Matthew McNeill
ENR Scholars
Autumn 2015
Saplings Mentor Meeting
Questions:
- “Where is the best place on campus to study (in your opinion)?”
- “How have you chosen to get involved on campus?”
- “What ENR opportunities are you glad you participated in?”
- “What is your dream job and why?”
- “What advice do you wish someone gave you your freshman year?”
Meeting up with and getting to know Syd as a mentor was a great opportunity. It’s nice having someone who is also undecided major to talk to since they know exactly what your situation is. That being said, there are some things that I will have to find out on my own. But, having help along the way is a great advantage.
I asked Syd what her favorite place to study on campus. I wanted to find out more about this because I haven’t taken advantage of any places to study on campus other than my dorm. I’ve been doing well so far, but it is easier to get distracted when in a room with some of your closest friends. Syd recommended studying in the Agro-science section of campus, which is West of Morrill tower and across the bridge. I like the idea of studying in an open environment. I believe that the environment, gardens, and running bodies of water would help me relax and concentrate while I study. I will definitely take advantage of this before the next midterms.
When it comes to involvement, Syd works the front desk at Morrill Tower and hopes to be an R.A. next year if possible. I really loved hearing this, because I also want to be an R.A. next year or my junior year if it doesn’t work out. Having Syd go through the same process makes me feel a little better about managing the process and not getting overwhelmed since she is always in contact. It was recommended that I try to land this job by several people, and now I’m feeling very confident about my ability to. Syd also said that she volunteers through ENR whenever she gets the chance. Volunteer work looks good on a resume and is also great life experience to have. I volunteered through high school and logged more than 100 hours last year, but haven’t done any since arriving at OSU. I hope to change this by taking the next opportunity to give back to our community.
Being a member of ENR and being an involved member are two different things. My mentor recommended highly that I participate in leadership, mentoring, and any other opportunity that I wanted to participate in through ENR. She was very happy that she did herself, and I would love to see it pay off for me as well. The most recent event, our ENR Hocking Hills trip, was a great experience. I haven’t been to Hocking hills since my sophomore year in high school with my astronomy club, and we did not get to do some of the hikes that we did with ENR. I was very glad to see a part of the park that I hadn’t seen before. I look forward to being involved in ENR, and also finding more beyond the mandated trips.
If someone were to ask me what my dream job was, I wouldn’t know what I would tell them. Syd is also undecided, but seemed to know exactly what she wanted. Syd’s dream job would be a park ranger or zoo representative so that she could work with animals and the environment.
I would consider my first year to be going well so far, but I know I’m not perfect. I like getting advice and I like having the ability to better myself through the mentoring process. Syd’s piece of advice for me was that it is completely fine to freak out, feel overwhelmed, or feel down sometimes. This is a massive university, and a person couldn’t possibly be involved in everything here going on here. Not doing everything is not a sign of failure, it is a sign of knowing your limits and knowing how to be the most effective you. I really liked hearing this, because sometimes I can over commit. I’m very excited for the rest of this year, and I am feeling very confident with all of this new advice that I have to consider.