After a busy Monday running to classes and switching my major, I met with my Environmental and Natural Resource (ENR) mentor to chat about life, school, and advice on how to survive college. Mallory is a second-year student at the Ohio State University and gave me tips to aid my success here as a first-year student. She is majoring in pre-nursing and her passion for women’s health has fostered her dream of becoming a mid-wife later on in life. Along with being passionate about women’s health, Mallory loves the environment. She is an ENR scholar and the president of the club Students for a Sustainable Campus, which endeavors to make OSU more environmentally friendly. Although this club is not directly related to her major, she highly recommends joining a club and being in a leadership position. She explained that holding a leadership position has guided her to grow as a person and build skills that are useful in all aspects of life. I am a member of the pre-vet club, and after speaking with Mallory, I hope to hold a leadership position for this club in the future. Mallory also has made great friends through participating in various events that of the ENR scholars’ program and through her other involvements. This year, she is also a member of STEP, and she hopes to use the money from this program for her DOULA certification. Next year, I am planning on being a member of STEP and I hope to acquire grants to help pay for a study abroad or to cover the costs of an internship for my major.
Along with telling me about her passions and goals, she also provided insight about how to be successful at The Ohio State University. Chemistry is her hardest major class, and she has found that thoroughly reading the book and working ahead on assignments has helped her to be successful in the classroom. Procrastinating was not good in high school, and it would be even worse in college. Chemistry is also one of my hardest classes, and I have found that reading the book and staying up on assignments has lowered my stress and helps me understand the course material fully. Mallory advised to eliminate any distractions while studying: Netflix, social media, and sometimes even friends. She loves studying in the quiet of the Thompson Library, specifically in the fourth-floor cubicles. Along with being a good student, her biggest piece of advice was to take care of your health. The RPAC is a great place to sweat out any negativity and they provide an abundance of fun, vigorous workout classes to take at all times of day. Upon arriving at OSU, I lift at the RPAC almost every morning of the week. Having my blood pump through my veins and being slick with sweat is an amazing feeling, and after my workout I feel energized and ready to tackle the tasks ahead of me.
After talking with Mallory, I realized that there is an abundance of resources at OSU that will aid my success as a student and also throughout my future. I plan on exploring campus this year to find my favorite study spots that will help me to maintain a high GPA throughout my undergraduate education. I hope to participate in the various events my scholars’ program has to offer and make close friends in the process. The resources at OSU are limitless, but I plan on taking advantage of as many as possible throughout my time in college.