Author: mcintosh.192

My First Year

My first year at Ohio State has been a crazy one. It has taught me so many things about myself and the world around me. It has taught me how to handle situations that I would otherwise not know how to handle. Over the past year living on campus, I have made friends that will last a lifetime and experienced things that I will hold onto forever. There have been countless fun adventures so far and so many more to come.

One of my favorite memories is my birthday. I was out for the day with my aunt and when I came back my roommate had a surprise for me. She printed out a ton of pictures of us and our friends and got everyone to write me a little note. She hung them on the wall next to my desk. It doens’t seem like much, but it meant so much to me that they all cared that much. It has been really hard being away from everyone after we moved out of the dorms. The thing I’m looking forward to moat next year is being back on campus with them. Campus is its own little world and it’s weird not being there everyday with all of my friends.

I have grown so much as a person by being at OSU. I had to learn how to live far from my family and friends. I would say before my freshman year, I was a quiet and reserved person. Going to college flipped that so fast. On the drop of a dime I had to be able to communiate with advisors, professors, and everyone else around me. Being on my own has allowed me to become my own person and discover who I really am. I know more about what I want in life and what I don’t, I know what kind of person I want to be, and I know what I need to accomplish my goals.

I think I learned the most about life in ENR. This class has taught me life lessons and shown me things that I didn’t know before. We had extensive discussions and debates about anything I could possibly think of. These exeriences have opened my eyes to things that I was not completely aware of going on around me. I feel that I have a better knowledge of everything we talked about in class, whether it’s politics, mental health, finances, or how to survive in the wild.

The past few weeks of class have been very trying to say the least. No one has known how to handle moving everything online. It has been a crazy experience that has shown me what I can handle and how I approach problems. I think that I was able to accomodate and adjust so well because I knew everyone else is going through the same thing. All of the faculty at OSU have been so patient and willing to help with everything they can which has made the transition so much less stressful.

 

My Leadership Style

After taking the Enneagram Personality Test, I discovered I was Type 2: The Caregiver/The Helper. A brief description of this is being empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. Being Type 2 is very much being close to others and caring about everyone else’s feelings. It is the feeling of being wanted and accepted by those around them. I feel like this describes me perfectly. I feel as though I am someone who constantly wants to help my close friends and family as much as I can. Being there for the people I care about is something that I take very seriously. In order to improve myself, I need to reasses my priorities and learn to do what is best for me. Right now, I prioritize the well-being of the people closest to me. I need to learn how to take care of myself first. I have to focus on growing myself and discovering who I am as a person. In the in-depth description of Type 2, it describes how they can jump in-between the traits of other types. One jump that we can make is to Type 8, which is stress. When I get stressed, I tend to get upset and don’t know how to properly handle myself. If I improve my control over my emotions, I feel that I can truly be myself and do what I love. Being a college student at Ohio State has made me realize a lot about myself. It’s made me realize that I’m allowed to put my own needs above other people’s happiness. I was so reliant on my friends and family back home, but leaving for college has made me into someone who knows how to find a balance between the care for myself and others. Hanging out with friends is something that I did a lot on campus, but I have come to realize that having some me-time does wonders for the mind. I believe if I continue to balance caring for myself and caring for my family and friends, I can be my best self.

Touring Columbus

One of the locations I decided to visit was the North Market from the list “local food favorites”. I chose this location because it’s a great opportunity to experience a wide variety of foods and other vendors. My absolute favorite thing to get at the north market is a boba smoothie. They have so many different options to choose from, and they’re all amazing! There’s also a vendor that sells the best macarons that I’ve had yet. Every time I go, the north market never fails to amaze me. The most recent time that I went, my mom was with me, which made it especially special as she hasn’t been since she went to Ohio State University almost 20 years ago. It was so interesting to hear about how it has all changed in that time. I would definitely recommend visiting the north market at least once in your time in Columbus.

 

Another location was One Line Coffee. It’s a cute little coffee shop located on High Street. One Line isn’t like a lot of coffee shops that. I’ve been to. It doesn’t have the kinds of coffee like Starbucks or some cafes on campus. They sell plain coffee, not the fancy, sweetened stuff that large corporations sell. It’s not a very big shop so it’s cozy and it has an awesome aesthetic (if you’re into that stuff). I recommend this coffee shop to anyone who likes a very basic coffee. It wasn’t terrible, but it’s not something that I really enjoyed coffee wise, as I like sweetened coffee.

My favorite experience in Columbus was the North Market. It has so much to look at and so much to offer. There was something for everyone there. Throughout the duration of this project, I learned that Columbus has so much to offer everyone. There are so many places to go. No matter what you like to eat, or what activities you’re into, Columbus has something for you. These lists are so convenient for anyone who’s looking for something to do that’s not in the spotlight. There are so many things listed that I didn’t know about that I would love to go try. If you’re participating in this assignment, I really recommend doing things that seem out of your comfort zone! There are so many amazing opportunities in Columbus, and you’ll miss them if you simply do things because they’re similar to what you usually do. 

Alumni Interview

For this assignment, I decided to interview Connor Lemons. He graduated this past May with a degree in Environmental Policy and Decision Making. I have learned quite a lot from chatting with him and he gave a lot of great advice. He highly recommended joining student orgs. They’re a great way to get involved on campus, even in just a small way. Another great thing about student orgs is that they don’t have to pertain to with what you’re studying. He also said to take classes that you’re actually interested in. General Education classes are a great way to get your degree hours, but also take some classes that you genuinely want to learn the information from. Asking for help is another thing that he said not to worry about. Someone will know the answer to your question, you just can’t be afraid to ask. Connor not only gave great advice about life on campus, but also about the job market. He is currently working 2 part time jobs, but is still looking for something permanent. It’s hard coming straight out of graduation and looking for a job in a market that has older and more experienced people fighting for jobs as well. One thing that he said was, “one thing I’ve learned from interviews is that having lots of skills on your resume is just as important as having lots of positions”. I think this is some of the best advice someone has given. As someone who has never had a job or internship, I really feel i can put this advice to use and pull from it after i graduate. Overall, my experience with this interview was worthwhile and I’ll draw from it for a long time.

Olentangy River Trail

This semester, I chose the Nature and Outdoor Recreation list. I am really excited to go outside and truly explore nature around campus and Columbus. I am most looking forward to getting to know the outdoors around me, and being able to share my excitement and experiences with the people around me. Being in ENR, I am around people who care about the environment and the outdoors. I think people could definitely benefit from going to the places on this list. So far this year, I have been to the Olentangy River Trail. My favorite part of my experience was the sheer beauty of the area. It was so naturally beautiful and a really amazing experience. We saw so many different species of plants and animals. It’s also a very common place for people to go on runs, walks, or bike rides. It is so close to campus and the perfect place to go if you want to get outside. There was nothing confusing about this trail. It was marked when it needed to be and is good for people who want an overall easy trail to follow. I will definitely be going back to this trail. I have been quite a few times, and it never fails to amaze me. I recommend this trail to everyone! It is, as I said before, so accessible to everybody on and around campus, and it’s not confusing in any way. It is 12.8 miles long, so it’s perfect for everyone, no matter their experience or expectations.

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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  For more guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]