My First Week at OSU

My first week at the Ohio State University felt like my first month at the Ohio State University. It was an odd adjustment, but overall a very good experience. The first day I moved in, I couldn’t imagine living here for 4 years, but now, 9 days later, I feel like I already have.
The first hour after my parents left was the strangest one of my life. I sat in my freshly organized, hot, Baker West dorm room and thought, “Now what?” My expectations for college thus far had been that I would schedule classes, pack, travel, and move in. After I did all those things, I felt a bit lost. I hadn’t planned that far ahead. I never thought about what would happen once I actually got here.
Luckily, there were plenty of Welcome Week activities to help alleviate some of the loneliness. I slowly grew accustomed to meeting lots of new people, introducing myself, and participating in icebreaker activities. I met a lot of people through the arts scholars program, either through events or just meeting them in the halls of Baker West. I’ve learned, most importantly, that the only way to meet new people is to involve myself in any and all opportunities and gatherings from the University. I’ve realized after this week, that college involves leaving my dorm and participating in extracurricular activities.
I was most surprised with how much I enjoyed volunteering in the Community Commitment day as an Arts Scholar. I was not expecting to enjoy cleaning garbage, but I met a lot of new people and made friendships I otherwise would not have made.
Classes were different from what I was expecting, but now that I have a schedule it wouldn’t make sense to have them any other way. I enjoy having longer classes that meet less frequently, because, overall, I have much more time to study and complete assignments. After a brief adjustment I already feel extremely comfortable with managing my schoolwork.
I honestly had no expectations for college. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. The first night I spent here felt like the last one of my life. I couldn’t imagine what one more day here would feel like. But, somehow, I did have more days here. With each day, I ventured to be more involved, try new things, and meet new people. I couldn’t be more surprised by how much this school already feels like home.

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.]

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 includes both a description of the artifact and a reflection on why it is important to you, what you learned, and what it means for your next steps.  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.]

About Me

Hiya!

I’m Izzy Smith, and I am a dance major, with a double major in computer science. I am a first year and I  am super excited to be here at OSU!