Year In Review: 2014-2015
My two favorite experiences from my first year at the University of Cincinnati were both honors experiences. I had the opportunity to participate in LeaderShape as well as an honors seminar that traveled to Paris. LeaderShape was a great experience that allowed me to focus my goals and create a lot of relationships within the honors program. I was able to connect with staff as well as other students in the program. The friends that I've made are also inspirational to me and motivate me to pursue my passions. The honors seminar I took taught me a lot about Parisian culture but in a broader sense it taught me how to be a better traveler. It also helped me make more new connections within the honors program. In terms of relationships, this year I've seen how positive it can be to connect with professors and other students in the honors program. Connecting with professors is a good way to learn better in class as well as find different kinds of opportunities. Meeting different honors students allows me to see what kinds of opportunities and experiences I can do during my time at University of Cincinnati.
For the coming year, academically I want to be more prepared and manage my time better. Specifically, I need to get better at not procrastination and starting my work earlier. Personally, I want to continue to be as outgoing as possible and continue making new friends. That's been one of my favorite things about college so far--how many new people I get to meet. This past year I've also found that I fell into one of the most common traps for students: I spread myself too thin with extracurriculars. So, in my second year I want to try to streamline the the clubs and activities I involve myself in. One of my goals for my second year at UC are to become more involved with the women's center. Women's rights and helping women is a passion of mine so I want to try to find more ways to get involved with that on campus. I would also like to find ways to volunteer to help organizations for women.
Transitioning into living on a college campus and integrating myself into a new community made me learn more about my personality. I always thought of myself as an extrovert but I didn't realize how much of my personality I was sitting on because of the closeness of my high school class. I didn't have a need to be as outgoing as I can be because my high school class grew up together. In college, I was forced to reach out to many new people very quickly. It was challenging but it also made me realize that not only am I capable of being that extroverted, I really enjoy it. Also as a result of that process I've learned how to be an effective communicator and get to know people better. College has also exposed me more to different communities. For example, attending the LGBTQ center's semesterly drag shows helped me gain a better understanding of a community I never really got to interact with before. Finally, a community that really supported me during my first year at UC was the University Honors Program. Honors has done such a great job of providing opportunities for me to learn and grow outside of the classroom as well as connect with other students with the same drive and passion as me, which definitely helped me make the most of my first year at UC.
For the coming year, academically I want to be more prepared and manage my time better. Specifically, I need to get better at not procrastination and starting my work earlier. Personally, I want to continue to be as outgoing as possible and continue making new friends. That's been one of my favorite things about college so far--how many new people I get to meet. This past year I've also found that I fell into one of the most common traps for students: I spread myself too thin with extracurriculars. So, in my second year I want to try to streamline the the clubs and activities I involve myself in. One of my goals for my second year at UC are to become more involved with the women's center. Women's rights and helping women is a passion of mine so I want to try to find more ways to get involved with that on campus. I would also like to find ways to volunteer to help organizations for women.
Transitioning into living on a college campus and integrating myself into a new community made me learn more about my personality. I always thought of myself as an extrovert but I didn't realize how much of my personality I was sitting on because of the closeness of my high school class. I didn't have a need to be as outgoing as I can be because my high school class grew up together. In college, I was forced to reach out to many new people very quickly. It was challenging but it also made me realize that not only am I capable of being that extroverted, I really enjoy it. Also as a result of that process I've learned how to be an effective communicator and get to know people better. College has also exposed me more to different communities. For example, attending the LGBTQ center's semesterly drag shows helped me gain a better understanding of a community I never really got to interact with before. Finally, a community that really supported me during my first year at UC was the University Honors Program. Honors has done such a great job of providing opportunities for me to learn and grow outside of the classroom as well as connect with other students with the same drive and passion as me, which definitely helped me make the most of my first year at UC.