Today is the day! Today is the last day to apply to join a Learning Community for the 2017-2018 academic year. Learning Community Applications are due here by 11:59 pm tonight, April 17.

Needing a little inspiration to finish that application? Read a few words from Truman Xu, a first-year student in the Global Business Learning Community…

Hi, my name is Truman Xu! I am a member of the Global Business Learning Community (GBLC) at THE​ Ohio State University. Yes, you have to emphasize THE. I am originally from New York but moved to New Jersey at the start of middle school. To me, Ohio was an unknown land. I didn’t know anything about Ohio or anyone here. It was difficult, to say the least, to attend a college so far from home. However, my transition was easier because of the GBLC.

To be honest, I applied to the GBLC because it sounded like an opportunity for people who were intelligent and successful. I had no idea what the program did or how it was helpful. Now, I emphatically state that my participation in the Global Business Learning Community is definitely one of the highlights of my first year. There are many benefits of joining the GBLC, or any Learning Community, but the benefits can’t be fully captured in marketing materials.

As I mentioned, Ohio was unknown to me. I knew no one and my parents were in a different state. Justifiably, I was scared. In a school of more than 50,000 people, it is understandable to feel lost. For me, GBLC was a guiding hand. It brought together first-year business students. After several sessions of intensive ice breakers, a little community was formed. This little community of business students made the transition into college so much less intimidating. In fact, my now closest friends are in the GBLC too.

Aside from bringing people together, the GBLC does benefit my education. We learn about business etiquette and global business practices. Meetings involve fun activities and guest speakers, some of which are business professionals. Occasionally, there are events outside of our weekly meetings. One of my favorite events was the business etiquette dinner. An instructor taught us how to eat properly in a business setting. We also went to Toronto, Canada to connect and network with a variety of businesses!

Attending college is a huge commitment. It’s understandable to be nervous! Take advantage of the opportunities that surround you and you will be successful. For example, apply to a Learning Community. It helps a large university feel small! Best of luck at THE Ohio State University.

Note: This PSA is not a propaganda, just my personal experiences to inform your future decisions.

Members of the Global Business Learning Community at an etiquette dinner!

Learning Community applications are due in just seven days on April 17, 2017! Don’t delay, apply here now! For more information about Learning Communities, visit this website.

Before you apply, read a short post from Marlena (Harley) McNeal, a first-year student in the John Glenn Civic Leadership Community. In this post she shares with us the ways in which Learning Communities support student success…

There is no denying that Ohio State is one of the largest universities in the country. Along with this comes many resources and opportunities, but if you are anything like me, you might be wondering how to thrive at such a big school. What I quickly learned is that despite its intimidating size, Ohio State has endless ways to help students quickly find their place while growing as a student and a person.

Joining a Learning Community helped me adapt to college life. I entered Ohio State without a declared major but was drawn to the John Glenn Civic Leadership Community (JGCLC) because of its focus on public policy, service, and leadership. At first I was nervous that its focus would be too specific for someone still exploring majors, but I was thrilled to find a group of ambitious students with a vast array of career goals who simply shared the common passion of growing as leaders to impact the world around them.

Early arrival weekend, when JGCLC first-year members arrived to campus a few days before school started, was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had at Ohio State thus far. Much of it consisted of bonding activities, from icebreakers to rope course exercises. The focus on team building definitely paid off, and in the process it built trust. This weekend also included a service project in Columbus. We explored the John and Annie Glenn Museum and learned about public policy too. By spending time working and learning together, a tight-knit community developed between people who were complete strangers just a few days prior.

Even once classes started and everyone grew busy with school and other extracurricular activities, the close environment in the JGCLC remained. We all shared the same public affairs class once a week, and had plenty of opportunities to participate in events outside of class. We did service projects and were able to take a tour of the Ohio Statehouse. We also just returned from Washington, D.C. During this during trip we visited historical monuments, networked with Ohio State alumni, and connected with members of Congress. We also visited the new National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The JGCLC was quick to make me feel comfortable in my new environment, and even better, it continually provides more opportunities for me to grow!

Some of the students in the John Glenn Civic Leadership Community preparing for Community Commitment, a day of service-learning at Ohio State!

Some of the students in the John Glenn Civic Leadership Community preparing for Community Commitment, a day of service-learning at Ohio State!

Happy Spring!

In just under one month, on April 17, 2017,  Learning Community applications are due at this website! Unsure whether or not you want to apply? Read below about Theresa Mikolay’s experience in the Pharmacy House Learning Community. She may just convince you. Or, at least, warm your heart…

I have to admit; I was a bit skeptical at first.

I didn’t think I needed a Learning Community. I was pretty social in high school and I didn’t doubt my ability to make friends. I heard others around me talk about the fact that Learning Communities aren’t needed. They said, “You meet people in class regardless of whether or not you live with them!” I’m happy to inform you: They are wrong. This rumor is wrong. Learning Communities are beneficial!

I joined the Pharmacy House Learning Community as it was part of my EAP (Early Admissions Pathway for Pharmaceutical Sciences) requirement. The Pharmacy House Learning Community was the best decision I have made thus far as a college student. I don’t think I would be the same person right now without it! My whole floor is so close and we are all able to help each other whenever someone needs it. It also allowed me to make friends and form bonds a lot quicker with people who have the same aspirations as I do. There was never a time I felt “annoyed” in a Learning Community; all I experienced were the benefits.

You can’t always trust your high school self to make the best decisions regarding what you think you might want in college. I have learned so much about myself that I never would have realized. It would have been a lot harder for me to make friends in college and learn about the resources I need for my major if I did not join my Learning Community. This is because there were always various activities happening just for us: Networking with professors, meeting pharmacists, or social gatherings in the Canfield Lobby that created significant bonding time. Although I was social with the friends I had established in high school, I realized that I still am an introvert, and that my Learning Community made the development of close relationships to others in my major, my Hall Director, my Resident Advisor, and even my Academic Advisor, much easier.

Pharmacy House is a place that I truly call a home. My friends seem like family and I never really feel homesick. I’m grateful for the opportunities and memories I’ve made this year!

It’s the final countdown: In just four short days, Learning Community applications are due for twelve of our Learning Communities. Monday, May 2 is the deadline. Apply here!

Prior to submitting your application, which includes a short essay, read a few words from a current Exploration Learning Community student, Hannah Dunlap. Her story provides valuable insights that may inform your application!

When I think back to high school it is filled with bittersweet moments, especially during my senior year. I have so many joyful memories with my friends that make me smile every time I think about them, but I also remember the anxiety I felt as graduation grew closer. I didn’t know what college I wanted to attend and once I decided the college I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in either. And for a long time these questions ruled my life. “What do I enjoy?” “What should I major in?” “What can I see myself doing for the rest of my life?” It did not help that I was asking myself these questions as well as everyone else in my life. My answer was always, “I don’t know.” And that is how I always felt. I didn’t even know what I did know, and all this pressure to figure it out didn’t bring me any closer to a decision. In fact, it just made me want to shut down.

After I made the decision to attend The Ohio State University, I got a packet in the mail all about Learning Communities. I remember looking through it and thinking, “Of course, none of these apply to me, they are for people with majors.” I was so hard on myself all the time because it felt like everyone else had majors they loved, and everyone else had a plan for their life. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I figure it out? And as I got to the end of the brochure I saw the Exploration Learning Community. Realistically I knew that I wasn’t the only one going into college as an undecided major, but it is still hard and stressful when you just don’t know. But I think physically seeing there was something specifically for undecided majors made me realize for the first time that I wasn’t completely alone, and that is a truly reassuring feeling.

Joining the Exploration Learning Community is a decision I still feel confident in today, and I know that I always will. I come from an extremely small high school with a graduating class of 100. So coming to one of the biggest colleges in the country…I’m sure you can imagine how nervous I was. By joining the Exploration Learning Community I was able to have a small community that I knew I was a part of. And I think that having a sense of belonging, especially in such a large and unfamiliar place, is an incredibly important feeling. I was able to meet so many new people with diverse backgrounds, and we all had something in common. The LC also presents you with opportunities and activities to get to know students and also get to know different majors. This was very helpful, but I also had to work hard to teach myself to apply myself and ask questions. Though this is all valuable knowledge, I wouldn’t be able to pick a major without sitting down with my advisors and other professors. Through my Learning Community I was also able to join a Learning Community Council which exposed me to students in other Learning Communities as well. This was also a great experience we were able to learn to develop our leadership skills to represent and help others in our LC. You might not think so, but this also helped me to understand what I’m looking for in a major. It showed me that I actually enjoy meeting new people and speaking with others.

I am very glad that I made the decision to participate in the Exploration Learning Community and the Council. I know that my college experience wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t decide to join. I never thought of myself as a truly extroverted individual, but my LC allowed me to become comfortable and it made it so much easier to be confident in myself. When I first moved down to Ohio State I remember feeling so sad and lonely, I didn’t know who I had to talk to. And that is when I realized that coming to college is the biggest opportunity I have ever been given. Everyone is in the same boat, even though we all come from different backgrounds and situations. It is important to remember that there will never be a time when you are more independent, and when you are able to explore all things that interest you. I always try to remind myself of this. As an undecided student there is nothing wrong with exploring all the opportunities available to you.

This is a picture of Hannah at an Exploration Learning Community event in which teams explored campus and set personal goals!

In just over a week, applications for six of our nationally recognized Learning Communities are due! April 18 is the application deadline for: Business Honors, Engineering House, Future Health Professionals, Global Business, Women in Engineering, and SUSTAINS. Don’t delay, apply here!

As a bit of inspiration for your application, Megan Luthie, a first-year student in Women in Engineering, shares her story about her experience in a Learning Community!

“You can make this big university small.” These are the words you’ll hear at every single visit, tour, and even orientation at Ohio State. In a school of about 60,000 people, how is that even possible? Coming from a town less than a third of the size of Ohio State, I was very skeptical. There was no way that this school was going to feel small to me. But, after joining the Women in Engineering Learning Community, I realized that this was true.

Being in a Learning Community made the transition from a small high school to a huge university far easier and also surrounded me with 50 other women who are pursuing a similar degree. This created a comfortable community where we could ask each other questions about school and life in general.

We were also able to move-in three days before the big move-in day, allowing me to connect with the other women in this community and a sophomore in engineering that served as our mentor. We were able to build relationships with one another and also become familiar with the campus before classes started. Living in the same building as all of these women also helped us stay connected throughout the year.

As a group we were able to create our own scented candles, attend a Columbus Crew soccer game, travel to the Columbus Zoo for Zoo Lights, design mugs and plates, and participate in so many other events. This helped us to engage with each other outside of the classroom and become closer to one another.

While this community inspired friendships, it also created the opportunity to meet with professionals and students that are in the engineering field. During our early arrival program, we had the chance to meet with multiple engineering professors including ones in Electrical and Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering fields. We were also able to meet professionals working at ArcelorMittal and were even able to tour the factory in Cleveland. Furthermore, every two months there is an event entitled WiE Tea where women in the field of engineering come to our dorm and talk about why they chose their careers and what they do in their field. We are also able to ask lots of questions! This community has provided many networking connections throughout the year.

Overall, joining the Women in Engineering Learning Community is one of the greatest choices I have made here at Ohio State. I have created connections in a few short months and could not have hoped for a better outcome. I have had the chance to bond with my RA, Learning Community Advisor, Hall Director and other students while participating in fun events that enhance my connection to engineering. As a result, I felt comfortable at Ohio State almost instantly and have been able to join other organizations that I am interested in. I have become an active member in the Ohio State community in large part because of my experience as a member of Women in Engineering! 

April is just a few days away, bringing the fresh flowers and warm weather of Spring! April also includes the Learning Community application deadline for six of our Learning Communities: Business Honors, Engineering House, Future Health Professionals, Global Business, Women in Engineering, and SUSTAINS.  Applications for these Learning Communities are due on April 18 at go.osu.edu/LearningCommunities.

In light of this approaching deadline, Matthew Griffin, a first-year student in SUSTAINS, shares with us the reasons he is proud to call SUSTAINS his home…

As a first year Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability (EEDS) major, just a short time ago, I was nervous about coming to Ohio State. Many of you may feel similarly while reading this. I saw applying to the SUSTAINS Learning Community as a way to make a university as large as Ohio State feel smaller and as a way to connect me with students who shared my interest of learning about how to incorporate sustainability into today’s world. SUSTAINS proved to be all this and more.

The SUSTAINS advisors are experienced and passionate staff who provide plenty of interesting opportunities to get connected with what the people of Ohio State and Columbus are doing to become more sustainable; they have also taken us to interact firsthand with the latest innovations in clean energy. Through SUSTAINS I have been able to interact with biodigesters, volunteer at urban farms, have a conversation with the 2009 recipient of the Sustainability Science Award, Elena Irwin, and participate in numerous other incredible opportunities. We even took a trip to our nation’s capital to meet with some of the top policy makers, business leaders, and researchers who are making incredible strides to lead the United States to a greener future. What makes these experiences even better is the fact that I get to share them with the new friends I have made in SUSTAINS. My fellow SUSTAINS members are from all different walks of life and are in a variety of majors, but we are all linked by a common passion for sustainability that drives us to learn and grow together.

SUSTAINS has been such a large part of my college life so far, and I couldn’t be happier about my decision to apply. For any students who are looking for a community of impassioned students and want to get real-world experience in the field of sustainability, I highly recommend you check out SUSTAINS.

SUSTAINS students explore nature on a canoeing trip together!

What am I doing for my last Spring Break of high school? Where will I call home next year? How will my friends and I celebrate graduation from high school? Where will I call home next year? What am I doing in my last summer before starting college? Where will I call home next year?

The end of high school is full of excitement, promise, and unknowns about the future. While we want to spend all of our free time with the friends we grew up with, we are also challenged to think about the future.

Fortunately, where you will call home next year is a question that is easily answered: Call a Learning Community home next year! Learning Communities (LCs) create a home for students who share a common major, interest, or desired career path. Students in LCs have higher GPAs than their peers and feel more connected to Ohio State.

Still a little unsure about what a Learning Community is? A video is worth a thousand words! Spend a few minutes viewing the video below, featuring current LC students and academic partners who support LCs.

Previous blog posts also speak to the Learning Community experience. Future blog posts will too! For more information, visit: http://www.housing.osu.edu/learning-communities.

Note: Applications for Business Honors, Engineering House, Future Health Professionals, Global Business, and SUSTAINS are due April 18. Applications for all other LCs are due May 2.