With 2018 coming to a close, I believe it is important to walk through the steps of this dynamic year. I started 2018 off still in high school, not having a clue as to which college I would be attending. With college acceptances rolling in, I was overwhelmed, nervous and confused. Would I pick the right college? Would I be happy? Did I pick the right major? As all these questions crossed my mind, I decided to make a list of pros and cons of my possible choices. This list, and a handful of college visits, ultimately led me to pick The Ohio State as my university. Although I had made my decision, I was still scared for that huge transition. Moving 7 hours away from home, family, friends and all I have ever known was, as most can imagine, slightly concerning. When graduation rolled around, I was both filled with joy and fear, knowing that high school was over. It was at this point that many people gave me various pieces of advise for the coming years, as a college student. These ranged from “College will be easy” to “These will be the best four years of your life” to “You will only be doing schoolwork from here on out”. I had no idea what to expect. Throughout the summer, I worked with children and had an internship at State Farm. I have been working with kids for a long time, but that summer’s batch was particularly rowdy. They were rising kindergarteners and could not quite get it together, always fumbling around and not listening to instruction. I wondered if this is how I would seem to my professors in the coming fall. This was probably true at first. As I moved in to Ohio State on August 17th (yes, I remember the exact date), I met my roommates and adjusted to my new lifestyle. The first month was hard. I had to meet new friends, find new activities, get acclimated to my new and insane workload. The workload! My gosh! I have never had to do so much work and studying in four months in my life! The homework, the quizzes, the midterms, the assignments, the reports, the memos, the labs! At times it seemed like too much for me to handle, but with ever assignment I completed I took a breath of fresh air. A feeling of accomplishment flooded through me. And with this, my “fumbling around and not listening to instruction” kindergarten-esque behavior quickly transformed into strict routine and diligence. The semester of coursework, football games, new friendships, and new living arrangements quickly flew by, and before I knew it, finals were over (which was a whole beast in and of itself). At this point in time, I can confidently say that I DID pick the right college, I WOULD be happy and I POSSIBLY picked the right major, I’m still figuring that out. Overall, this year started off with unimaginable uncertainty and ended on the best of notes.
Thank you.