First Semester Reflection

This semester, my biggest challenge has been to come to terms with the fact that failure is okay. I was used to being great at all of my classes in high school, but college has been significantly more challenging for me and realizing that it’s okay to make mistakes has been a struggle, but I’m slowly getting more comfortable with it. For lectures, I went to the natural and mathematical sciences one, the CFAES one, the social and behavioral sciences one, and the public health and pharmaceutical sciences one. I was interested in a number of CFAES majors so it made sense for me to go to that one, and I’m also interested in public health. The arts and sciences ones were more fillers for me, but I was still interested in at least a few majors in each of the presentations. At the beginning of the semester, I was set on being a chemistry major, but after actually taking a college-level chemistry class, I realized that chemistry isn’t what I want to do with my life. I’m currently a lot more interested in environmental science. Environmental science is a great major for me because I’ve always been passionate about the environment, and environmental science also allows for me to explore a variety of scientific fields through the lens of the environment. Lecture was beneficial because it allowed for me to hear about the majors from actual people instead of just a website or a pdf. Hearing people from the various colleges actually talk about their respective colleges made it seem much more personal. In lecture, I wish that the arts and sciences presentations had more majors on the panels because sometimes I wouldn’t be interested in any of the majors represented so it was a little frustrating to sit through. Next semester I want to make sure that I’m on track to graduate on time and fulfill my requirements, so I’m going to utilize a degree audit. I’m also looking to figure out what career I would possible want with my degree, so I’m going to be looking at “what can I do with a major in…” sheets to help in that regard. If I could go back and tell myself anything, it would be to tell myself not to be too hard on myself because I’m doing the best I can and it’s okay not to be perfect. I’d also tell myself to make sure that even though school is my priority, to still have fun and hang out with my friends because they will be some of the most important people in my life. College has been amazing so far, with a few blips on the way, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

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


Nora Suntken is a freshman at The Ohio State University currently majoring in Environmental Science. She is from Hudson, Ohio (a suburb of Akron) and attended Hudson High School. She is hoping to one day pursue a career in which she can help not only the earth, but also is inhabitants.

For as long as she can remember, Nora has always had a passion for politics ever since she helped her mom campaign for Obama in 2008. As the membership coordinator for College Democrats here at Ohio State, she hopes to get young people more informed and involved in politics.

Nora is excited for whatever the next three years at Ohio State are going to hold and is looking forward to not only getting to know herself better, but also meeting countless new people and getting the education of a lifetime.