Oh the Places G.O.A.L.S. Will Take Me
Going through my freshman year as a STEM EE Scholar at Ohio State University really helped me understand the meaning and purpose of G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. All of which are important for my future professional and personal goals. But the G (Global Awareness) and A (Academic Enrichment) in particular are the most applicable to me in the context of my future career and individual goals.
Global Awareness is probably the most important item in G.O.A.L.S. for me. Personally, I love to travel around the world to be more aware of what it is like to be a global citizen. The different cultures and languages that exist simply amaze me and I would love to experience what it’s like to live in a totally different environment. Being more knowledgeable of my surroundings will definitely allow me to become a more successful person in the future. The vast amount of unknowns and studies that are available for students to discover and work on outside of college is simply fascinating. I feel that these opportunities will allow me to further develop my listening/speaking skills through interacting will people from a different region/country, cultural understanding by getting to experience different traditions or formalities from elsewhere, multicultural engagement through studying and interacting with people from all over the world and teamwork ability by learning to work with strangers that I have never met before. Not only will my interpersonal skills be developed, but my personality skills will also mature. Traveling abroad will boost my self-confidence through communicating with people who grew up in a different environment. Furthermore, I would become a more responsible person in the process by having to plan out my studies and finances on my own.
I plan to incorporate Global Awareness in my life over the next year by taking advantage of study abroad programs, research opportunities or even internships abroad to get a worldwide view of the fields I plan to join. This will broaden my horizons by giving me the chance to understand what actuarial science, computer science and economics are like around the world. It would be so cool to meet professionals in my field from around the globe. There are many opportunities that are offered to me through the university and tons of events that are going on daily on-campus that I could be involved in. This is definitely enough for me to accomplish my global awareness goal.
Academic Enrichment is the second most important item in G.O.A.L.S. for me. In order to gain the experience that many companies and industries are looking for, getting involved in internships in college is a must. To get in to the profession I love (actuarial science) it is important for future actuaries to take and pass many exams such as probability, financial mathematics and more. Excellence in academics and being involved in rigorous curricular activities both in and out of class will definitely allow my dream of becoming an actuary in the future to come true.
I plan to incorporate Academic Enrichment in my life over the next year by being more involved in clubs and activities that relate to my field and apply to more internships and jobs so that I can learn more about my major and become more experienced. The internet will be a great source for me to find jobs/internships that interest me. I could also do more research really get a feel of what I will be doing in the future and be more knowledgeable about it. Next year will be a great time for me to perfect my resume and make sure that I am getting more involved on-campus so that I can take off most of my high school experiences.
Although all portions of G.O.A.L.S. are important, global awareness and academic enrichment are going to be the most valuable goals for me. These two goals are the most relevant to my future professional and personal goals and will further develop my success and involvement in actuarial science and computer science. I plan to incorporate both of these goals into my life by applying to more study abroad research programs and internships throughout the next year.