Personal Development

I’ve learned a lot this semester.  Mainly, that college is not at all like high-school.  Everyone always said in high-school that college would be a completely different experience, and they were right.

The biggest thing that I’ve had to develop this semester was my time management skill, and I’ve still got a lot of work to go with that.  Things were a lot more organized in high-school; my parents would wake me up if I slept through my alarm, teachers would give constant reminders about work being due, midterms only happened once, during the middle of the term.  Things made sense.

Now, everything is on you to get done, and I definitely have room for improvement on this front.  I’ve found that it’s all too easy to sleep through that 8 am, to forget to do that homework, to not study as much as I should have.  The training wheels were taken away real quick, and I struggled at first to keep riding.  Even now, I still find it tough at times to keep everything in order, but am improving at it.

This first semester was almost like a trial run of sorts.  Most of my classes I already took in high-school, and thus I have not had to struggle much with learning new material.  However, when next semester rolls around, I will need to have improved even more with my time management skills.  It’s only going to get harder as the semesters continue on, and if I am to succeed, I will have to hone these skills even more.

Artifact 2

For my second artifact, I’ll be writing about my job.

I rececently got a job at the Baker Systems building, working as an engineering assistant.  I debated against this job at first, as I was told in my interview that I wouldn’t have much time to do homework throughout the day, but decided to take the job anyways.  I work ten hours a week, and do anything from sweeping to operating machinery.  Though I don’t have time to do schoolwork during my hours, like I could with other work study jobs, it’s good to get hands on experience in a lab.

I took this job for two main reasons; I like engineering and I figured this would look good on a resume.  Most jobs and internships want hands on experience, so it’s nice to work in an engineering lab where I can get that.

Artifact 1 – Supplemental Instruction

OSU offers a lot of options when it comes to tutoring and outside academic help, but the one I go to most often is supplemental instruction.  It occurs twice a week, for an hour in Scott lab.  In it, worksheets for math are handed out, and the content always runs parallel to what we are doing in lecture that day.  It is not homework, nor is it for a grade, but is an effective way to stay sharp with the content we are learning.  Not only that, but it is a minority based program.

I was here over the summer for a minority engineering program called PREFACE.  In the three weeks that we were here, not only did we take classes to help prepare us for the year, but we were given tips and advice for how to be successful in college.  One of those tips was telling us about supplemental instruction.  It is run entirely by minority students, though anyone is allowed to come and work.  Not only is it a great way to practice the material, but it’s also a good feeling to be working alongside other minority students, as a lot of my classes are not very diverse.

All in all, I think that supplemental instruction is a great tool that should be utilized by more students.

About Me

Hello,

My name is Maxwell Rackmill.  I’m currently a freshman at OSU, studying to be a mechanical engineer.  I first got interested in STEM as a little kid, by watching Bob the Builder on the weekends.  That sparked my interest in building, and I’ve been fueling that interest ever since.   I participated in my high-school’s robotics team for three years, and plan to continue with building clubs in college.  Though my interest in engineering started mainly from my love of building things, I realized over time that by becoming an engineer, I could use the skills I acquire to help improve the lives of others.

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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. 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 guidance on using your ePortfolio, including questions and prompts that will help you get started, please visit the Honors & Scholars ePortfolio course in Carmen. To get answers to specific questions, please email eportfolio@osu.edu. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]