Author: kolanci.1

This year has been one of the most transformational years of my life. Well, every moment since I moved in the U.S has been transformational and full of learning, however, I really believe this year was the beginning of my real life in the U.S. I started my sophomore year by applying for honors college.I was not admitted to honors when I was admitted to Ohio State but my grades were stellar and I wanted to experience Honors classrooms. I got in and I took 2 honors classes. While my science honors class was going pretty well, I was struggling in my GE honors course. It was a U.S history and literature course and I did not have any background on U.S. history whatsoever. While trying to catch -up with the common knowledge of a U.S citizen, I was expected to read large amounts of books and articles. Before the 3rd week of classes, I decided that I was not ready to take this class and I dropped it. I have never dropped, or failed or did badly in a class before, so that experience was very eye-opening for me. I learned that there are things that I might not be ready to do yet. I learned to pick my classes carefully and be aware of my abilities.

I also started working in the General Chemistry Lab as an assistant. We prepared the solutions that general chemistry students used for their lab experiments. We filled them, arranged the classes, cleaned the lab rooms, refreshed the chemicals and worked at the lab window to provide them with the devices they will use for the experiments. Since I did really well in my General Chemistry classes and really enjoyed my time in the lab, this job was an easy one for me. I enjoyed it my time there and learned a lot too. This job was my first job ever. I never had to think about my salary, the timesheet, paychecks, insurance, taxes or documents that I needed to gather for human resources. Starting this job and learning about how the system in the U.S works was such an adventure.

Socially, and as an extracurricular, I joined Phi Sigma Pi Honor Fraternity. In this honor fraternity, we arrange service, fellowship, scholarship, and risk management events, fundraise for HOBY– a competitive leadership program that gives high school kids scholarship- and go to trips to several places in the U.S. Just couple weeks earlier we went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and I did White Water Rafting and hiking for the first time in my life! I am so glad that I joined this organization and made so many amazing friends. Being a pre-med can make a person very involved in only pre-health people naturally. By joining this organization I made friends that are majoring in dance, architecture, linguistics, engineering, music and many more. Now, I have friends from all around the campus and I feel like I belong to Ohio State’s community better! I also applied to become a Care Ambassador for my residence hall Drackett Tower. As care-ambassadors we aim to help international students to have a smooth transition to American culture and traditions while we introduce different cultures and traditions to domestic students. We not only focus on the cultural differences but also language differences, the culture shock experienced by international students, the academic problems and financial problems that they face and etc. So, we organized many events and programs for international students and domestic students to get to know each other and destroy the stereotypes. Since I have experienced many of the problems an average international student faces, I wanted to make a difference in someone else’s experience by helping them and giving them tips that I learned by trial and error. It was a very rewarding experience seeing people doing better and getting to know different cultures.

I also kept my volunteer position at James Cancer Hospital. I enjoy volunteering very much and I am planning to continue volunteering until I graduate. It is one of the most fulfilling things I do as an extracurricular and ensures me everytime that being a doctor is what I really want to be!

During this winter break, I also volunteered for a week in Biloxi, Mississipi with Buck-i-Serv. It was one of the best trips I’ve ever had! It was my first time being the South so I was very excited to see a different side of the States. While it was stormy and snowy in Ohio, Mississipi was warm and sunny!  I loved my time there as much as I loved volunteering there! We helped at a conservation center to get rid of the invasive species in the Biloxi National Park. We also volunteered at a Women’s Shelter. I will definitely go on another Buck-I-Serv trip since I learned and helped so much!

My second semester I finally found a research lab that I was incredibly passionate about. It’s in Nationwide Children’s Hospital and we are working on the effects of Gut Microbiota on Anxiety and Depression. It is a very broad topic and has so many little branches that we want to work on with. I am taking Intro to Psychopharmacology class that I learned so much about which is giving me more insight on what I am going to do with my research. Since I have just joined the lab, I’m still learning basic lab skills but I will start my own project this summer! I am incredibly excited to work in this lab and can’t wait to do more! My goal is to present at Denman and also get invitations from several universities too!

I also declared a minor, A thematic History minor on Women, Gender and Sexuality! I was always very intrigued about feminism and Gender issues and I’m always reading and trying to learn more about the problems going on globally. I’ve been involved in Women’s rights protests and took part in organizing rallies and initiatives in high school so I decided to learn more and integrate that experience into my undergraduate career! I’m so excited to take my minor classes and learn more about the history of Feminism!

Looking back, I now realized that I’ve been very busy, changing my life and keeping my academics stellar. And even though I had some negative experiences, I overcame them and I do not regret anything I did! So, I’m planning to keep doing what I like! I’m planning to take the MCAT next year and do well on it! I will start my own research project and make it my baby! I will also try to take more part on Ohio State’s Women Initiatives. Another plan is to go on my STEP Trip! I have good feelings about next year and hopefully, I can keep on accomplishing my goals!

˜Elif