Year in Review 2015-2016

My freshman year of college has included many changes in both my life and how I handle myself. My first semester of this year didn’t go as well as expected, which had a large effect on how I choose to do a lot of my studying now. During the first part of first semester, I thought I had adjusted fairly quickly and that things were going pretty well. Once I went through my first round of midterms, however, I realized I was going to have to change something about the way I was studying in order to do better. I think I was a typical case of the student who didn’t have to study in high school and didn’t know how to study in college. This along with the fact that my classes were getting harder the farther we got, caused me to become overwhelmed. I was struggling and panicking because I knew that I need a high GPA in order to get into medical school. It also felt like I couldn’t do well even if I studied. However it seemed that the more I had to do, the less motivation I had. This resulted in me getting fairly low grades in my classes and being generally unhappy with how I did during my first semester. However, I decided during winter break that I would start over in the spring and do much better than I did during my first semester now that I had some idea of what I was doing.

My second semester has been much better than my first. I came in with the mindset that I would work hard and do what I need to in order to get the grades I want. I have been more disciplined in my study habits, and I think that I have a better idea of what works for me. There have definitely been struggles this semester and grades on midterms that I think could have been better, but I don’t become as discouraged as I would have last semester. I also became more involved in one of the clubs I joined, Alpha Epsilon Delta. It’s a pre-health honorary, so the majority of the members are also on the pre-medicine track. This is a good support system for my harder classes, and a good way to get advice about classes or medical school applications since many of the members are upperclassmen and have already gone through the process. This has helped me because I realize I’m not alone in my struggles, and that other people have been in the same place and are successful now. I had the opportunity to go with AED to the national convention in Houston, Texas before spring break. This was also a helpful experience because I was able to hear from heads of admissions at different medical schools and also visit a few at the Houston medical center. It was good to see what my future could look like and what I’m working towards.

All in all, I think this year has been a good one. I have experienced many new things, made new friends, and learned a lot about myself. I’m looking forward to next year and what new things I will experience. I am also determined to work hard and do well in my classes so I can meet my goals.

G.O.A.L.S. Essay

All throughout high school, I was involved with various service projects and outreaches in the community. Service has pretty much always been a part of my life. Because of this, I thought it was important to become involved with service organizations in college. I was also involved with research in high school, and I decided that I also wanted to be involved with research in college. Both of these things correlate with specific aspects of the Honors and Scholars G.O.A.L.S.

I think all of the Honors and Scholars G.O.A.L.S. are important. One that stands out to me however, is service engagement. I think it is important to help others, especially people who are less fortunate than I am, in any way that I can. I also think that having a strong involvement in service is important since I want to become a doctor. I think that a good doctor should want to help people, so I think service involvement helps me to develop that part of myself. I also think that helping people less fortunate than I am make me appreciate the life I have. It also lets me see that there are problems in the world that many people face on a daily basis that need a solution. Seeing different aspects of society allows for me to see different parts of the world that I may not have seen otherwise. This year, I joined the pre-health honorary Alpha Epsilon Delta, through which I have volunteered at the Physicians Free Clinic in downtown Columbus. This has been a large part of my experience with the medical field, specifically the aspect that I am most interested in.

Another one of the G.O.A.L.S. that I think is important is Original Inquiry. I think it is important to constantly be looking for ways to improve the world or people’s quality of life. This is especially important in medicine, with things such as cancer that have no cure, or pathogenic diseases that break out in the world and also have no cure. I think that in order to have a career in medicine, it is important to understand the importance of research and the advancements that come with it. Medicine is constantly changing, so it is also important to want to learn about new advancements and apply them to practice. Participating in research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital during my senior year of high school played a large part in my appreciation for research. It was interesting to see everything that was going on in the medical center, and its implications in people’s lives. I think it is important to become involved with research during my undergraduate career so that I can gain experience with advances in the medical field that have a real possibility to help someone. I think that becoming involved in research will also allow for me to apply things I have learned in class, and see how they relate to the real world. I also think that being involved in research will help me to be able to identify a problem and come up with a way to look for a solution.

AED National Convention 2016

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I have done a lot of new and fun things throughout my first year of college. One of the highlights of this year was going to National Convention with the pre-health honorary I’m a part of, Alpha Epsilon Delta. The National Convention is held every other year, and this year it was in Houston, Texas. We were in Houston for two days and three nights, and during this time we attended workshops, listened to different speakers, and met with representatives from various medical schools. One of my favorite speakers was a doctor who spent time in Afghanistan as the head of one of the surgical units there. It was an informative and moving talk, and it increased my interest in pursuing my medical degree through the military. I also enjoyed one of the workshops where I had the opportunity to build a prosthetic leg from the basic parts. These aspects of the trip allowed for me to see other aspects of the medical field I hadn’t considered before, and I was able to hear more about the medical school application process from different heads of admissions

During this trip, I also bonded with the people in AED. This was a good thing because I haven’t met as many people in my classes who are on the pre-medicine track as I thought I would have. It was good to be able to talk to people ranging from freshman to senior who have the same career aspirations that I do. Everyone on the trip became close, and we all sit together during meetings and have planned different activities and service events since returning. I now have people that I can go to with questions about classes and the medical school applications process, and because of this I am extremely glad I decided to go on this trip.

 

Strengths

My top five strengths in order are Learner, Restorative, Developer, Futuristic, and Relator. When I first took the evaluation and received my list, I didn’t think the strengths on my list were representative of who I am. The more I read through the descriptions, however, the more I saw how they describe me. There are some that I would not have necessarily picked for my top five, but I think the ones I have describe a large part of my strengths.

My top strength was Learner. I actually see this strength a lot in my life. In general, I like to know how things work or why they happen. Growing up my dad constantly told me stories of different events in history or just new things he learned about, so I think a lot of this strength comes from that. I like knowing random facts and information along with learning things that have to do with school and my career path. This strength is important in the way I learn in school. I like to understand the concept of a topic or process, rather than memorize information just to be regurgitated. If I don’t understand why I am doing a specific process in calculus, for example, it is hard for me to be able to apply it to different situations. I also believe that learning how a process works will help me to be better at whatever I am doing. This strength definitely fits with my future career plans. Medicine is constantly changing and breakthroughs occur every day, so as a doctor I will have to constantly learn in order to keep up with the medical community. Having Learner as one of my top strengths also helps me in preparation for my future career plans. In order to do well on the MCAT and to know what I need to for medical school, I will need to be able to learn and retain a lot of information. This strength will definitely help me to do that.

The second strength in my top five was Restorative. This is another one I can definitely see as part of my life. One of the phrases used to describe someone who has the Restorative strength was that he or she is “adept at dealing with problems.” I think this describes me. The report also says that I attempt to overcome my shortcomings. This also describes me well. I often focus on things that I am not doing well, and I divert energy towards improving those things. This can be good in academics because I am able to identify what I need to work on in my classes, and I can spend more time on studying that specific thing rather than something I have already mastered. The fact that I am good at solving problems fits well with my plans to be a doctor. Being able to solve problems would help with diagnosing patients and finding a way to treat them. The fact that I am willing to work hard to perfect my skills also works well because it is important to strive toward perfection as a doctor. This strength can help me to achieve my goals because I am able to use my strengths to work on my shortcomings and make myself better.

My third strength is Developer. This fits me because I like to help people and make them feel better about themselves. With most people, I am able to spot their good qualities, and I like to focus on this part of them. When people come to me with problems, I help to solve them in the best way I can, which relates to my Restorative strength. I also try to help people be happier if possible. If someone is feeling bad about themselves, I do whatever I can to make them feel better. I like to genuinely compliment people on aspects of their lives that will make them feel good. The report says that these qualities inspire people to develop the talents, knowledge, etc. that I compliment them on so that they can become better people. I dislike when other people feel left out or underappreciated so I do my best to help the people around me to avoid this. This can help me as a doctor because I can use this to help patients focus on good qualities and to develop these qualities if need be.

My fourth strength is Futuristic. This is one of the strengths I immediately agreed with the first time I saw my report. I am inspired by the future and what could be/what I could become. I focus a lot on what I want to do in the future and what it is going to take to get there. This is good because it shows ambition and also the ability to plan. This is useful in academics because I am able to plan what I need to accomplish in order to finish all of my work and obtain the grades I want. When I set goals for myself both in the near and distant future, I am able to accomplish more because I can visualize what I am working towards. This is also useful in the medical field because I am able to visualize what I want in the future and I can use my Learner and Restorative strengths to develop skills and knowledge I need to accomplish these goals. Being futuristic can help me to become a doctor because it is difficult to be accepted into medical school, so I am able to visualize what I need to do throughout my undergraduate career in order to be accepted into the medical schools I want. I can also see how this strength relates to me because I often need time to myself alone with my thoughts just to organize what is going on in my life and what my plans are, which was described in my report.

My fifth strength is Relator. This fits me because I like to work hard to achieve my goals. I also use logic and reasoning to solve problems and make decisions, which is also described in the report. I can take a complicated situation or process and simplify it so that it can be explained to someone else. This is useful in academics because a good way to study something is to teach it to someone else. This also helps the people around me if I understand something better in a class than they do. This is also interesting because I have always said that if for some reason I decide not to become a doctor, the only other thing I can see myself doing is teaching. This strength would definitely help with this if I chose to make it my career. It can also help with my plans to become a doctor if I decided to work in a teaching hospital once I had the opportunity to. This can also help me to simplify processes in everyday life or if my schedule gets busy, I am able to sit down and organize it so that it makes more sense to me.

Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio

Hi! I’m Lauren Hains, welcome to my Honors and Scholars ePortfolio. I’m a freshman at Ohio State, and also part of the STEM EE Scholars program. I’m majoring in Biology on the Pre-med track, so I am planning on going to medical school once I graduate, and possibly a surgical residency after that. I’m excited to really start my time at Ohio State. I want to become involved with many extracurricular activities, but I plan on making school my priority. I’m willing to work hard to get what I want, and with my career plan, needing to work hard is a guarantee. This is good though, because I like to be challenged. Inside my ePortfolio, you can learn more about me and what kinds of things I want to do with my life, along with my interest in the STEM fields and why I wanted to become a STEM EE Scholar. Thanks for reading!

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.]

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

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About Me 

I am a freshman at The Ohio State University. Before this, I graduated from Loveland High School in Loveland, Ohio. There I was an honors/AP student who took a lot of math and science classes. I’ve always been interested in science, but especially the biological sciences. This is why I’m majoring in Biology on the Pre-medicine track at Ohio State. I took a Biotechnology class my junior and senior years of high school that allowed me to experience different careers in the biological sciences and really decide what it was that I wanted to do.  I realized that I could do a lot with a degree in Biology, even if for some reason I decided not to go to medical school. I’ve always thought that if I don’t go to medical school, I would be a teacher, so teaching a subject I enjoy would be a good career choice.

I think the STEM EE Scholars is a good fit for me because of my interest in the STEM fields and how much I like to work with children. I volunteered a lot in high school, and my favorite types of service outreaches were the ones where I had the opportunity to work with children. I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with kids in the Columbus area and show them how interesting science and math can be. I’m glad that I was put into a scholars program that gives me the opportunity to participate in service outreaches in things I’m interested in. This is the type of work that I really enjoy and am passionate about.

I’m excited to really get started with classes and activities on campus. I’ve been on campus for a short time, and I already feel much better about my time here than I did in high school. I feel like I’m working toward something that I chose rather than taking classes I was required to in high school. I also like the idea that I’m basically starting over and can be whoever I want to be. I think being on my own for the first time will be good for me too. I’ve always been independent, but I’ve never had to budget or figure out every meal by myself. I like that I have the opportunity to figure thing out on my own, but I can also get help if I need it.

Now that I’ve had the opportunity to look into what the STEM EE Scholars program really is, I’m excited to be a part of it. Originally, I wanted to be a part of the Honors program and only the Honors program. When I received the notification that I was accepted into Scholars, I almost didn’t sign up.  I’m really focused on getting accepted into medical school, so I wanted the honors courses, and I didn’t want to be forced to live with a specific group of people based on a program I wasn’t sure I was going to like. Now that I’ve moved in and done a few activities with the STEM EE Scholars, I’m glad I decided to be a part of it. I like that it’s a community of people who are interested in similar things, but still have many different points of view. I’m excited to see what this next year brings and what kinds of new things I’ll be able to experience.