Journal 5: First Semester at OSU

Vinay Naik

Journal 5:   

As I am only a week away from completing my first semester here at OSU, I can’t get over the fact that time has flown by so fast! I feel like it was less than a month ago that we took a trip to explore downtown Cbus that first weekend on campus. Scholars has been a nice added experience to all the the things that I have done these past 4 months or so. I will continue to be involved in scholars by giving back to our community and taking part in many of the events that take place around campus, ranging from TEDx talks and informational meetings, to social gatherings. I have considered being an RA for the architecture scholars group next semester as I believe it was mentioned that next year’s arch scholars class will be living in Torres House.

In my next semester/year I hope to explore the more advanced engineering/STEM classes as I have heard they aren’t as tedious, and that they are genuinely interesting. I am taking a theater class next semester and I hope that that serves as a good break from the traditional science and math classes that I a taking. I am considering exploring the possibility of getting a minor, (possibly in architecture) especially since it relates quite closely to my major of civil engineering. I have thought about studying abroad but at the moment I’m not sure if It would be something that I am overly enthusiastic in partaking in. I do plan to get a job. (not sure what yet). I would also like to get an internship over the summer. I know freshman internships are a bit more rare, so hopefully at least as a sophomore.

This semester I was part of a few student organizations, (TPEG, Speech & Debate, and I auditioned for the schools male acapella team.) Next semester I plan to be a bit more involved in student orgs, and also possibly start thinking about undergraduate research, since there are a lot of scholarships associated with it. These are a lot of goals and that relate to the H&S goals since they consider getting involved, and giving back to the community. The small steps needed to work towards these goals is working a bit more on my time management skills for next semester, along with setting out my priorities.

This semester has been a lot of fun, and has gone by really fast. Now that I can call OSU home, it is time that I make the very best that I can in these four years ahead of me.

Columbus To Do List: Part 2

For my CBUS to do list, I decided to explore the local food favorites. For the remainder of my experiences I visited: Aab India, Nida’s Thai on High, Melt Bar and Grilled, Northstar Cafe (second visit but different experience)

Aab India:

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For my trip to Aab India, I went there with my parents during parent weekend on October 22nd. This was a typical north-indian style restaurant but it was very busy and seemed to be quite popular. The decor inside was nice and the menu had a lot of variety. I knew a lot of the dishes (since I eat a ton of indian food) so I ordered my favorite dish called “navratan korma” which is a type of curry that is very creamy and made out of fruits, vegetables and nuts. I ate this along with Naan bread that my parents also had. They ordered two dishes called palak paneer, and aloo gobi. I thought that overall the food tasted pretty good. Nothing beats the indian food that my mom makes, but this came close 🙂 I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone that has either never tried indian food or those that enjoy it a ton. This restaurant beats the indian restaurants in Cincinnati and is probably the best one in Ohio from what I have seen.

Nida’s Thai on High: 

For my trip to Nida’s Thai on High, I took a COTA bus for lunch with one of my close friends (I believe we went there on November 10th) The restaurant is located down in the short north. Like the Cbus To-Do list recommended I tried the Pad See Ew. It was a dish that contained rice noodles, broccoli, egg, a couple other vegetables and soy sauce I believe. My friend and I also shared a Fried Tofu appetizer. The decor of the restaurant was nice and had a nice asian touch to it. The restaurant itself was a bit small and crowded and they had a long bar seating area. The Pad See Ew tasted good. Wasn’t amazing, but tasted pretty good for what it was worth. However the fried tofu tasted really good. (I wish I ordered another one) It came with a sweet and sour sauce and was fried in really nice crispy batter and topped with peanuts. I also had a miso soup that tasted good. Overall I would recommend this place for a nice lunch stop or an early dinner option. I would think that around peak dinner time the restaurant would get very crowded.

Melt Bar and Grilled:

I went to Melt Bar and Grill as a quick stop on the way back from the Obama Rally at Bexley University on November 1st. On the way back to OSU, my friend and I stopped her to get a quick bite. I actually didn’t order a melt but instead I had an item that looked very interesting. It was called “wild tofu wings” Since I’m a vegetarian this caught my eye and I couldn’t pass it up. My friend on the other hand ordered a Mushroom Melt and said it tasted really good. If I go back there I probably will try the melt. However the Tofu wings tasted really nice and it was tossed in a barbecue sauce and then i got a side of blue cheese dressing which went really well with it. I would definitely recommend this place as it has a lot of comfort foods and has a nice environment.

 

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Northstar Cafe: 

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I didn’t get a chance to visit a fifth restaurant as many of the places were quite far, however I did realize that I went to Northstar Cafe a second time on November 18th. I ordered a completely different dish and went at a different time that had a very different atmosphere than my first visit, so this truly was a new experience. I went there for lunch this time with two of my friends after class. I ordered the veggie burger and I really enjoyed it. The burger seemed to be made out of rice and beets. It was rather unique tasting but was good. The bread, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle all complimented the burger well, and i believe it also had a mustard sauce on it. It came with a side of sweet potato fries that were probably one of the best sweet potato fries that I ever had. It had just the right amount of crispiness and saltiness to it. Also the environment of restaurant was a lot more crowded and since it was bright outside, the building let in a lot of natural light that made it seem a bit bigger. I would recommend going here for lunch rather than dinner, because it has a lot more lively feel to it and even thought there seemed to be more rush, it was more fun. You can never go wrong with Northstar Cafe, (and I will probably visit many more times).

 

Artifacts

Columbus To Do List: Part 1

For my CBUS to do list, I decided to explore the local food favorites. What I am looking forward most to about this list-theme is exploring the different restaurants and getting a taste for multiple cuisines that I have never tried. What I hope to get most out of this assignment is that I can explore Columbus and learn about new restaurants that I can recommend to my friends and revisit to enjoy good food. Basically, I hope that with this assignment I can push myself to explore more of the city and try some good, new restaurants.

One experience I have had so far from this list is that I went to the Northstar Cafe. This restaurant is located towards the northern end of the short north (hence the name “Northstar” Cafe) and is quite a great and unique place to relax and catch a quick bite. I tried the “buddha bowl” it had tofu, veggies and a peanut sauce that tasted quite nice. I enjoyed the layout of the restaurant. The seating and the tables were very welcoming. They also had outdoor seating that seemed a lot more cozy and welcoming than most outdoor seating at restaurants. (I think they also had those heating torch lamps for cold nights) There were also couches and the architecture of the restaurant was unique in its own way. Eating here was a different experience, one that I thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend to a friend.

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Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “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.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

Describe your first impressions of Ohio State: My first impression of Ohio State is that the people are very friendly and it is quite easy to make friends. At first the campus seemed quite large, but after getting around and exploring the entire campus doesn’t seem as big as its made out to be. Welcome week was done quite well. Convocation seemed very large but it was done quite well and seemed fun. My classes are somewhat similar to what I expected but I didn’t expect the lecture sessions to be as large as they are. My physics lecture has over 200 people! Adjusting my life to my new schedule is a bit of a challenge. I need to work on my time management skills and make sure that I am on top of my assignments. However, adjusting to my new dorm was quite easy, and I feel quite comfortable with my roommates and my floor. My expectations prior to coming to OSU was that it would take me a while to form a group of friends and that I would be spending most of my time alone or with just a couple people. However, I quickly made several groups of friends and I was able to go out with friends and become a part of a few organizations. My first weeks on campus have been a blast and I’m looking forward to the rest of this year.

 

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