End of Freshman Year

Well. That was fast.

I went from tearing up as my parents left me in this strange world on move in day to crying not once, not twice, and not three but FOUR TIMES on the day they came to take me back home. (I would highly discourage any student from reading the letter your parents wrote to you for the first day of school on the day that you are leaving that school for 3 and a half months). Oh, how the tables have turned.

First semester was about getting my feet wet. I was timid, anxious, friendly, frazzled, and unsure. Not that in my second semester I underwent some huge transformation where I was now ready to take on the world, but I had definitely gained confidence. I found good people, worked hard for good grades, took time to go to High Street for good food, got involved in good organizations – I found my foothold. I continued my four-year journey of making a school of 40,000 undergrads just a bit smaller. I was able to do this through my academics, my involvement, and my social life.

This year, I took several challenging classes under the Pre-Nursing major. First semester, I grappled with Chemistry and Biology. In the second semester, I struggled through Anatomy and Physiology. Despite the level of difficult of these classes, I was able to achieve success due to the study skills I was taught in high school, the motivation and determination I had to do well, and the people in my classes who I was able to study with throughout the year. While success in school was important to me, I also wanted to focus on other aspects of being a member of the Ohio State community, such as getting involved.

During the spring, I decided, somewhat against my own will, to participate in formal recruitment (which is basically just a fancy phrase for talking to girls for 12 hours a day to see which sorority you fit best in). After a total of two weekends of over 36 hours of small talk, I received a bid from Kappa Delta at OSU. While wary of Greek life at first, I have found that it has already provided me with connections, as the volunteer coordinator at the hospital I am volunteering at over the summer is also a KD, and some great friends (the kind that dragged me out of the library when I was in there too long and who also made sure I got some rest before those 8 am Physiology exams on Friday). Both the sorority and academics, believe it or not, have contributed to my social life.

The whole social piece of college, like I mentioned in a previous reflection, was the last part of college to fall into place for me. However, this semester, with the help of a social sorority, a dorm without air conditioning, and hard classes, which always manage to bring people together, I was able to succeed socially this semester. Unfortunately, this led to some tear-jerking goodbyes, but it was worth it nonetheless.

Over the course of the first year, a lot has changed. I can do my own laundry, I am slightly more comfortable talking on the phone, I can confidently eat lunch by myself, I can survive an 8 am, I can make small talk for 12 hours in a row, I can stand for an entire football game, and I can bear dining hall food. These are a few of the accomplishments I have made in my first year, and I don’t plan to stop making them anytime soon. College goes quick, so I’ll have to pack as much punch into the next few semesters as I did in the first year. I’m sure at the end of these four (give or take a couple) years I’ll be saying the same thing.

Well. That was fast.

My First Semester at OSU

My first semester at OSU has flown by. Initially, the weeks dragged on, but as I got a handle on where my classes were, the best spots in the library, and the tastiest places to eat, time seemed to fly by. At the beginning of the year I was worried about getting lost, not finding a good group of friends, and struggling to manage my time. However, those fears have subsided as the first semester comes to a close. I have yet to get lost on the way to a class (knock on wood). Even when they tried to block the main entrance, I still found a back way into Evans Lab. I have found multiple different groups of friends from either my hometown, my dorm, or those who share a similar major. I love spending time with each one of them, and I feel like I always have someone on campus who I can turn to. Managing my time has always been a struggle for me, as I always end up sleeping too little and talking too much. However, I’ve yet to pull an all-nighter so that is progress! There’s still room for improvement, but I’ve been gotten a sufficient amount of sleep and grades that I’m happy with.

My first friends came from the Humanities Scholars group. I met a girl over orientation who I reconnected with when school started and the people on my floor in the scholars group are amazing. Humanities Scholars helped me in making some amazing friendships, as well as kept me informed on the variety of events around campus. I received a ton of information from the study abroad expo, watched moving short videos at our film festival, and started off the semester by serving at Community Commitment. My experience in Humanities has allowed me to explore the many different activities and events that OSU offers to students. Next semester, I would like to take advantage of even more of the opportunities sent in the weekly e-mails. This semester I was just dipping my toes in the water and learning to juggle classes with eating, sleeping, homework, doing my own laundry, an occasional trip to the gym, and a social life. Now that I know I can manage that, I would love to participate in even more Humanities events, such as going to a play or checking out another service day.

My First Week at OSU Reflection

My first week at OSU was a whirlwind of sweat, anxiety, food, and forgetfulness. Sweat began during move-in day, and hasn’t stopped since. Luckily, the anxiety has been curbed slightly, but an almost-missed afternoon class succeeded in giving me a jolt of nervousness as I bolted down College Road. The food, like the sweat, has persisted, which I am most definitely not complaining about. The forgetfulness however, I could do without. Misplacing a key and forgetting my favorite black dress are just the beginning of my list of the lost.

The initial seven days at OSU, however, consist of much more to reflect on than a free Skyline cheese coney or the hot, humid air that greets me every time I walked into Baker East. Since coming here, I have essentially been immersed in an entirely new and completely unfamiliar lifestyle. My responsibility, independence, workload, and weight of my backpack have all significantly increased since I left Cincinnati, Ohio. It is my job to figure out how to manage each of these on a day to day basis.

In regards to responsibility, I now have to set my own alarm, find my own method of transportation to classes, make my own dinner, etc. Everything is on me. With this greater responsibility however, comes a greater independence. I can stay in the library until 1 am if I want to (or need to if sociology discussion questions are due) or buy five mocha frappuccinos if I feel so inclined. I am able to make my own decisions and I am able to determine if they are responsible or not. The workload has been difficult to manage as well. Figuring out Carmen, submitting online assignments, and getting the hyperlinks to work are just a few of the tasks of my first week and of the rest of my time here at OSU.

Overall, I would say the first week has been a success. I made it through the first 7 days with minimal tears, maximum coffee, and a decent amount of sleep. College is definitely the largest lifestyle adjustment I have had to make so far, but I am starting to get in the swing of things.

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.]