Final Strategic Life Plan

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My first semester at The Ohio State University has allowed me to discover and create a plan for the next few years that will allow me to succeed in the field of study I intend to pursue. I am currently a neuroscience pre-major on the pre-med track, and after taking my first neuroscience course, I have actually begun considering my secondary path of study. This secondary path doesn’t involve going to medical school, something I had never considered before this semester. Because neuroscience is such a difficult major, I’ve already learned that it is easy to spend my entire day studying. As a result, I decided to plan out each day by the hour, to make sure I have enough time to study, but also that I don’t forget to eat three meals a day. Sleep is one part of my day that I never forget to include in my schedule. Although at times it can be difficult to stick to this plan, I know that if I make it into a routine, it won’t be as hard. In addition, I planned out my schedule for next semester to better fit this plan. As a neuroscience major, I have access to the Neuroscience ambassadors, which are upperclassmen that can help me when it comes to advice for time management, stress, and other issues that aren’t directly addressed by my academic advisors. Now that I’ve had time to adjust to the ways of college life, I’m going to improve my time management skills, because that was one of my biggest weaknesses during the first semester of school. For my next few years at Ohio State and not just next semester, I want to try and partake in more extracurricular activities, especially since I am not involved in enough right now.

 

Year in Review

Since arriving at The Ohio State University in August as a timid, nervous freshman, I think I’ve grown a lot as an individual. Before coming to college, I was very concerned about meeting new people, especially since I went to high school about 15 minutes away from campus and a majority of the students in my graduating class planned on attending Ohio State. I hadn’t heard much about HSS coming into college either, which didn’t help with the nerves. However, I couldn’t have made a better decision; not only did HSS help me plan my future better, but it also allowed me to be part of an amazing community. I made all of my best friends on the third floor of Park-Stradley. Because of such a close-knit community, I became much more social, which opened up many opportunities for me. I also became much more assertive during my first year in college. In high school, if I ever needed help with anything, I would never ask anyone else and try my best to figure it out on my own. I quickly learned that this method wouldn’t help me in college. I started going to my peers for help with chemistry, and attending my TA’s office hours, in addition to visiting my advisors regularly to discuss my progress and any adjustments that could benefit me.

I plan to use my newly-acquired skills during my second year at OSU. While I did take advantage of the many opportunities I came across, I think I can still do better next year. I plan to get more involved not only in research and volunteering that would add to my resume, but also in clubs and student organizations that are interesting to me. I am also to be a part of STEP, although I am still unsure as to what I want my project to entail. As for HSS, I am excited to see what else the program has to offer, as well as possibly mentor new members to HSS.

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: I interviewed Ren Kuzmanovich, a current junior. Ren is a biology major and Spanish minor on the pre-med track. I decided to interview Ren because although I am a neuroscience major, I am considering minoring in Spanish and I am also a pre-med student. Ren started studying for the MCAT in February of 2017, since she is taking the test in June. She recommended starting at least 5-6 months in advance of the exam. She also emphasized the importance of research, and how it doesn’t necessarily have to relate to one’s field of study; for example, Ren is researching farm life this upcoming summer. She suggested subscribing to the Undergraduate Research Office email, while also going on the websites of areas of interest and emailing professors that research seems interesting. Overall, Ren’s advice was very useful, and I plan on using it in order to tailor my path during my next three years at Ohio State.

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: This year, I got my 20 hours of service through a few different organizations: Global Health Initiative, Project Impact, Muslim Family Services of Columbus, and MLK Day of Service. With Global Health Initiative, we listened to a few health professionals at Nationwide Children’s Hospital discuss the importance of public health and the many careers and opportunities it encompasses (3,5 hours). With Project Impact, we visited the Ohio House Rabbit Rescue to interact with abused, untamed, and/or aggressive bunnies to make them more adoptable(4). In addition to these organization at Ohio State, I volunteered with Muslim Family Services of Columbus, which I’ve been volunteering with for the past two years(6). This semester, I helped organize clothing and toy donations to distribute to Somali-Muslim families in the low-income areas of Columbus. And finally, I joined HSS in MLK Day of Service, where we went to COSI and organized surgical kits for middle-schoolers to perform a pretend-hip-replacement surgery(7 hours).

The most impactful volunteer experience for me was my time spent with Muslim Family Services of Columbus. I always knew that the Somali-Muslim population was growing in Columbus, but I never realized that it was one of the largest in the country. This experience was the most impactful for me because I was it made me realize how directly I could affect a community. When organizing clothes, I realized that many of the items came from local shop owners that manufactured too many articles of clothing and were willing to donate them. As a result, many of the skirts, shirts, and shoes were exactly the same, only varying in size. Most of the clothing was designated for children between the ages of 8 and 12. When I thought back to being around that age, I realized that I took most things for granted: my mom always bought my clothes, sometimes even letting me choose which color or design I wanted, and I always matched my shoes to my headband. But the kids receiving the clothing I organized never had a say in anything that I saw as a “necessity” when I was in elementary school. As a result of this experience, I realized that I really enjoyed helping those less fortunate than me, and that I should always be thankful for what I have, regardless of how little or unimportant as it may seem.

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.]

About Me

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Hi, everyone! My name is Faria Siddiqi, and I plan to major in neuroscience while pursuing the pre-med track. In high school, I knew that I would want to do something science-related when I got older, but after multiple teachers and friends noticed my love for helping others, I knew that medicine was the path I wished to pursue. I am excited to join the health sciences scholars program, because I want an inside look at the medical world and all the service opportunities that it entails. Go Bucks!