Freshman Year in Review

Overall: 

I have encountered both successful and challenging times throughout this year. Coming into Ohio State, I wasn’t entirely confident in any of my decisions: my school, major, clubs, etc, however, over the past year most of my uncertainties have been erased. The first month of school, while hard, was amazing at the same time. I fell in love with the school, the campus, and the community and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else throughout this journey. On the challenging side, I often felt way over my head in class work and wondered if I had made the right academic choice, but, although the work was hard, I did enjoy what I was learning and the challenges I was given.

Academics: 

Coming into OSU, I knew I had chosen a “hard” major in chemical engineering, but I definitely didn’t understand the full concept of how “hard” the major really is. Starting out, I had never looked at, touched, or written a code in my entire life. Suddenly, I was expected to write a code almost everyday in the first semester and program a robot in the second. I must admit, coding was a definite challenge for me and was not a natural skill. Throughout high school, I always thought of myself as a natural learner, top of the class, but, in FEH, that wasn’t always the case anymore. The first semester definitely made me question myself a lot about whether I had what it takes to thrive in this program. Many nights I would stress over a coding assignment that many of my classmates completed within minutes, however, because I was determined to understand it, I would ask my friends for help and go to office hours if need be. Before classes, I started reading the daily assignments and writing some code to help me better prepare for the class. Though I wasn’t the most gifted coder and made a lot of mistakes on my initial attempts, I managed to pass FEH with a high grade. By doing this, I proved to myself that I did have what it takes, even if it took me some extra time to get it right.

Another class that challenged me in my first year was Organic Chemistry I/II. Having credit for both General Chemistry I/II from high school, my academic advisor placed me in OChem my first year, something I didn’t really know was uncommon. Entering the class day one, I was expecting it to be similar to my college-in-high-school general chemistry courses, however, it was nothing like that. My lecture must have had over 300 students, with one professor and several teaching assistants. I was so used to having a personal connection with all of my high school teachers, but in college, with so many people in a class, I found it was much harder to ask questions in lectures and establish a good connection with the lecturer. Also, the fact that most of these students already had developed good study skills and understood how college classes worked definitely intimidated me. As the first midterm approached, I had to learn to make my own study guides and to form my own homework assignments, earlier learning that college professors don’t necessarily give out graded homework or study guides telling you what will be on the exams. While I definitely had to take a learn-as-you-go approach to these courses and felt like I was studying non-stop, I am in a way glad that I took OChem in my first year and came out of the class with better scores than I anticipated.

From my academic struggles and successes, I proved to myself that I could thrive in the major I had chosen, earning dean’s list both semesters. I developed great study and organizational skills, always trying to stay ahead of the coursework by completing assignments as early as possible, and sometimes even working ahead of the schedule. I learned how to keep a good balance of work and play, and accept the challenges that come with confidence.

Extracurriculars:

Club Gymnastics was definitely my most involving extracurricular throughout the year. From social events, to practice 4 days a week, to fundraising, and especially travel competitions, learning to balance this with school and other activities was definitely challenging at times. With the added fact that practice was held from 8:30-10:30 at night, almost a half hour off campus, it took a great part of my day, however, it was a great escape from the stress and pressures of school. A large challenge for me was returning to campus at 11 pm, still having to shower, finish homework, and prepare for the next day, but, because of this challenge, I learned to make better use of any time I did have, making it much easier to stay on task in the moment. Also, club gymnastics showed me how to be a better teammate: how to cooperate with a group of very different-minded people that all share the common love of gymnastics. Coming into OSU, I knew all of about two people, however, I left my first year with at least 15 teammates that I absolutely cherish as friends and would do almost anything for.

The Society of Women in Engineering was a great way for me to meet people that have experienced the same things I am/will be experiencing. I enjoyed attending the monthly meetings and taking part in several of the fun activities throughout the year, getting to bond with everyone in fun ways (outside of a strictly school atmosphere) and get advice from the upperclassmen on how to handle different classes, professors, etc. I definitely was able to form connections with others throughout this program that I can now look to for advice or lend support to based on my own experiences.

Community/Family:

As I stated previously, I came to OSU knowing little to no one. Living in a dorm with so many people was a new experience for me. My roommate and I were friendly enough, but we weren’t necessarily great friends. Because of this, I spent a lot of time out in my floor’s common areas, trying to meet new people and form a sort-of floor family, which, by the end of the year, we were. By reaching out to others, I not only broke out of my shell, but I formed friendships that I believe will last in the long-term. Living with these people for just one year, I formed better relationships than I did throughout 12 years of grade school. I came into OSU knowing everyone as a stranger, but I left my first year knowing I’d return having a community of people I could lean on for the long haul.

Moving Forward:

Based on this year, there are several things I would like to change, as well as several things I definitely plan to continue. I would like to remain involved with SWE and OSU Club Gymnastics, as well as participate in Buckeyethon again. In addition to these organizations, I would like to become active in several service clubs and potentially an intramural sport. I already know that I will be a peer mentor for the incoming pre-chemical engineering class of 2021, which I am super excited about! Becoming a peer mentor will definitely help to enhance my leadership and communication skills. I am so excited for the new experiences I will gain in my second year and can’t wait for what is to come!!

Nicole Ruse

Nicole Profile

I am a second-year chemical engineering major from Poland, Ohio, a small suburb of Youngstown, Ohio. As a Buckeye, I am involved in the Society of Women in Engineering, Club Gymnastics Team, and Chemical Engineering Peer Mentors of 2017-2018. I had the honor of being named to the Dean’s List for both semesters my first year and have been inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. My hobbies include reading, crafting, listening to music, and fitness, among many other things!

FEH Robot Project 2017

The FEH Robot Project took place throughout the entire Spring 2017 semester. I was put in a team of four engineering pre-majors to code and construct a robot that would be able to navigate the course provided in the video above. There were many late nights spent in open lab with my team trying to better develop our robot and prepare it for the tasks it was to complete in competition. There were many checkpoints along the way, from brainstorming, to creating a mock-up, to building and coding, to performance tests, and, finally, to performance in competition. The robot design hit several bumps along the way, however, when this happened, our team would regroup and think of a way to improve these flaws. Our robot placed 3rd out of 81 teams for most consistent robot in competition and earned a spot in the top sixteen of the head-to-head competition, missing top four by one second. This project really showed me what engineering is all about: teamwork, dedication, and self-development. From this experience, I learned a lot about myself and what I can contribute to a team.

Ohio State Club Gymnastics 2016-2017

Though not an academic club, my involvement in the OSU Club Gymnastics Program taught me a lot about myself that has and will help me further develop as a student, an employee, and a person. From the practices, team fundraising, and travel competitions, I learned what it meant to be a part of a team, something bigger than just myself. I figured out how to put aside my personal challenges to support a bigger picture. If I was having a hard day and needed to lean on someone, my teammates picked up the weight, and vice versa. By getting to know each other, we were able to understand what each person needed and when. I love being a part of this program because its amazing to see a group of people, all with different academic interests, come together over a common bond: for the love of the sport.

Buckeyethon 2017– FOR THE KIDS!

During my first-year, I was given the wonderful opportunity to give back to the community by raising money to help child cancer patients. I raised $250 for Buckeyethon, as well as participated in the night shift of the dance marathon held in February. Not only was it great to support the kids, but it was a real eye-opener to all the amazing programs OSU has to help people in need. I had a blast at Buckeyethon, from jamming with the kids to meeting so many of my fellow Buckeyes that share the same interests as I do. In total, this year’s Buckeyethon raised $1,510,036.39 for the kids. It definitely encouraged me to get more involved in volunteer clubs on campus for next year.

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.]