Throughout this year, I have realized many things about myself and about collegiate education. One, I was never good at studying and it might take a while to change that. Although it has changed a miniscule amount, I am not confident that I can completely change it to the most optimal style, but it has evolved enough to be a nod in the right direction. Two, the most difficult thing about living on your own is managing your time. There is an incredible amount of freedom to set your own lifestyle, at your own pace, but it is vital that you factor in all of the responsibilities and influence it can have on your health. In short, sleep is very, very important, and I have not gotten a reasonable and consistent schedule down. Three, when they say college is a completely different environment than high school, it isn’t a cliche. Living so close to so many kids your age opens your eyes to a multitude of lifestyles that you would have never had back at home, and for better or worse you adapt to other people’s choices. Back home there is more of an outlet available to escape the stress of constant contact with the people you see on the daily. With the persistent nature of a routine there is a lot of time of which is spent with others. The culture shock of having to integrate my own decisions into the narrative of other lives created a wave of learning moments. It made me realize that my life was so pushed into a tunnel-vision reality that I didn’t know how to absorb all of the diversity of the people that I came to live with. With some difficulty I have tried to find a rhythm at which I can both maintain my own health while trying to be better version of myself towards others. I had to change the way I reacted to different political views, I had a plethora of opinions to consider when it came to speculation in any sense, and I had to understand the impact that mental health has on other people. The conversations are constantly evolving and it is imperative that I consider all aspects of the situation, and coming from a place where most of the opinions of those I interacted with tended to be in the same general spectrum, it took some effort to reorganize my thoughts before I reacted. When I came into school, I was surprised at the lack of discussion about the classes themselves. All I had heard was that they were “academically challenging” and had no realistic idea on what that really meant in regards to my own learning style. I had only heard about the long lasting impact that the people here would have on me. I understand that now. I have come to consider some of these people as family, and it has only been one semester. They have left an impression on me that I hope reflects a much better version of myself and I intend to build upon this. As I set forth into another wave of classes in this next semester, I am interested to see how much of an effect that the next three years will have on me.
My First Week at OSU
My First Week at OSU
To me, Welcome Week was a whirlwind of activities and information, both necessary and appreciated. That, combined with the sense of homecoming and adolescent freedom found in the mixture of fresh faces and seasoned veterans. This combination gave a sense of community and hospitality that really helped settle the nerves that inevitably come with the immense moment that college is. Welcome Week allowed for a valued environment to ease into and to find a niche of shared interests and monumental opportunities.
As far as adjusting to life goes, I have been incredibly fortunate in the circumstances that I have been gifted, in my room, my roommate and in student life in my hall. My roommate and I share a similar ideology and attitude, allowing us to not only live together but to be friends outside of our room. I got extremely lucky in the placement of my room, the three windows really help circulate the airflow in the heat and I got more space than I anticipated. On top of that, the people in my hall have been incredible and welcoming, their diverse backgrounds giving me insights into new opportunities and interests. As for my schedule, I tried to reflect the one that I have been used to for 13 years. Get up early, go to class, and be out by mid-afternoon. In that respect, I managed to accomplish that, knowing that if I didn’t have an early morning math class, I knew that my other classes would have been overshadowed with worry over whatever calculus I needed to remember for that day. Along with that, I wanted to be able to set aside time to manage myself, my homework and my studies, a concept that is still in the works.
I came into Ohio State with no clear major and no real idea of the direction that I was headed. I didn’t- and still don’t- know what to expect. A big part of college is “knowing” the specific end goal, not just graduation but an idea of what you’d want to do with the degree you earn, and not knowing even the basic meta-major can be intimidating. However, the courses I chose to begin with seem to be worth the trepidation. In my mind, I likened my classes to the same rigor as my advanced placement course load from high school, but the challenge I have found is not the content, it is the commitment to study and to dedicate the time to focus on the tasks at hand when there are so many diverse distractions in student life and in the campus environment. As included in the student life is the peers and hallmates that I have had the pleasure of meeting have allowed for so many different opinions and interest to build up and have given me opportunities for new experiences.
Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio
[The Home Page will show a running blog of your recent posts, which are categorized and show on that category’s page. Please delete this post or edit with your own information.]
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.]