Month: August 2017

First Week at OSU

My first week at THE Ohio State University began a few days before the rest of my fellow buckeyes since I had joined the OWL program. I do not regret this decision at all, as it allowed me to move in on a different day than my roommate and I got to meet a few people in my hall before the welcome week chaos started. Plus, I got a free tee shirt out of it so I’ll definitely sign up again next year.

Once official move-in day was over, my time stopped being planned out for me and all the freedom of college hit me like a punch in the face. I was excited about this new independence I experienced during the first week, but it also scared me. On one hand, I liked being able to function on my own but on the other I felt like I was drowning in the enormous OSU student body. This is part of why I’m glad I joined the Humanities Scholars as it makes the campus seem much smaller. I especially enjoyed the first year retreat where I was able to meet a bunch of other humanities scholars, and then later in the week be able to walk by a familiar face.

The actual classes part of college has so far not been as difficult as advertised, but I think that’s only because it’s syllabus week. For the rest of the semester, I expect for the coursework to only increase in difficulty. Even though I have classes with a little over 400 people in them, I’ve managed to make a friend in each course which hopefully will be helpful when I eventually forget to charge my laptop and can’t take notes during lecture. I enjoy the content of the courses more than I initially thought, especially Italian 1101 which was surprising since I was not a fan of foreign language classes in high school.

College hasn’t been exactly what I expected, but more of a combination of pleasant surprises. I am excited for the rest of the year and can’t wait to see what happens.

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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. 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 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: 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 information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

Zoe Thomas is a first year communications major at the Ohio State University and part of the Humanities Scholars. In high school, she was an officer for National Honors Society, a leader in the marching band, and co-founder of the Bradley book club. In college, she has join the Public Relations Student Society of America, College Democrats, and Theatre Arts Group, which is a volunteer group that gives a theatre program to local schools that do not have one. She also loves writing and has been published in a central Ohio teen literary journal three times along with having two of her short plays produced by MadLab Theatre. Zoe hopes to make the most of her time at Ohio State and is excited to begin her college experience.