Final Reflection

My biggest challenge this semester was keeping my stress levels low and learning to take each day one step at a time. Transitioning into the college lifestyle – leaving family, living with strangers, even finding out where to eat – was difficult on its own, but having a barrage of due dates and assignment descriptions thrown at me the first week of school was perhaps even more so. In my mind, I piled all these assignments, exams, and papers on top of each other like a giant, insurmountable mountain. I had no idea how I would get over that mountain – it didn’t seem possible. However, over the course of a few weeks, I found that it just kind of happened, one day at a time. I learned to set daily goals for myself – I’d get such and such done today, and such and such tomorrow. Taking assignments one day at a time really helped break them down into little sections to chip away at. An important factor in this was learning to forgive myself for not getting enough done as I had wanted to that day. There’s no point beating yourself up about the past; you just have to resolve to work even harder tomorrow. So I did. Learning to remove myself from distractions (i.e. going to the library) really helped me accomplish my daily goals. Recently, now that I’m fully in the swing of things, I’ve been able to keep my stress levels manageable.

For the University Exploration Survey class, I have attended/will attend the Fisher College of Business, Public Affairs/Social Work, Arts and Sciences (Social and Behavioral Sciences), and Health and Rehabilitation Services lectures. I chose these lectures because at the time, I was very lost as to which major I was leaning toward – business, or maybe Health Sciences, or maybe Public Affairs? I had no clue. Thus, I simply decided to attend the four lectures that corresponded to these interests and hope the lectures would provide me with more insight to help me make my decision. The Business and Public Affairs areas really spoke to me, and going to the lectures really aided me in quantifying the path it would take to get a degree in either area.

In the beginning of the semester, as mentioned, I was had no idea which major I would choose. I felt hopeless because I didn’t feel that driving passion that everyone else seemed to have about their major. My first advising appointment left me even more distraught; we discussed majors, but I didn’t get any closer to deciding any particular one or even narrowing down the options. I thought about business (even though that was very general and I didn’t know where I would go within that), or a STEM/medicine based career like Health Sciences. Since then, I’ve begun to lean heavily toward Public Affairs.

I actually didn’t even know that the Public Affairs major existed until I started my PUBAFRS 2367 writing class, where I learned to write in the style of policy memos, testimonies, etc. I had always found government keenly interesting and have followed current affairs, but I thought Political Science was the only route to go with those interests. I didn’t realize there was a major that dealt directly with policy issues – having a problem, and then solving it – and I really found the concept intriguing. I soon found that it was my best class by far, and I enjoyed taking a stance on an issue and backing it up, all while considering other options for how to best solve a given policy problem. Writing is one of my strengths, but I want to improve it and be able to communicate more effectively, and the Public Affairs major and its corresponding classes will assist me in achieving this. The class, combined with gradual elimination of other majors, has aided me in narrowing down my major options to only a few, the strongest of which to me is Public Affairs.

The most beneficial aspect of attending the major lectures was hearing from real students – especially former EXP students – about what it’s like to be in any given major. While learning about major prerequisites, admission requirements, and four-year plans was useful, I found the student panel the most informative part of the lectures. It comes down to the fact that I’m only going to choose I major that I would find fulfilling and enjoyable, and the people who are in the place that I’m going to be in – the students – are able to provide firsthand accounts as to whether I’m going to enjoy myself there. While the lectures were very educational, I wish they had gone more in-depth on how the students got to where they did; for instance, I wished I could have learned how Student A discovered their passion for a specific interest and discovered Major X, and how confident they are that they will continue on that path. I feel like this information would help me assess how close I am to deciding and whether Major X is really right for me.

Two goals for myself (to complete by the end of this year) to guide me in my exploration of majors are as follows:

  1. Explore the websites of the majors I’m interested in in-depth to assess the path it would take to get a degree in that major.
  2. Set an appointment with Career Counseling & Support Services and continue making appointments with my EXP adviser.

If I could go back and talk with myself at the start of the semester, I would warn myself that the first few weeks won’t be easy, but that it will get better after that. I would tell myself to not fear loneliness because I’d find friends soon and they’d be the source of a lot of the good times in the coming weeks. I’d also tell him not to stress as much about not being able to find a major because a lot of people (more that I initially thought) are unsure about their major, and I’m certainly not alone. Deciding on a major will take time, and that’s okay. I’d tell him to take life one day at a time and enjoy the little things – walking to class, eating dinner with friends, taking power-naps, etc. It’s in the little things, the routine, that we can find fulfillment in what might otherwise be boring or hopeless.

 

Informational Interview

I conducted my interview with Stephanie Pierce, the professor of my 2367 Writing and Communication in Public Affairs course. Edited excerpts of the conversation are transcribed below.

Interview:

Me: “What was your undergraduate major, and how did it contribute to your decision to go to graduate school for public policy? What made you discover your passion for public policy?”

Stephanie: “My undergraduate major was actually a BS in Psychology; I got my degree from a small college in Tennessee called Centre College. In between my junior and senior years of college I applied for an internship at Vanderbilt that my professor recommended to me since it would be a great use of my psychology studies. It just so happened that the internship actually took place in a public policy institute, which I had never heard of before. I landed the internship, and working there, I had a revelation – instead of conducting research and publishing articles in scholarly journals, I could be working on legislation and public policy, which was very exciting for me. My senior year, then, I took a class in community service and another in women’s studies and I became a lot more aware of how public policy issues directly related to some of the things we had been discussing in psychology. The summer after my senior year, I went into the AmeriCorps and worked for a nonprofit for a year, which really solidified my love for public policy. I then applied to Georgetown, got in, and got a Master’s in Public Policy – it all worked out almost coincidentally, but I’m glad!”

Me: “Did you enjoy graduate school or was it very difficult? What your life at Georgetown like?”

Stephanie: “Georgetown was so much fun. It was a great program because it was in Washington, DC – I actually started school there during an election year! I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. I had an internship for the National League of Cities while I was there, so it was hard to learn how to balance the 15-20 hours per week at my job on top of all of my classes, and I was getting engaged too at the time! It was also quite the transition to move from the small town of Danville, Kentucky to the gigantic Washington, DC. That proved to be quite a culture shock. I loved DC, but the first semester was hard to get adjusted to. It was also difficult to catch up with the other students (since I hadn’t kept up much with current news and public policy), so I had to start reading the newspaper every day and learn what was going on around me, which wasn’t something I ever really did. Overall, though, graduate school was a great experience; because I lived and worked there for a long time, I built a large network of amazing, talented people who are now in very important positions, and my connections helped me land future jobs.

Me: “How was your time at Georgetown getting your Master’s in Public Policy different from your graduate program here at Ohio State?”

Stephanie: “Clearly I must like graduate school to be going twice! But getting a PhD in Public Affairs, which is what I’m doing now, is a lot different from being in DC and getting a master’s. My education at Georgetown was a lot more applied; I worked many internships while I taking classes, so I was able to directly apply what I learned in class to my job, which was a spectacular experience. Here, getting my PhD, most of my learning is theoretical, and I work for the college, so I do things like teaching your public affairs class. I found that some of the younger students who haven’t worked in the field and are in the PhD program are dissatisfied because they don’t get to have that applied factor, whereas in Georgetown, we were highly encouraged to do things like internships. Learning there was very direct; we’d learn how to write policy memos in class and then write policy memos the next day at our jobs!”

Me: “What led up to your first non-internship job in the field?”

Stephanie: “When I was graduating from Georgetown, I started applying very broadly, but I knew I wanted to stay in DC. I applied for a position with the District of Columbia where I would help run city departments. I really wanted that job and I thought it would make a lot of sense to transition into, as I was already working part-time through my internship at the National League of Cities and knew a lot of the people working for the local DC government. But about a month after I applied, they had some sort of funding issue, so they weren’t able to hire anyone. I was devastated, so I started applying again. I sent in an application to the National Governor’s Association, and it just so happened that the woman reviewing the applications had graduated from the same master’s program as I had at Georgetown, and she really liked my resume because her and me were very similar. She knew, also, that since I had worked for the League of Cities, I knew how to interact with elected officials, which is crucial for working at the National Governor’s Association (which represents governors). She told her boss that I was the best one, he brought me in for an interview and offered me the job on the spot. It all moved very quickly, but I was so happy with how it worked out!

Me: “What was your day-to-day life like working for the National Governor’s Association?”

Stephanie: “I had a unique position there where I was the policy analyst for special topics, which meant that I didn’t have one specific policy topic I worked on; instead, I had a grab bag of topics that were thrown at me, so I never really knew what was coming from one day to another. If a certain topic crossed a governor’s mind that didn’t fall into one of the pre-established policy categories, I was the one who would research it and create a policy memo on it. Part of my time was spend doing just that – researching and creating policy memos, whether on immigration, or tourism, or anything of that sort. It also just so happened that my specialization for my master’s at Georgetown was in housing, and while I was at the National Governor’s Association, the housing bubble burst and the Great Recession happened. No one was really covering housing at the time, so it put me (since I had experience) in the spotlight for a bit, which was great for my career, though not so great for the nation. Part of my time my job was spent editing a weekly newsletter that went out to the governor’s offices; I was pitched stories by policy analysts from different departments in a pitch meeting; I picked which one I wanted in the newsletter, and the policy analysts went back and wrote the stories, sent them to me, and I edited them and sent them to my boss. We also had a monthly meeting with the governors and their policy staff that I would help coordinate; I planned the meetings and put together the agendas. I also did more in-depth research and wrote long reports on foreclosures, which I was the expert of at the NGA. Because of that, I had the opportunity to meet many important people, one of which is now running the Democratic National Committee.”

Me: “What do you recommend to someone interested in going into public policy?”

Stephanie: “It’s very important to establish relationships with your professors and work closely with them – I got my internship at my first job because it was recommended to me by my professor, and that internship was life-changing. I also suggest you take classes in various policy areas while you’re an undergraduate to find out what you really love. Show up to events that the John Glenn College holds – there’s a lot of important, interesting people that come here! Getting an internship is key; that’s by far the best way to really get into the nitty-gritty of public policy and get your feet wet, and it changed my life. Networking is everything! Especially in public policy, it’s super important to know people, and to know the right people. Almost all of the jobs I landed were because I had a connection with the right person who was able to get me in.”

Synthesis:

I knew Stephanie as my professor of my writing and communication in public affairs class; in class, she often discussed her time working in the field of public policy, which I found very intriguing. When the opportunity arose to conduct an interview for this assignment, I figured that there was no better person than Stephanie. I thought she could provide some valuable insight into the world of public policy and what day-to-day life in the field was really like.

Before my public affairs class, I was very lost in terms of what major to choose; some days, I leaned more toward, business; others, I thought a STEM career would be best, and there were even days that I thought a medical career would be best. I knew about the political science major, but I didn’t even know the public affair major existed until I ended up taking a class in it. Looking back, it was extremely fortunate that I ended up a specifically public affairs-based second-level writing class, as it exposed me very directly and very early on to writing in the public policy field. The class, so far, has been very interesting to me; I enjoy writing, but I had never learned to write in formats like policy memos, which proved to a difficult but worthwhile skill to have. However, I was curious to learn exactly what a job in public affairs entailed, which this interview was perfect for discovering. Stephanie’s description of her life on the job – researching and creating policy memos, planning meetings, editing newsletters – are all tasks that I could picture myself doing and enjoying. The interview reinforced the growing interest in public affairs that I had prior.

The informational interview gave me a raw, in-depth look into the world of public policy. I was vaguely aware of what jobs she had from what she had told us in class, but I didn’t know that she had an internship before she went to Georgetown, or how she landed positions like that. Her insight was very helpful in letting me know what I need to do to set myself up for success in the future. I also previously didn’t know exactly what her job entailed on a day-to-day basis, which the interview revealed. Her recommendations at the end of the interview was particularly helpful, and it was good to have the opportunity to get advice from someone who had once been an undergraduate like me and is now in such an important position with a plethora of experience under her belt.

Before I feel confident declaring the major, I wish to take some more classes that involve public affairs – such as the 2110 Intro to Public Affairs class, which I am taking next semester. As Stephanie suggested, I want to get my feet wet and really dive deep into the public affairs major and discover its various facets. I also want to get involved in some clubs that involve public affairs or just community involvement in general; this will apply a more hands-on education to what I learn in class. Eventually, I want to get an internship in a public policy area. But for now, I want to be absolutely sure that this is the right path for me before I declare.

The exploration tools that were most helpful to me this semester were the GE classes and my academic adviser. As mentioned earlier, the 2367 writing GE was key to getting me acquainted with public affairs, and I plan to use the GE courses to further explore the field as well as other fields. My academic adviser Stephanie Elliott was also very helpful. Meeting with her helped me eliminate various majors from OSU’s long list and narrow down my choices based on what talents and interests I had. As soon as I mentioned I was interested in public affairs, she helped me craft an outline for my spring 2018 classes that would help me further explore the major and stay on track. This interview assignment, too, was helpful in allowing me to learn more about public affairs. I’d like to thank Stephanie Pierce for her cooperation in agreeing to be interviewed for this assignment and for sharing her experiences.

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.]

Artifacts

College Transition Lecture Reflection

As I start college, I’m worried about a number of things, the most pressing being finding a major that fits my talents and goals. As of now, I’m split mostly between a STEM-based major and a business major, but there are innumerable majors that I don’t know of that could appeal to me. My main goal in picking my major is to find an area in which I will enjoy the work, but an important factor of that is finding the work in the first place; I want to make sure the major I pick will allow easy access into the job market and allow me to have a successful career. Thus, an important step I need to take is using the University Exploration resources to research what kind of majors are out there and the different careers they can lead to. Another worry I have coming into college is the amount of coursework that will be required; as of now, I’ve managed to adjust to the quantity of work that’s been assigned, but I know it will only ramp up from here, and I know I will have to buckle down to make sure I maintain good grades in all my various classes. Finally, another fear is that I will have a difficult time adjusting to living away from home; it has gone well so far, but there are times that I miss being away from all the hustle-bustle of the OSU campus. Hopefully, these fears will be quelled with time.

On the other hand, I am excited about the new life I get to start here at Ohio State. There is a sense of independence that goes along with being in college; there’s no one to tell me when to eat, study, or hang out with friends. This means more responsibility, but it also means far more freedom. I’ve already been enjoying my newfound sense of self-reliance. Furthermore, I’m thrilled to meet new people and start new friendships with all kinds of people; though it at first may be awkward and scary to put myself out there and try to make friends, I know it will pay off in the end. I’m eager, also, to study subjects that interest me and learn in ways other than traditionally, within subjects I’ve never encountered before. One example of this is my photography class; through the course, I will be able to learn a useful skill that I likely never would have been educated in otherwise. Though I’ve had a tough time deciding which specific direction to take in my studies, I’ve been enjoying the greater academic opportunities that Ohio State has provided.

My greatest academic strength that I bring in tow is my writing; I enjoy writing poems and short stories, and I read a decent amount, so I have a knack for creative writing that I am able to implement in a wide array of subjects, whether it’s writing a lab report for Chemistry or typing out an essay for English. I also have a solid understanding of Calculus and Chemistry that will aid me greatly as I start college, especially in the first semester. However, more importantly, I have good time management skills and a profuse work ethic, which will be my greatest asset. While I procrastinate from time to time and sometimes don’t feel like working, I force myself to get to work and get my reading, studies, and homework done. This will serve me well in college, where study time and down time can be fluid, and it’s often difficult to find the motivation to work. I have faith that these skills will grant me to thrive in (or at least survive) the college academic environment.

There are a few co-curricular activities I am interested in becoming involved in; however, I haven’t taken the first step of attending their meetings or truly getting involved because I want to make sure I have a set plan for my day-to-day schedule and I’m fully adjusted to college life first. I’m aware that clubs are a great way to make friends and ease the stress of schoolwork, though, so I plan to join at least one very soon. I am interested in the running club, as I already enjoy running on my own, and running with others would only enhance that experience. I also am looking into joining the Collegiate Council on World Affairs, a model-UN-type club that peaked my interest at the Involvement Fair. Additionally, Crosswalk Outreach, a club that packages and distributes food to those in need around Columbus, is a club that would fulfill my personal duty to give back to the community and also be a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The piece of advice that most resonated with me at the panel was the students’ recommendation to use all available resources to get help – whether it’s for researching and deciding majors or simply seeking tutoring when confused about a certain topic in one of my classes. Ohio State is so large that I almost didn’t know where to start with getting help, but the students’ suggestions of where to go – whether to the Exploration advisors or the free tutoring at Lincoln Tower (where I live) – helped me to at least get a sense of what people or organizations to contact. I also appreciated the study tips the panel gave us; the concept of studying only in a library, where distractions are minimized, is a smart idea, and I might just implement it in my own study routine. Overall, the panel was helpful in easing my fear about college and giving me useful tips on how to go forward from here.

About Me

[Your “About Me” is an introduction and should provide insight into who you are as a person and a learner.  This should include a picture of you that is appropriate in a professional/academic context. This information should be continually updated.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio.  Delete these instructions and add your own post.]