Over the course of the last two semesters, I have learned a lot about myself not only as a student, but also as a person. The different trials inside and outside of the classroom have pushed me outside my comfort zone and helped me grow during my freshman year of college. Going into this year, I knew that things were going to be hard. I knew that school would be much harder than high school, I knew that it would be an adujustment to not live at home, and I knew that it was going to take time to find a good group of friends. It was daunting to go into college knowing that everything was changing and that I would have an entirely fresh start but, looking back, the things that were new and daunting were what grew me into the student writing this review.

In high school, I was a perfectionist when it came to my grades. I would be upset if I got anything less than an A+ and was afraid of not getting perfect grades. So I worked and worked and worked. I worked in every class, grabbing every extra credit point my teachers had to offer and studying hours upon hours for every test even if I had a 100% in the class. While this worked to some degree in high school, this definitetly is not the method that I could continue to use in college. From my classes that I have taken this far, I have learned that it is much more beneficial to dedicate most of your studying time to the class(es) that are most difficult. This allowed me to spend even more time studying for the classes that challenged me instead of those that were not as challenging. When I failed my first exam, I was crushed to say the least. I convinced myself that I would never be able to get the grade I wanted in the class and was hard on myself. Because I was focusing so much on this grade that I couldn’t change, I forgot about some assignments that were due which made me feel even worse. My advice to an incoming freshman is that, when you get a bad grade, to just shake it off and remember that you are not the only person feeling that way. I would encourage them to not beat themselves up and to keep up with their schoolwork. I have found that using a planner has enabled me keep track of all of my appointments, assignments, and obligations.

Time management is also a big part of succeeding in college as there is a lot more out of class work and studying to do. Being able to split your time up between schoolwork, extra-cirriculars, and time with family and friends will ease stress and give a small goal to work towards. For example, I do a lot of schoolwork on Saturday so that I can go to dinner with my family on Sunday evening. For me, that little escape from campus and the stress of my courseload gives me the break I need to approach the next week with an open mind. I have not done the best at balancing extra-cirriculars and schoolwork, as the rigor of the coursework was a major adjustment for me (someone who struggles anxiety), but I have found that being involved in things that you are passionate about and things that are not school related are another good way to unwind and switch your focus.

For me, I have gotten involved in CRU, a non-denominational Christian organization, and have been going on and off to weekly services and bible studies, as well as retreats, over the course of the year. I has given me the opportunity to meet other people with similar interests that I would not have met otherwise. I am friends with people in different majors and different dorms and feel like I have made some pretty amazing friendships from being involved in this organization. It is especially nice to get to know more people across campus because it makes the campus feel smaller. I am currently being mentored by an older girl in CRU who actively listens to whatever is bothering me and advises me on how to use my faith to over them. With CRU, I have found an outlet where I can be myself and explore my other passions outside of the classroom while forming another community within Ohio State. I hope to eventually go on a mission trip to either Brazil or Slovenia with them and learn more about their culture. I also participated in BuckeyeThon which I really enjoyed and plan to participate in next year. The enviroment during the Dance Marathon was contagious because everyong was so excited to be there. It was especially impactful to meet and play games with survivors and hear from families who have lost children. Having a younger sister who is a cancer survivor, it was an especially impactful experience because made me appreciate growing up with her and even more passsionate about raising money for research so that other sisters could grow up together and other parents could see their child grow. Being on the Health Sciences Scholars team was also a lot of fun because I was able to hang out with my friends from scholars; dancing for 12 straight hours really allows you to make some good memories and relationships.

Although I am not actively in many other extracirriculars besides scholars, CRU, and BuckeyeThon, I do pride myself on trying many different clubs in my first year at Ohio State. I rushed a sorority, which I eventually dropped, and went to meetings for MedLife and Medical and Dental Brigade. Although I didn’t become passionate about these organizations, I am happy that I tried them because it gave me a better insight in all of the opportunities that Ohio State had to offer and gave me a better idea of things that I wanted to do while in my undergraduate career. Even though these weren’t a good fit for me, I still was able to meet new people. For example, I befriended a girl in my recruitment group during rush and, although we both eventually dropped our sororities, have kept in touch and have lunch every so often. Next year, I hope to challenge myself to get involved in a few more clubs or to take some more leadership positions around campus. This would require me to manage my time a bit better but I think that if I can do it, I woud be able to feel less stressed and would give myself some more little events to look forward to during the week.

College, although extremely difficult, has also given me some extremely great memories in my first year. I’d have to argue that one of the best days of college thus far was this year’s Ohio State vs. Michigan football game. Being the underdog and coming back to win in a such a dominating fashion made the student section and rushing the field surreal. Because it was during Thanksgiving break, a lot of my friends from high school also bought tickets for the game, so being able to experience this with my friends from high school and college made it all the more special. Living in a dorm has also proven to be very fun because you get to live with all of your friends. I am very appreciative to have friends who encourage me to be the best student I can during the week, can have fun with me on the weekends, and are there for me when I experience hardships throughout the semester. In the first semester, my friends and I had a movie night once a week where we would watch romantic comedies such as “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”. We still love to play card games with each other, such as Euchre and Hearts, and even made a March Madness bracket together!

Although school can be hard and there are trials that challenge you like you’ve never been challenged before, remember that you are being challenged because you are capable of growing into someone more amazing than you already are. So keep doing your very best, appreciate the little victories, and know that your hard work will place you exactly where you are meant to be in the end.