My First Semester at OSU

So far, my first semester at OSU has been going great. I still have a lot of pressure and stress to do well in school, but I am still persevering. I am working very hard though sometimes I do not feel like I am performing at my full potential. Fortunately, the Humanities Scholar program has made a positive effect on my life and wellbeing. I am allowed to forget about all my academic burdens and all the assignments due. I can just come into seminar or to a Humanities event and kind of push aside the hardships of school. I would really like to stay involved in Humanities as it really broadens my life experiences. I am so focused on science and medical based academics that I sometimes fail to realize there are other things that matter besides science. What I have really enjoyed most about this semester is that my hard work is really paying off. It is nearing the end of the semester and I am making good progress in my grades, given how difficult my classes can be. What I really enjoy about the Humanities program is that I get to make and have friends for the rest of my college career. I can already tell that some of my friends in my classes will become ghosts to me by next semester. At least by being involved in humanities, I have that connection and a common program to bring us together.

 

Humans of OSU

Ruben

“I like to view my college career in two periods: when I lived on North Campus and wasn’t in my major, and when I lived on South Campus in Civil Engineering as an RA. I started OSU five years ago in the Autumn of 2013. I began taking almost all sophomores level classes and honors. I was a straight A student in high school and began getting low B’s and A’s in college. I started off with a decent GPA but lower than I expected. From then on, I started taking easier workloads to not be overwhelmed. The fall of my sophomore year, decided I wanted to study abroad, so I went to Barcelona in the Spring. I studied at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Afterwards, I interned with an architecture firm in Bilbao. The second period of my college career started the fall of my junior year. I was an RA in Park-Stradley and in civil engineering. When I became an RA, I became much more involved on campus. I was involved with S.H.P.E., racquetball club, and Zero Waste. Later, I did research in aviation and water resources. I realized I didn’t want to focus on either in my career. So, I started taking transportation engineering courses, and really enjoyed those. I realized I wanted to focus on transportation engineering. I started working as a grader for that transportation class. I interned as a traffic engineer for a local firm, and here I am applying to graduate school, hoping to get in.”

My First Week at OSU

Upon coming into OSU, I was most nervous about staying on top of things and making the grades I want. I had already heard about how difficult some of the classes I was taking were and how I need to get a good start or else my progress will decline from there. I am most excited about actually creating a future for myself and working towards something that will pay off in the end. In essence, first week has gone great. I am still motivated and driven to do my work with quality and in a timely fashion. I am adopting a positive way of thinking so that I do not overwhelm myself. I want to remain involved in and around campus but I do not want to become overly confident in my academic abilities that I do not well this year.

By being a part of the Humanities Scholars, I am expecting not only to have a community that I am familiar with throughout the year, but to also be getting involved in things such as community service and fun activities with the other scholars. I know in college, it can sometimes be difficult to fit into a community, especially at a university this large. I am happy to be a part of a scholar’s program that does not focus on just one subject. Involving myself into a scholar’s program such as the humanities scholars allows me to become a more well-rounded person and expose myself to not only one subject, but many, and that is the core of humanities.

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.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

[Your “About Me” is an introduction and should provide insight into who you are as a person and a learner.  This should include a picture of you that is appropriate in a professional/academic context. This information should be continually updated.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio.  Delete these instructions and add your own post.]