My First Semester at OSU

My first semester at OSU was rough to say the very least. I learned very quickly how different from high school all of this was but it’s only taken me closer to the end of the semester to start actually changing my bad school habits for the better. Many of the fears I had before starting college were replaced with new worries, such as how I don’t think I really belong in my major or I don’t know how my GPA can be recovered after this semester. I wasn’t fully prepared for the extent of the workload for the classes I was taking and this caused me to suffer greatly, falling behind on projects, and even missing assignments I’ve lost track of (it doesn’t help when a few of my heavy classes don’t actually use carmen to track assignments). This added tons of rather unnecessary stress that looking back, I realize could have been at least partially avoided by talking more with my advisor. That is one mistake I don’t plan on making for the second semester. Meeting with my advisor and professors /TA’s has been some of the most nerve racking and honestly forgetful things that I’ve been struggling with when it came to this semester, which is why I’ll make it a point and focus to meet as much as necessary with them. Another problem that I want to try addressing was with my health this semester. 8 AMs killed me, which is why I’m thankful that I only have 2 a week next semester. I never realized just how badly sleep would deter me through college but over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to get myself more rest which has led to me being generally far more refreshed than I had been earlier in the week. For the second semester, I’m also taking a lot more GE classes to boost my GPA.  I don’t know how 2nd Semester will go, and honestly, I’m kind of scared I’m taking too much on my plate like last time. I take solace in that I for one at least have grade forgiveness for the classes from this semester, and foresight for the future me to take advantage of. I expect next semester to go better for me and I’d like to see where this wild college adventure takes me next.

First Week Reflections

My first week at OSU has been both fun and rough to say the least. On the one hand,
I’ve been greatly enjoying the new freedoms I’ve been given and the food here I can say is to die for. On the other hand though, I’ve noticed it’s been significantly harder to keep up with my work. It’s less so the amount of assignments that’s getting me and more so me struggling to find them in the first place. To my utter dismay, not everything due for my assignments show up on Carmen and it has resulted in several missed pieces of homework that I can not make up for. Another difficulty, which honestly has always been a problem for me, is my inability to wake up in the mornings. It’s somewhat under control but the sheer difficulty of it is still there and it has been a great struggle trying to overcome it. For Welcome Week I thought it was good. Seeing all that the clubs had to offer and even joining a couple. I think I had the most fun going to Art club last Tuesday. It’s not often that I feel comfortable enough to draw around others. When it comes to adjusting to my life here compared to at home, I feel like it’s a lot more responsibility just making sure I eat during the day. My expectations of coming here were actually pretty different.
It was surprising to me, just how much time I had on my hands and while it feels good, there’s also the neverending feeling of having something I’m supposed to be doing instead. For me,
college is much more different from what was imagining and I feel like I’ve barely breached the surface of the whole college experience. I don’t know what to expect coming up, but I have hope
that I can handle it.

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

[Your “About Me” is a brief biographical statement that might include your intended major, your academic interests, your goals, as well as the things that make you unique.  Definitely include a picture! Also, remember that you can always update this post at any point. 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.]