1st Semester Reflection

My first semester has absolutely flown by. It seems like I graduated high school a few weeks ago. I have no doubt that I’ve changed a lot, but I know it’s for the best- also, I regret nothing.
I remember being really nervous the first week about finding all of my classes and figuring out how to manage my time. Finding the classrooms in the buildings was harder than I expected, and I had way more free time than what I knew what to do with. My workout schedule really took a hit until I realized every time I took a nap I could’ve been going to the gym, so around week 5 I started being active again. Let me tell you, though, the freshman 15 is real. I at least got a freshman 5. No shame in eating nutella for dinner, am I right?
I expected my work load to be far more challenging than what it is. I really love my courses but I am excited to be done with them in a few weeks so I can start new subjects. I’ve kind of figured out that you can’t really depend on the advisors to be a whole lot of help unless you have a short term question. It’s fine.
The humanities scholar group is great, I love the discounts and all of the opportunities. Also, I gave blood for the first time since I turned 18 a week ago. It was a thrilling experience.
My first semester has been a season of trying new things and saying yes to spontaneity (within reason). It’s been a blast.. When do we graduate again?

“But Out” Statements

I want to exercise regularly and it hurts my knees, so I will find a workout that isn’t hard impact on my legs.

I want to snack less and I get hungry at night so I will set a schedule for dinner and plan what/how much I eat before I start eating.

I want to read more consistently of my Bible and I get tired of reading for school so I will schedule times to listen to audio recordings.

I want to travel abroad and I have little money so I will put a portion of each paycheck in my savings.

I want to stay in touch with my grandparents and I don’t like talking to them on the phone so I will write them letters.

Humans of OSU

 

20160922_165352“I had an uncle that was a Vietnam veteran. I think he really played it down. He wasn’t dodging bullets or anything. He worked in one of the supply houses. What he didn’t really talk about was when a rocket hit one of the buildings he was walking into, he got blown right out the front door. If I was five, I would’ve asked what happened next. Being somewhat more mature I knew to change the subject. He died eight years ago, my dad is convinced he died because of implications with agent orange, but he was a heavy smoker and drinker. You could smell it when you walked into his house. It’s funny how the government justifies not taking care of its soldiers at all.”

“I used to be a smoker but I quit. My parents smoked a lot while I was growing up – they still do- but I think that kept me away from drugs. I started smoking pot this year, but I don’t think I have an addictive personality. I had a headache yesterday and thought about smoking some weed but decided not to risk it. If I was addicted I don’t think I’d be able to do that.”

“I saw myself to be a military man. I was convinced I would be a soldier. Watching tv shows like Hannibal Lector, you think killers are sleek and glamorous. You never think the human mind is anything but ready to be what it is. Obviously in the military there would be people that I wouldn’t get along with and I would just deal with it, but it’s the people telling the military what to do that I can’t stand. I’d like to think I’m not in the military because of my issue with authority- that’s what’s gotten me fired most of the time, anyway.”

“I had a friend in the marines. He wasn’t really a friend, just a guy I knew. He was so intelligent it was scary. Like he was so serious, he had to go to therapy as a child just to learn how to have fun. He went to Iraq. One time I pretended to be surprised that he shot people and I think it made him uncomfortable and he asked to change the subject. I never really thought about the idea of having friends that were also killers. But they also dodge bullets.”

“We see all of these explosions on Looney Tunes and laugh because the human body hasn’t evolved to handle them. But we ignore that it’s happening somewhere. I’d like to think the country has become more aware of the stressors of the military in the last few years.”

“Political science? That seems like a disheartening subject to be studying right now. Do you study psychology? You speak like you do. You have an introspective personality, but you also got me to talk about myself- that doesn’t happen very often. It’s a part of the salon business to make a haircut more than just a grooming session, so I find it helps to tell an exciting or humorous story and it becomes more enjoyable. Most people don’t like going that deep down the rabbit hole. It’s not that it’s private, it’s just not what people are ready to hear from the guy cutting their hair.”

 

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.]

My First Week at OSU

    I arrived the Thursday before move-in day for the OWL program. It was my tenth move, so when everybody said “Welcome Home!” it was very special to me. All of the other places I’ve lived have been because of my dad, who is in the military. OSU feels like it is finally my home- it was the home I chose a year ago when I was applying to colleges.

    This first week has felt more like a million years. Yet at the same time, I cannot believe we have already been here a week! I think I’ve met probably close to 100 people (if not more) and can only remember about 20 of them. Through the OWL program, Humanities events, Baker East events, various church organizations, and a Quidditch meeting, I have met so many people. And that’s not including my classmates.

    I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had a few smaller classes- meaning they were not the giant lecture groups of 500 that I had dreaded. Most of my fears were settled on the first day of classes. I visited all of my professors during their office hours and realized that they’re human too; only they’re really important humans that request a certain amount of order out of visitation hours. I find my professors to be far less intimidating now than I did before.

    Campus is also far less scary to me. During orientation, I don’t think I had my “origin” yet so wrapping my mind around locations was difficult. I also didn’t think I’d be able to walk easily from south to north campus, but I found out that it is no problem. Now I just have to ride a bus- I was nervous about that, but I’m confident now that I can figure it out once I need to.

    I also met with somebody to talk about undergraduate research, which is something I want to pursue. I think the biggest thing I learned this week is that I don’t have to do everything at once, but I do have to plan my schedule. I’ve started listing my short-term goals, long-term goals, and daily goals which has helped a lot. I am really looking forward to trying a lot of new things this year!

Biography

Paige is a first year Humanities Scholar at Ohio State, and is majoring in political science with a minor in psychology. She went to high school in Carthage, New York but grew up as a Buckeye. In her free time she enjoys writing and playing the flute when she isn’t playing soccer. At Ohio State she hopes to study the effects and treatment of PTSD in the military.