Of the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S., the two that are most applicable to me are the Original Inquiry and Academic Enrichment. The Original Inquiry goal, as defined by the Honors & Scholars website, is for students to understand “the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers”. At some point in my college career, hopefully next year, I plan on participating in some undergraduate research. This will be the first time I preform major research and will be my basis understanding on research. I already understand how a little about research by going on lab tours in my 1182.03 class. At some point I will hopefully have an internship in which I will also utilize the idea of Original Inquiry. After graduating, I may enter graduate school, which would be a lot of research, and would most definitely require me to use my knowledge gained from my previous years to complete.
To reach my goals, the first thing I need to do is graduate college with good grades to get into graduate school. That is why I chose Academic Enrichment as my second part of the G.O.A.L.S. The Scholars website defines Academic Excellence as perusing “academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.” I would like to one day enter the research and development industry, and in order to do I will need to excel in my classes so I may enter graduate school. It will also be good for me to know the materiel that I cover well so I do not need to revisit it if I need to use it later. Additionally, showing my determination to learn will look good to potential employers.
Even beyond my college career, I will use the idea of Academic Excellence. A career requires you to learn new thing every day and keep up with the information you are provided. I you are unprepared or out of date with your information, you are less likely to be trusted with projects, or might even get fired if you mess up because of it. Additionally, going above and beyond in your work will most likely get you promoted to a higher, more important, better paid position.
Far down the road, I will still incorporate these two ideas in my life. Eventually, I hope to enter the research and development industry. This career will incorporate both Original Inquiry and Academic Excellence. I will rely on my experience both in college and throughout my previous career to be successful as a researcher. I will also have to incorporate Academic Excellence into my job by learning from other people’s research as well as knowing how to incorporate what I find through my research. These two will even be used together. To complete the research process, you need to study what you are researching and understand what it is you are doing. I will be using the ideas of Academic Excellence and Original Inquiry throughout my life.