It’s not as selective as biomedical engineering so I went right into the program, which was kind of nice. Biomedical would have been cool because it’s more related to anatomy and the human body whereas biological is more [of] a biological system in general. [It’s] a lot of farming, plants, and just biology in general. It wasn’t as specific towards humans, but I do think the classes were definitely manageable, so that’s what I liked about biological [engineering].

MG: That’s something I’m definitely worried about because I was looking at biomedical [engineering] too, but biological [engineering] seems more manageable. What was your favorite major course?

AR: My favorite major course was the bio-engineering course we took. It was really cool because we got to learn a lot about enzymes and there was a lot of food engineering in it– so we made our own beer, we got to make our own pizza and cheese. We did a bunch of tours of different breweries around Columbus, too. I liked it a lot because it was as dry as something like fluid mechanics or thermodynamics. It was more related to what, I think, we were all interested in. It was definitely my favorite class.

MG: That sounds like a lot of fun. What was your favorite class outside of your major and why?
AR: I took some cool electives. I took a German Science Fiction and Popular Culture [class], so that was kind of cool and the History of Rock and Roll. It was pretty fun because you got to listen to different songs and learn about the history of Rock and Roll. I liked those two [the best] because they were different from any engineering class and you got to learn about something different, so that was fun.

MG: If you could go back and do it all again, would you choose the same major?

AR: Yes, I definitely would.

MG: How engaged or accessible are faculty in the biological engineering department?

AR: I thought they were pretty accessible. You can go upstairs and find them in office hours or the TA’s were very accessible too. They were definitely there to help.

MG: What kind of extracurricular experiences, like research, internships, or co-ops have you had? Why did you choose them and how have they benefitted you?
AR: I didn’t have any directly engineering related internships. I interviewed for some- one for Pepsi and an Under Armour Operations and Supply Chains internship- but I didn’t get any of those. So, what I ended up doing was a soil science research internship at the OARDC in Wooster. They have an extension there where they just do agricultural research, so I went there for a summer and just did soil science. It isn’t really related to biological engineering, but I could pull in a lot of the science and just getting research experience was nice. That was my main research/internship that I did.

MG: Did you do any dental internships?

AR: I shadowed for dentistry, so that was the main experience that I got.

MG: What are your plans after graduating from dental school?

AR: I would like to and hopefully I’m ready by the time I graduate to go out and practice. If not, I would like to do a general practice residency, which is like a medical residency where you just go in and get more hands on experience. So, we’ll see where I am at the end of graduation and hopefully I can go right into the workforce.

MG: Do you have a specialty, such as pediatrics, etc.?
AR: I’m thinking general right now.

MG: Do you have anything else you would like to add?

AR: I chose [my major] knowing that I was going to go into something and continue on after undergrad. I think that if I had just gone into engineering, I would have gone into something like mechanical [engineering] or chemical [engineering] because I think a lot of companies are looking more for that. It’s kind of a niche market for biological engineering where I think if you wanted to work for P&G or GE, a big company, they look for a lot of chemical [engineers], a lot of the broader engineering majors. So, I kind of picked bio [engineering] knowing that I was going to dental school.

 

While Ralph was the only student and recent graduate with an undergraduate major in biological engineering that is registered in the Buckeye Bank, I’m glad I interviewed her and not someone else. She provided a lot of insight into biological engineering and reassured me that it’s okay to not declare a major right away. I would still like to learn more about other job opportunities in the field of biological engineering after graduation, however I now feel that I am confident in declaring a biological engineering major as it feels like a perfect fit for me. After interviewing Ralph, I found out that she was a member of the Novice Rowing team and that she eventually moved up to Varsity. As I am a current member of the Novice team, it was comforting to know that majoring in biological engineering is manageable with Crew.

So far throughout this semester, I have utilized the Buckeye Bank, as well as my Exploration advisor to help me decide on a major and career that best suits my interests and goals in life. They have both been good resources that I hope to continue to use during my time at Ohio State.

The College Transition

Beginning college can be tumultuous for many incoming freshmen; leaving home and starting over is hard, even when it’s all some have ever wanted to do. For me, I’m most worried about how my life at home seems to go on without me as my family continues their own life. It’s as though I’m missing out on something that was once so familiar, however it now seems so foreign. Of course I’m also worried about making friends and living on my own, but I’m excited about it too.

I think it’s because everything is brand new and fresh in my mind– I’m only a freshman once and I want to savor every single moment of it. Furthermore, I want the excitement I have now to stay with me when nothing is new anymore, when I’m a fourth year who knows every part of campus like the back of her hand.  It’s different than it was in high school because I always knew everyone, I always saw the same people on my way to class everyday and I always sat at the same lunch table. While college is completely different, I know I still have the same academic drive and the same values that I had in high school. I see both as strengths because they remind me that while everything is changing around me and I continue to grow as well, I still have parts that remain unchanged and it keeps me grounded when classes are hard or I get stressed. For instance, in high school I was involved in numerous clubs and organizations and I held a leadership position in the majority of them, however most of the organizations I was in were service and leadership-based. Although I’m still interested in both of those, I also want to broaden my horizons by getting involved in co-curricular activities that are more academic-based, such as Women in Engineering or Humanism in Medicine.

Although I’m still deciding my major, it was comforting to here from former Exploration students on the panel who not only chose a major but love what they picked. The piece of advice that resonated with me the most from the College Transition panel was the overall consensus that it’s okay to not only have doubts about a possible major, but to be unsure about your path because we’re just beginning and we have so much time left to find our niche.

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.]