The closer I get to the end of my OSU journey, the farther I look back. These past few weeks have been all about passing the torch: reviewing applications for the next crop of leaders in my organizations interviewing who will be the new Peer Mentors, going back to my hometown with University Admissions to tell high school seniors why they should become Buckeyes. The more I think about the next step, the more I appreciate the lessons that I’ve learned from Fall 2013 to Spring 2017.
- This school may seem big, but you’d be amazed how far your reputation, positive or negative, can spread.
- Don’t network, connect.
- It’s better to be an inch wide and a mile deep than a mile wide and an inch deep.
- An opportunity for one is an opportunity for all.
- You are always worth it.
- Get a will from Student Legal Services before you leave-you’ll save yourself time and hundreds of dollars in the future.
- There is nothing wrong with not knowing where you’re going.
- Sometimes college will stink. Sometimes all-nighters, Math 4181 midterms, homesickness, culture shock and too much coffee will break you. It’s all about getting back up.
- Your struggle is no less valid than the person’s next to you and theirs is no less valid than yours.
- At some point, make a Buckeye Bucket List and try to cross everything off by the time you graduate.
- Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about documenting your experiences. Some blog, some post to Instagram, some take millions of pictures. All experiences are valid.
- A test is not more important than your health, mental or physical.
- Needing a fifth or sixth year is no shame—you’re just taking a victory lap.
- Find a mentor and be a mentor. The first will make you better, the second will let you do the same for another.
- Take a free RPAC class.
- Always carry yourself like your younger sibling is watching and learning.
- Build a community that surrounds you with dignity, respect, support and love.
- There is no such thing as an “easy major.”
- Be it science or humanities, all research is “real research.”
- Figure out your values and live by them.
- You are more than your GPA, your MCAT/LSAT/GRE score and your extracurriculars.
- You might find yourself needing to bow out of some commitments—do it respectfully and in a way that doesn’t leave hard feelings when you leave.
- Explore the different libraries—they each have their own character and vibe!
- Instant connections can be made just by seeing someone rock scarlet and gray.
- Friendships can be made in moments.
- It’s okay–no one knows what they’re doing either.
- Don’t be ashamed of what you love.
- When you leave, you will be changed by your campus, and your campus will have been changed by you.
*There’s actually a #29, but that’s another story.