Year in Review: 2014 - 2015
Part One: What? So What?
My first year on campus has been filled with changing expectations and obstacles to overcome at critical times. To begin, my long term academic plans were turned upside down when I went to discuss scheduling for spring semester classes with my academic advisor, Dr. Frame. She surprised me by asking if I would be interested in graduating early given the credits that I possessed in math and science. Upon hearing her reasons and discussing this possibility with my parents, we agreed that this was the best decision for me to achieve my future goals. As consequences to this decision, I had to conquer other pressures including finding a co-op for the summer semester, giving up my last free summer, and developing a new friend group in my new graduating class of 2018. As a general note, finals week has proven to be a stressful time for me due to bouts of unnecessary excitement. In the fall semester, I accidentally left all of my Differential Equations materials in my Models lab room (which was on Friday evenings). By the time I realized my mistake, I found myself locked out of the room which contained the essential studying resources for my Monday final. Fortunately, a call to UCPD was able to resolve this scenario. In the spring semester, I again had troubles as two weeks before finals my laptop would not start. This was primarily concerning for my Models 2 final in which we were allowed to utilize any code that we had personally written (not all that helpful without my laptop). This situation required a considerably higher amount of effort as multiple trips to Best Buy and family support were required in order to resolve my technical difficulties.
In each of the scenarios described above I found myself facing difficult situations that continued to evolve. However, when put in these scenarios and thrust out of my comfort zone, I learned a great deal about myself. I realized that I have the ability to tackle problems that initially feel overwhelming by staying focused in the moment on whatever positive steps I can do to address the situation no matter how small they may seem. I also gained a greater appreciation for my parents as they proved through their actions that no matter how far away from home I may go, they will be there to support me during stressful times. Coming into college I was confident in my abilities to overcome conflict, but actually facing it was something that I had no intention of seeking out. Since these events did occur, I feel much more secure in facing obstacles in my future years at the University of Cincinnati and beyond.
As briefly alluded to earlier, I also made a wonderful group of friends in my first academic year. From my dorm to my clubs to my classes I have met motivated, intelligent, and unique individuals that I am pleased to call my friends. This group has been critical in helping me balance the differing academic and social worlds. In addition, the friends I have made in the class of 2018 have been essential in making the transition to graduating early much easier. As I move into a new residence this summer as well as begin my first co-op rotation, I am looking forward to expanding this social circle in the casual and professional setting.
Part Two: Now What?
As I move into my future years at the University of Cincinnati there are a few words of wisdom that I would like to offer myself. First, continue to do what has worked for you in the past! I am doing great academically and have developed a system for how to get my work done, make connections with my professors, learn the material presented, and relay my best effort. Put simply, if it is not broken do not try and fix it! Next, I would urge myself not to panic when stressful situations present themselves. In my first academic year I have proven to myself that I am capable of overcoming these trials, and I should relax knowing that whatever I am presented with can be overcome. Next, I would recommend that I make a conscious effort to maintain the social-academic balance. As my classes continue to increase in difficulty, I would regret seeing myself become one dimensional and potentially missing out on any opportunities. Finally, I want to see myself looking to the future more aggressively as my years and engineering skills progress. I would like to begin thinking about ideas for my senior project as well as completing mini projects I set for myself (such as beginning to work on my own exo suit designs). Overall, I feel that I have had a wonderful start to my time at the university and I look to continue and expand on my learnings and experiences.
My first year on campus has been filled with changing expectations and obstacles to overcome at critical times. To begin, my long term academic plans were turned upside down when I went to discuss scheduling for spring semester classes with my academic advisor, Dr. Frame. She surprised me by asking if I would be interested in graduating early given the credits that I possessed in math and science. Upon hearing her reasons and discussing this possibility with my parents, we agreed that this was the best decision for me to achieve my future goals. As consequences to this decision, I had to conquer other pressures including finding a co-op for the summer semester, giving up my last free summer, and developing a new friend group in my new graduating class of 2018. As a general note, finals week has proven to be a stressful time for me due to bouts of unnecessary excitement. In the fall semester, I accidentally left all of my Differential Equations materials in my Models lab room (which was on Friday evenings). By the time I realized my mistake, I found myself locked out of the room which contained the essential studying resources for my Monday final. Fortunately, a call to UCPD was able to resolve this scenario. In the spring semester, I again had troubles as two weeks before finals my laptop would not start. This was primarily concerning for my Models 2 final in which we were allowed to utilize any code that we had personally written (not all that helpful without my laptop). This situation required a considerably higher amount of effort as multiple trips to Best Buy and family support were required in order to resolve my technical difficulties.
In each of the scenarios described above I found myself facing difficult situations that continued to evolve. However, when put in these scenarios and thrust out of my comfort zone, I learned a great deal about myself. I realized that I have the ability to tackle problems that initially feel overwhelming by staying focused in the moment on whatever positive steps I can do to address the situation no matter how small they may seem. I also gained a greater appreciation for my parents as they proved through their actions that no matter how far away from home I may go, they will be there to support me during stressful times. Coming into college I was confident in my abilities to overcome conflict, but actually facing it was something that I had no intention of seeking out. Since these events did occur, I feel much more secure in facing obstacles in my future years at the University of Cincinnati and beyond.
As briefly alluded to earlier, I also made a wonderful group of friends in my first academic year. From my dorm to my clubs to my classes I have met motivated, intelligent, and unique individuals that I am pleased to call my friends. This group has been critical in helping me balance the differing academic and social worlds. In addition, the friends I have made in the class of 2018 have been essential in making the transition to graduating early much easier. As I move into a new residence this summer as well as begin my first co-op rotation, I am looking forward to expanding this social circle in the casual and professional setting.
Part Two: Now What?
As I move into my future years at the University of Cincinnati there are a few words of wisdom that I would like to offer myself. First, continue to do what has worked for you in the past! I am doing great academically and have developed a system for how to get my work done, make connections with my professors, learn the material presented, and relay my best effort. Put simply, if it is not broken do not try and fix it! Next, I would urge myself not to panic when stressful situations present themselves. In my first academic year I have proven to myself that I am capable of overcoming these trials, and I should relax knowing that whatever I am presented with can be overcome. Next, I would recommend that I make a conscious effort to maintain the social-academic balance. As my classes continue to increase in difficulty, I would regret seeing myself become one dimensional and potentially missing out on any opportunities. Finally, I want to see myself looking to the future more aggressively as my years and engineering skills progress. I would like to begin thinking about ideas for my senior project as well as completing mini projects I set for myself (such as beginning to work on my own exo suit designs). Overall, I feel that I have had a wonderful start to my time at the university and I look to continue and expand on my learnings and experiences.