As I finish my first semester of college here at Ohio State, I have realized how fast time passes. The past few months have been full of moments of excitement, achievements, and some disappointments. Starting out, I felt myself not being as proactive as I could have been. It was hard to catch myself up and try to get ahead. I have gotten to the exact point where I want to be, but now the seamster is almost over. I know that I can to use this lesson learned to start out stronger next seamster.

As far as classes go, my favorite class is my Molecular Genetics class that is based on research opportunities on campus. I have learned about many career paths that I could follow in my degree that I didn’t even know existed. I also have been able to connect with fellow molecular genetics majors, across all years, and connect with a professor (and researcher) who teaches the class. This was only one out of the six classes I was registered for this semester. Chemistry has been the hardest class that I have faced this semester. The information is not necessarily more difficult, it is just taught at such a fast pace that I found myself having a hard time digesting all of the material. To cope with this, I realized that studying for exams earlier than normal helps.  This gave me time to visit the Learning Resource Center if I have any questions that need addressed. This will be useful to know when going into next semester, as well.

Overall, my classes have been hard, but I can tell that I am learning and growing as a student and individual. Outside of the classroom, I have been able to meet many new people through volunteering and networking with the people I met early on. Volunteering around Columbus with various Biological Sciences students has been a major part of my first seamster here. Being able to take a break from school work to help people and make a difference was something that meant a lot to me. I also had the chance to meet people, who introduced me to other people they knew at later times. This gave me a network of people that I could connect with when I saw the around campus and at events.

During this semester I have learned so much about myself, due to the fact that this is the first time living on my own without family close by. I have been able to accomplish small things (like never accidentally turning my whites red in the laundry) and major things (like dealing with a parking garage gate closing on my car). I have gained strong communication skills and became more confident in who I am and know that I belong here. I will use all of these valuable skills and lessons throughout next semester and throughout my collegiate career and continue to build on them. I hope to develop myself daily, and this semester was only the beginning of this amazing journey.