[The Home Page will show a running blog of your recent posts, which are categorized and show on that category’s page. Please delete this post or edit with your own information.]
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
Here is an interview with a senior student in the Linguistics Major. I was able to learn more about how to pursue a major within the Comparative Studies Department and I feel much more confident in declaring my major now that I am aware of all of the opportunities and resources available for students within this major.
• When and why did you choose this major?
Well, I always knew that I wanted to do something in the humanities but it wasn’t until I took my first linguistics class first semester in college that I realized it would be what I’d major in. I like deconstructing language and figuring out how it impacts us in all aspects of life, so that’s why I picked it.
•Did you start in this major? If so, did you ever question your decision? If not, what was/were your pervious major(s) and how did you decide on this one?
No I started in the exploratory major like you. I took a linguistics class my first semester and knew that I wanted to be in the comparative studies major. After taking more linguistics courses I was sure that I wanted to do that, so I actually didn’t have to spend that much time making a decision- I got lucky with my first class. My professor was awesome. The only times I question my decision are when I go home and my mom tells me she wanted me to be doctor, but hey we cant all be doctors!
•Do you feel you made the right choice of major(s)?
Yes I definitely do. I have always loved language and studying human behaviors. The two are interrelated in such a unique and interesting way, it has been an amazing experience being able to study my roots within the major and see the world in a completely different way.
•What was your favorite course outside of your major, and why?
My favorite course outside of my major has always been the community orchestra. Being able to continue casually playing the violin gives me a place to clear my head and just relax. I always want to continue playing the violin, whether its on my own or in an orchestra, but its a lot easier to bring myself to pick it up when it’s for an actual class.
•How engaged/accessible are faculty in your department?
My professors have always been very receptive and eager to help. I was able to get a research position at Cosi with one of my professors last semester and that was a great opportunity for me to get closer to the faculty and see the kind of work that they are doing. There are always opportunities to get more experience and work hard. If you reach out to them, the resources are there.
1.How did you find this interviewee, and why did you choose to interview this person?
I found this interviewee through a mutual friend. I selected her because she has a lot of intrinsic drive to succeed in this field and she is very passionate about it. I am also interested in a major in the Comparative Studies department, though I’m not sure which one yet, so I thought it would be interesting speak to her and find out more about her experience within the major.
2.How has this interview influenced your major and/or career exploration?
I’ve definitely learned a lot more about the resources that are available within this major, which make me feel much more confident that I would have access to many opportunities to grow in the major and get experience that would prepare me for a career within the major. My primary concern is finding a good job after graduation, or whether I would go on to graduate school. I am now pretty confident that graduate school would be the next step after graduation, hopefully funded by the school if I work hard and take all of the opportunities that will be open to me.
3.Did you learn anything unexpected from the interview? If so, what? If not, which ideas did the
interview reinforce?
I learned a lot more about the research positions available to students in the major. It was interesting to hear about the research my friend conducted at Cosi and how they work with the large Somali population in Columbus to study language.
4.What do you feel you still need to learn about this major/career before being able to make a
confident decision?
I’d like to hear more from individuals with professions within the major. My interviewee is going on to graduate school, so not eve she is entirely sure what her profession will be at the end of the long road. I would just like to know the kind of work they are doing and where they have been able to find employment opportunities for me to feel more confident about the major.
5.Which major exploration tools/activities/resources that you utilized this semester were most
helpful to you and why?
The most helpful resource to me in my exploration were the actual people inside the majors themselves. Being able to talk to a person with life experience and honest opinions made me see the major as a much more tangible and real possibility for my future, as I was actually able to see an example of what my life would be like if I chose to pursue it. Talking to a student will always be the more candid and honest was to get information on a major over merely researching it online.
About Me
Amy Gutmann Fuentes is a first year student at The Ohio State University from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is currently in the Exploratory program, exploring her options with a heavy interest in the Arts and Sciences and double majoring in Spanish. She is involved with activist groups on campus, hoping to push the school towards sustainable energy sources by 2025 as a member of the Divest Campaign. While not in school, she enjoys running (currently training for the Flying Pig Marathon) and enjoys continuing her 10 year passion for music, playing violin with Ohio State’s first year orchestra.