My First Semester at OSU

College has always been portrayed as this big, looming cesspool of bad grades and angry professors. In high school, we were all warned that if we didn’t prepare for college, we had no chance of success. There’s so much weight put on going to college, obtaining a degree of higher learning, and only then being able to be successful. My first semester at OSU was unexpected, to say in the least. I felt stressed and overwhelmed for the first month, my fears of failure always following me each time I walked across the oval to get to my classes. The idea of talking to my professors outside of class was terrifying, and I mostly kept to myself in classes, listening rather than learning. It seemed like nothing was going to be okay, even with the roadmap that syllabus week laid out for me. But as time passed and I got into my second month, the pressure that was constantly surrounding me seemed to lessen. I started speaking up in class, seeing my professors during my office hours, and making friends in each class. My classes got easier, I rarely felt anxious about my grades, and I started looking forward to new lesson material. That’s not to say I enjoyed the copious amounts of homework I started to receive, but I felt able to handle everything that my classes were throwing my way. My expectations of my first semester left me confused, because I started having to face my mental illness head on rather than spend all my time studying. In high school, I was a relatively stable person. But coming to college and being under extreme duress for the majority of my week contributed to me spiraling and reaching out for help. Two months ago, I started going to the counseling and consultation services provided by OSU. To say that it’s helped me is an understatement, and I feel like I’ll be able to handle myself over the next four years with a little bit of help from my friends and the people who care about me.

My experience within the Humanities Scholars has been entirely positive at this point; it serves as a social and philanthropic group, and helps me connect with a smaller part of OSU. I enjoy every event I go to, and the fact that I earn points as I go for doing things I genuinely like is astounding to me. I’m upset that I haven’t been able to make every event, but next semester, a lot of my commitments will free up, and I expect to go to many more events. I feel like I’ve found my niche within the Humanities Scholars, and I’m so grateful for everyone that I’ve met through the program. Because of everything I’ve gotten out of this program, I want to look into becoming a mentor so that I can provide the same comfort that my mentors have given me.

Humans of OSU

Vinnie Pancini; the physical embodiment of an ENFJ. Relentlessly charming and sarcastic, he graces the halls of Baker East and spreads his smile to anyone that he crosses paths with. On the surface, it’s clear that he has a lot of personality, but there’s a deeper aspect to Vinnie that isn’t always recognizable. Vinnie has relied on introspection since he was 10, when his father had a heart attack. He was terrified (and reasonably so), but marked that as a transition point where he began to put his issues in perspective in ways that were way past the capabilities of a 10 year old. In high school, Vinnie was on the football team and was captain for two years, all while maintaining his grades and graduating valedictorian of his class. Vinnie is the protagonist of his own story; he seems to attain the impossible by carefully budgeting his time, working his hardest, and caring about the people around him. He defines himself with love, social intelligence, kindness, gratitude, and curiosity; all of which encompass his dimensional and enthralling personality.

My First Week at OSU

My first week at OSU was a whirlwind of long walks across the campus and endless cups of coffee, but it made me realize a few things about my upcoming year at Ohio State. My fears about not making friends with anyone in the freshmen class were soon proved irrational, which made me enthusiastic to develop connections and put my name out there. I was able to develop a good bond with a lot of the people on my floor, in my building, and in some of my classes during my first week, which was a great relief. Attending classes was a slightly scary experience, especially with how often I got lost looking for each building. I’m enthusiastic for my intro classes and Spanish, because I think those are going to help me pave the way to my major. The only class I’m worried about is my criminal justice class; it’s clearly not a class meant for freshmen, and I’m finding that every day she asks questions I don’t feel equipped to answer. However, the class is so interesting to me that I cannot imagine dropping it in favor of pursuing another class; I’m learning more than I ever imagined, so my hope is that I’m able to adjust to her teaching. I also had a great amount of fun at Humanities meetings during the first week, and my expectations for this program are great. I fully expect to make great friends, participate in wonderful volunteer opportunities, and get a chance to make my campus a better place. I’m still shakily putting one foot in front of the other throughout this experience, but I know that in time it’ll come to be a natural stride, and I cannot express how excited I am for this upcoming year.

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.]

About Me

 

Anita Krishnan is a first year student in the Humanities program at The Ohio State University. In the future, she hopes to use her sociology degree to attend law school and eventually address the disparity of mass incarceration among races. Anita is an auditory and visual learner who enjoys demonstrations and lectures. She’s very excited to get involved with the university’s extracurricular programs, with her attention currently centered around Mock Trial. When not studying or wandering around the campus, Anita enjoys watching Netflix, volunteering, and spending time with friends.  She’s most looking forward to meeting other people in her field or similar fields.