When my mom first tossed the learning community pamphlet my way, I sneered. My exact thoughts were “what the heck is a learning community, I don’t wanna do that?!” Fast forward another six months and I’m pulling onto campus on move-in day anticipating meeting my roommate, along with the other 35 students who chose the Global Business Learning Community.
My name is Molly, I’m from Michigan, and I am finishing up my first year here at The Ohio State University. I’m currently admitted into my business specialization of Operations Management, and I have every intention of eventually doubling with a degree in Logistics as well. Coming to Ohio State was one of the hardest, but best decisions I have ever made in my life. As you can imagine, I didn’t have much support from the people back home in “that state up north.” As you can also probably imagine, I didn’t exactly know anybody when I first came down to Columbus, being that this school isn’t much of a popular choice from where I’m from. Luckily for me, the Global Business Learning Community made my transition here a lot easier.
Since day one I have made nothing but awesome friends. My entire learning community got to move in early and have a few extra days to get to know each other before campus madness had begun. I can honestly say that we all got along really well immediately, and starting with that very first day on campus we all headed to dinner together and then to the Oval to kick around a soccer ball. Since then, not much has changed. Being surrounded be these ambitious business students all the time has really pushed me to be my absolute best. I get to go to a lot of the same classes with them, work on homework and study with them, but more importantly, seeing all the other things they’ve gotten involved with here at school has made me want to find my true place at OSU, too. Although we’re all friends and have this learning community in common, we’re also almost all involved in clubs or organizations outside of our LC. It’s an enlightening atmosphere to be around, being able to not only work together but also learn from everyone around me, too.
Out exploring. With hard hats.
The Global Business Learning Community (GBLC) has done more than introduce me to friends. It has provided me with some very unique opportunities and has really helped me to shape my path for the rest of my college career and then onward. Our community brings in speakers, we go on tours, we learn about strengths and how to apply them in the real world, we get to go to Toronto, and most importantly, we have fun along the way.
One event that all GBLC members have had the opportunity to partake in is something called an industry clusters dinner. So, what that means is, I got to sit down with about five of my LC peers at a nice fancy dinner with both a professor in the business college and then also a business leader, in my case, one of the head executives of the franchise, Piada Italian Street Food. As we talked over a delicious (and free!) meal, he told us about what it was like expanding his company into what it is today, how he got the job he did, and what his daily routine looked like in this position. There is an industry clusters dinner every couple of months, and each dinner hosts a different business leader and college staff to talk with us about the business world. Opportunities like this, which may not sound too enticing right now, are not opportunities just anybody has the access or privilege of partaking in. Because I’ve sat down with the head of Piada, it has given me a contact for when it is time to find an internship or job. He will remember me, and we have now established professional relationship, which has given me a sort of foot in the door. Plus, I had free range to ask anything that might help me figure out what it is or isn’t I want to do in my future careers.
Now time for the GBLC bonus, as if everything I said wasn’t good enough already: Being a member of the Global Business Learning Community gets you direct admission into the business school. Yep, you heard me right, direct admission. It allows you to skip through the competitive application process a few years down the road, and you can start taking classes towards your major much sooner, reducing stress levels by tenfold. Not only this, but being a direct admissions student to Fisher College opens up a door to even more opportunities. The business school is always holding events and speakers and workshops to better prepare you for the real working world and to help get you involved.
My first year at Ohio State would not have been the amazing experience that it was without the opportunities and people the Global Business Learning Community has introduced me to. I’m way more established and focused than I ever anticipated being, and it has really just made everything here go so smoothly. I am so happy, grateful, and eager to see what other doors the Global Business Learning Community will open up for me down the road, and I would encourage any single person to join this community, or at least another that encompasses your interests. It is a decision you won’t ever regret, and I promise you that.
As I briefly mentioned before, GBLC is heading to Toronto, Canada next month—so STAY TUNED and GO BUCKS!