My 1st Semester at THE Ohio State University

It’s November and I will officially be done with my first semester here at Ohio State in precisely three weeks. Crazy, right?!? So much has happened in the past several months, it’s difficult to remember it all. But, here is my attempt to piece it all together. So without further ado, my first semester at OSU:

The latter part of August and all of September is mostly a blur- as I was go-go-go the whole time. From movies on the Oval to rock climbing at the ARC, my time outside of class was jammed packed. I also attempted to attend many club meetings, but I soon realized that I bit off more than I could chew- so I quickly narrowed down my priorities to a total of 1 club: Body Sense. Although it has been quite difficult to regularly attend, I am very glad to know of a place where I am welcome and where I can learn how to love my own body as well as show others how to be body positive. During those two months, I also learned that my classes take more studying than I was used to and I have since struggled to maintain the 83% needed in statistics to move on in the psychology major (but don’t worry I WILL succeed). September was also the month that I attempted to work as an Irish dance instructor at a local church, but after three hours a week of scheduled classes and only having one person show up for three weeks straight, I made the decision to walk away from that job. And although I was promised a pay check of $200, it somehow has not made its way from the dance company to me, so I guess that job wasn’t quite a job at all. Oh and I almost forgot; I left September as a Twitter icon and an occasional walking Wendy’s advertisement when I’m wearing the shirt they generously sent me due to my raging internet popularity.

October started out with a bang when three of my close friends and I went to the Ed Sheehan concert the first week of the month. Ed Sheehan has always been on my Top 5 Favorite Artists Of All Time list and so I fangirled for approximately the entire concert and for quite a few hours after. During the concert, we also had the opportunity to meet James Blunt and if you are to take one thing away from this entire post let it be this: Listen to his song ‘Make Me Better’, you will not regret it. For fall break, my scholars program gave us the opportunity to go to Chicago and I can honestly say it was one of the greatest trips I have gone on in my life. From the seats of Second City Comedy Show, to the balcony of the Chicago Palace Theater, to the galleries of the Art Institute of Chicago, to the exhibits of the Field Museum, I was full on in my element. The humanities are a huge passion of mine and having this amazing experience right off the bat meant a huge deal to me. So, to Ben Fortman and the scholars program at OSU: thank you so much. That month, I also had quite the time decorating my dorm room for Halloween and my friend Anna and I also co-created a Halloween painting masterpiece that is on display in the hallway of the J-Wing in Baker Hall East. Once Halloween passed, I went into full on Christmas mode. I bought tinsel and Christmas lights and bows and transformed my dorm room from spooky to festive in a matter of minutes. This month has also consisted of me leaving campus to go to dance three to four times a week as regionals is this coming Friday!!! Although I am a literal shaking ball of nerves at the moment, I am SO ready to compete as it signifies the end of my suffering (just kidding, maybe). I also had the chance to go to the Columbus Zoo for their annual Wildlights and man was it breathtaking. I have always been a sucker for Christmas lights and animals, so it was Heaven to me.

And now to the part where I talk about the life lessons college has taught me and everything I’ve learned in the past three-ish months. So first of all, I learned that the universe is expanding and that the Milky Way is set to collide with the Andromeda Galaxy within the next 8 billion years, so that’s a bit scary. And mind-blowing. And it kind of makes me nauseous thinking about it. I also learned how to calculate a confidence interval for a set of data, which is so exciting, I know. I was also taught how to use a camera and I gained knowledge about so many interesting and inspiring photographers that I will look up to for life. I am slowly but surly becoming the person that I aspire to be and I would like to say I am proud of myself for that. After years of learning common core, I am so happy to be in classes that I love and learning things that interest me. So, in that aspect I love college. But while I have been here, I have also had some very low points that I never saw coming. I have seen people I called my friends at the beginning treat me as though I don’t exist. I have overheard them talking about me and have seen them look at me with faces of dislike. I came to college thinking that everyone would be totally matured, but I have now realized that some people are stuck in the drama creating world that is High School. Due to a disagreement, I was officially removed from the friend group I was a part of and left with a single friend in my dorm that I could confide in. I have also been made to feel as if it was my fault and for a while I believed it. I have come to realize, though, that to be able to move past these feelings of worthlessness that were thrust upon me, I need forgive and also take responsibility of my actions as well. Yet after an lengthy and courageous apology of mine, most days are still full of loneliness and isolation. But after all, it is just the first semester and there are 50,000 other people on campus I have yet to meet. This issue will not define me nor leave me defeated. So here’s to the next seven semesters at The Ohio State University.

So now I’ll stop being dramatic and end with my goals for next semester. I hope to achieve a point where I feel at home in my own room, as well as find a group on campus other than my scholars program to become a part of. I also want to average a 90% on every exam that I take. One last goal is not school related, but dance related: I want to recall at the World Irish Dance Championships, in other words I want to place in the top fifty. Although all of my goals are achievable, it will be one hell of a semester spent studying, practicing, and putting myself out there. But when I am determined, I find a way to succeed and I will stop at nothing to get there. So, if you made it all the way here, thank you. My life sure is not what I expected, but I am learning to trust the process crafted by my God above. So to end with the wise words of Matthew 19:26: “With God, all things are possible.”

Edit: As I walked into the Psychology building today, I was reminded of the time in September  when I was given a psychology student spotlight (i.e. student of the month). Facts about me and my picture now circulate on the news screen in the psych building as well as online and I am very humbled to have been chosen within such a short time of being at OSU.

Humans of OSU

“My name is Ellen. I initially came to OSU from a small town in Ohio as a full-time student, and never left!” Before Ellen came to OSU though, she lived with her parents and younger brother and was an active member in the marching band, playing as first flute in the band. “Once at OSU, Ellen’s “…first job on campus was as part-time bookkeeper, and then as a manager, for the vendor who ran the restaurants in the old Ohio Union.” During her time at this job, Ellen met the man who would soon become her husband.  “I eventually started working directly for the University in the Orthodontic clinic at the Dental School, where I became eligible to receive one of the most awesome benefits of full-time employment at OSU – the free tuition!  After a year in the Dental school, I was ready for new challenges, so started working at the OSU Research Foundation. My original intention was just to work at OSU long enough to finish an Accounting degree, but I loved the people and environment so much, that I am still employed there 31 years later!” During her the time she has been employed here, Ellen has raised a daughter who is now currently a buckeye as well! She loves how OSU has had such an impact on her family, and couldn’t imagine what her life would have turned out like if she hadn’t chosen to attend and then work at OSU. “Go Bucks!”

My First Week at OSU:)

So much has happened in the past week at OSU that you could say would be overwhelming for most people. I am definitely one of those people, and the first week here on campus felt like an eternity within the seven days. From early move in on Thursday to the Welcome Week concert the next Friday, my life was in constant motion and seemed as though it would never stop. I loved it.

Firstly, the OWL program was something I signed up for not knowing what all it entailed. I was very surprised once I moved in and realized there was training scheduled for two hours later and continued up until Saturday, The Big Day. I was eager and ready to help though, and could not wait until Saturday morning. In my ‘flock’ as our OWL groups were called, I met and made many friends from my residence hall, many of which are in the Humanities Scholars program as well. For those two days prior to move-in, we bonded and soon became close friends. The Hoot Fest was one of the highlights of being an OWL, where we all gathered on Seibert Lawn where there were games, inflatables, and drinks. It was a great way to relax and get used to the beautiful campus we will live on for the rest of the school year. Move-in day was seemingly endless, but looking back I wouldn’t have changed my decision to become an OWL. The first part of my day was spent indoors, without air conditioning I might add, moving my peers into their rooms as fast as humanly possible. From the occasional person who stuffed what seemed like a hundred pounds of items into one trunk and left it to us to move it out of the cart without them lifting a finger, to the kids whose parents were hands on ready to help, it was a good experience to interact with those who I will live with for the year. I then got to move outside and unload cars, which surprisingly ended up being less difficult than unloading the carts in the rooms. Overall, the OWL program was a great start to my year at OSU and I am extremely grateful for being able to participate.

Sunday was also a non-stop day; from the humanities first year retreat to the Honors and Scholars Launch to the involvement fair.  I was so happy I was able to meet and interact with my mentors at the retreat and they have already taught me so much about campus life. At the honors and scholars launch and the involvement fair, I signed up for many clubs that I want to be apart of and I also learned how to achieve the G.O.A.L.S of the H & S program.

The next day, the last day before classes were starting, was once again jam packed. I was up and at ’em at 9 am for the pre convocation meeting, then on to convocation and the first year welcome event, and then to buck-i-frenzy. My favorite part about this day was of course buck-i-frenzy, where I received many free things such as t-shirts and food! What more could a college student want? But all in all it was an exhausting day, filled with friends, laughter, and new experiences to start off the first official week on campus.

The classes during the first week were not as bad as I had expected. With that being said, it was syllabus week so they weren’t supposed to be extremely difficult right off the bat. My favorite class as of right now would have to be my astronomy class, as I have a fascination with space and I am so eager to learn more about it. I also love my photography class as it gave me an excuse to buy a new, fancy camera. My French and statistics classes seem as though they will be interesting, while at the same time challenging. Lastly my humanities seminar and psychology survey courses: one credit hour each a week talking about my passions and engaging in fun and interesting activities. I cannot wait to experience the learning aspect of college more, but I pray that I can handle the many classes I chose to take.

Last but not least (and my favorite part of the week): the welcome week concert. Zedd was the main performer and the opening act was Samuel Adams. I went to the concert with three other humanities scholars and we had the time of our lives. The music was great, and we also somehow got floor wristbands- okay I’ll admit we cut the miles long line because I saw one of my friends in the front who eventually agreed to let us stand with him. On the floor we also met many people who we got to enjoy the concert with and we danced pretty much the entire night. It was such a great way to let go of all the stresses of the week and have fun.

Overall, the first week on campus, although it included a few visits to my mom’s work and a trip home, was also extremely fun and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year holds.

 

Artifacts

Hello and welcome to my artifacts page! I intend to use this page as a source of storage for the many memories that will be made at Ohio State, starting primarily during my second year at the university. For my first year, I have posted two reactions- one for my first week spent on campus and a second for my first semester. I also wrote a short piece about my favorite human at OSU; my mom. As time became limited for writing during the second semester of my freshman year, I found myself slipping away from the documentation of my life to actually live it. Looking back, I have found that I regret not even scribbling down a memory here or there, and so i have since decided that blog posting will be a priority of mine during the rest of my time at the Ohio State University; enjoy!