This past year went great! Yes there was a lot of hard work, but knowing I did my best I am happy with what I have achieved in the classroom. In the beginning it was different just because I had to do things I took for granted such as using the washer and dryer which I never really did at home. I felt overwhelmed with the work load, but after a while I just learned how to use my time effectively and I wasn’t feeling to much stress like maybe I did the in the first week or two. I also became very interested in my psych 1100 class which lead me to take some Neuroscience classes. I’m now thinking about majoring in Neuroscience although I’m not completely decided yet.  There are a lot of things to experience in college so my advice to incoming freshman is to work hard, but also balance other things like clubs and time with friends because those are the memories that you will take with you for a long time. Once you can get the balancing act down, the rewards are endless.

I spoke with Huzaifa about the MCAT and applying to medical school. After asking various questions about the MCAT I leanred It will require a lot of studying, most likely a whole summer of studying around eight hours a day. I should also take a course as part of this studying in order to get the best coverage over the topics on this exam. I also took away the fact that stressing over grades gets you no where and the best thing to do is have a balance or work and fun time, because working 24/7 is just not plausible. Not to my surprise, Huz said Organic Chemistry was the hardest Medical school requirement for him so I will try to take easier classes when I schedule for Organic chemistry. Huz also gave me some good insite on his reasoning for waiting an extra year before applying to medical school, just to take a breather from all the work in his undergraduate career.

This past year I visited the Garden of Hope where I helped gather the vegetables that had been grown in an effort to support cancer fighting foods. The bulk of the service I participated in this past year was when I went on a Hawaiian Mission trip during December and January. This trip was to support The Hawaiian Mission started by the Coptic Orthodox Church, Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California and Hawaii. As a part of The Hawaii Mission we bought an old ambulance. Our goal was to clean up the ambulance, decorate the ambulance with our church logos, and stock it full of supplies for the homeless of Hawaii. We would then go to the less fortunate areas with the ambulance and one at a time distribute supplies to those in need. While I was there we were still cleaning the inside and decorating it, but it was truly a rewarding experience seeing the ambulance get better everyday and seeing what a difference one person can make. During this mission trip I also visited a homeless shelter where we gave food to the homeless and had a meal with them. I though this was very important because not only do you need food but some people are deprived of social interaction, and I found that talking with them and getting to know them was much more rewarding and humbling than simply giving someone something to eat. At the Shriners Hospital I played with children that had illnesses where they needed lots of medical attention. These children had so much more appreciation for the things in their life because of the struggles they have been through, and nothing has felt more rewarding to me than seeing the smile on a child’s face who has dealt with something so hard at such a young age. I also helped build a fence for the chickens at a safe house for troubled boys. This house had around 8 young men who have had some type of issues with the law, but after taking to all of them it was clear they had all had big transformations in their lives. I took valuable lessons from these kids who were able to turn their lives around in about a years time. Overall this mission trip was an amazing experience and definitely something I would like to do gain given the oportunity.

[ “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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. 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.]