Second Year Experience

My second year at Ohio State was very different than expected. Although online learning was a challenging adjustment, I felt I made the most out of my second year. My classes this year really pushed me academically and although they were challenging, they taught me how to study effectively and proved that I can succeed in any class no matter how intimidating it may seem.

I also experienced a lot of personal growth this year. I took on a leadership position as a Neuroscience Ambassador mentoring freshman, and I am soon to become a CA for the program next year. Another experience I really enjoyed this year and will continue doing is volunteering at the NNEMAP food pantry. A few of my roommates and I would go once a week and would have so much fun together helping out and interacting with the Columbus community. It was such a great way to start my day and always left me feeling refreshed and ready to start my day.

Overall, this year has taught me how to handle change, making me more adaptive and flexible to any obstacle that comes my way. My academic and personal growth this year makes be so excited for the next two years at Ohio State and I am truly so grateful of my college experience so far!

Year in Review

While my first year of college had a lot of highs and lows, I learned a lot about myself as a person and as a student. The transition to college definitely was not easy, but I learned a lot from it. While taking hard classes, I quickly found out how important it was to stay on top of things and get help if I needed it. Personally, time management was the biggest thing I learned academically this year. While being apart of organizations and clubs, it is important to make sure my grades were not dropping. A balance was needed and it was also very important to not compare myself to others. I quickly found out how competitive it can be at Ohio State, and constantly comparing yourself to others and their grades is not healthy. Overall, I feel like I have become more independent, am able to time manage my work more efficiently, and strive to be the best version of myself.

In addition to growth as a student, I grew so much as a person. Coming into college, I was lucky be apart of a scholars program that quickly helped me find people with common interests. I met my roommate, who is one of my best friends now, along with so many other amazing people. I know for a fact, I have met lifelong friends and the memories I have made so far have been amazing. Looking forward, I know I will meet so many more incredible people and will continue to grow as a person from those relationships. Overall, my first year of college was a huge transition in my life, and I can’t wait to see how I grow next year.

G.O.A.L.S.

 

  • Global Awareness: I plan to complete a study abroad experience while I’m at Ohio State. In the past, I have traveled with a group of students to Australia and New Zealand which was an amazing experience I will never forget. I love to travel and experience the diversity of unique places, so I am excited for the opportunity to travel somewhere new in the future.
  • Original Inquiry: In my upcoming years at Ohio State, I am interested in participating in a research lab. Through research, I think I would gain new knowledge on interesting and important subjects. In addition, I will gain a lot of unique and essential skills that will be helpful for my future career.
  • Academic Enrichment: I chose to study Neuroscience because I think learning about the brain is very interesting and useful for my future careers in the health field. There is a lot of interesting studies being done on the brain and I am glad I have the opportunity to learn so much about the brain. This major focuses mainly on rigorous science classes and in order to enrich my academic abilities, I plan to continue taking challenging courses. This will encourage me to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills for the future.
  • Leadership Development: Within the Neuroscience Major, I am currently a Core Neuroscience Ambassador. As an ambassador, I aid in various Neuroscience events and help the incoming Freshman become comfortable in their transition while making the major feel like a community they can rely on. I am also a peer mentor for the incoming Freshman within the Health Science Scholars program to help guide them in their first year.
  • Service Engagement: I have participated in several Health Science Scholars service days and I will continue to do so throughout my time at Ohio State. I am also apart of the Remote Area Medical Organization which takes service trips to several free clinics for the homeless to aid them in various medical issues they may have.

Artifacts

This year, I participated in Buckeyethon where I helped raise money for the kids fighting cancer at Nationwide’s Children’s Hospital. I participated in the dance marathon where I helped raise money for the children for 12 hours straight. Ultimately, we raised 1.6 million which was a huge accomplishment. With so many family and friends of mine that have battled cancer, this was really important to me. Seeing all of the kids and families fighting through hard times, it really opened my eyes to how much you can help change someone’s life. Going forward, I hope to continue participating in BuckeyeThon and helping those kids who are fighting cancer.

About Me

Hi everyone! My name is Rachael Waite, and I am from Rocky River, Ohio near Cleveland. I am a first year, and I am majoring in Neuroscience with the hopes of going pre-med or pre-professional. I also plan on volunteering a lot throughout my time here through many different programs. I love playing volleyball, traveling, and watching sports. I chose OSU because of its size and the amount of opportunities available here. I am so excited to be apart of the Health Science Scholars program and can’t wait to see where it takes me! I hope everyone has a great year! Go Bucks!