Personal Development

Over the course of my first semester here at The Ohio State University, I have learned an extremely useful skill that I plan to take with me as I progress through college and beyond. It is through my newly acquired skill of organization that I find I have developed most greatly as a student. Before college, I was very unorganized and found myself asking others what I was assigned to do that night rather than remembering it myself or even writing it down. When I started my first semester at Ohio State, I knew that I needed to become more aware of what I needed to accomplish and what was approaching, in terms of upcoming homework and tests. For this reason, I decided to dedicate my time to becoming a more organized student. I bought a planner and several notebooks, one for each class, and labeled them with their corresponding class names and course numbers. I write all upcoming homework assignments in my planner and take notes in my notebooks. This way, I can have all upcoming assignments and tests in one place while also having separate notebooks for my classes, allowing myself to find certain information much quicker. This organizational aspect of my student life, undiscovered until college, has really allowed me to become a more productive, efficient worker. Before, when I failed to record assignments myself, I had great trouble completing them. With the help of my new organizational habits, I have noticed a great change in my work as I now always complete homework on time, sometimes even several days ahead of time. This has proved to be very beneficial during midterm week, as I am able to allow myself more time to study due to my increased effectiveness as an organized student. I hope to keep these habits a part of my everyday life as they will be very beneficial in the coming semesters.

Ice Skating

The Ohio State University Ice Rink

Going ice skating has always been a bucket list item for me. Entering my first year of college, I had only gone ice skating once in my life – several years prior. When I discovered that Ohio State had its own ice rink open to the public, I knew that I had to visit. I figured that a trip to the ice rink would just be a fun event that would come and go, but it turned out to be so much more. Skating opened my eyes to my own potential both as a student and as an individual. Initially, I assumed that I would fall over and over again and fail to enjoy my time at the ice rink. However, I quickly picked up the skills needed to allow me stay on my feet, which taught me to not doubt myself when trying something new. This is a skill that I plan to take with me as I progress through my college career. Self-confidence is a very important attribute that is necessary for countless things, and my ice skating trip allowed me to develop that attribute. This trip also encouraged me to go out and try other new things. I enjoyed my time there so much that I looked into intramural ice hockey, having never even considered playing hockey before, and found a league that suited me well. This event marked a turning point in my self-belief and I believe that it will allow me to become a more well-rounded individual with more confidence to pursue what I enjoy in the future.