This past fall I attended the University of Cincinnati main campus as an Honors student in Chemical Engineering. I had the privilege to live in Turner Hall for both the Fall and Spring semester. At first I was extremely nervous about meeting new people and making friends. I had chosen random roommate selection and it’s safe to say I got lucky because my roommate turned out to be a really nice guy. It only took a day after my initial move-in for me to feel a real sense of freedom.
I spent one night in my new surroundings before leaving for the University Honors Program Retreat at Camp Kern. Not only was I introduced to the program in a fun way, but I befriended a slew of honors students. Once we came back from the retreat there was a couple days before classes started so instead of sitting around I decided to hang out with my newfound friends. During the course of playing Ultimate Frisbee at Sheakley Lawn we discussed joining various clubs and extra-curricular activities. Coincidentally a lot of us were enrolled in Chemical Engineering and so we joined AIChE together. AIChE is the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and we met once a week in a lecture hall and sometimes hosted social events.
In order to maintain my Cincinnatus scholarship I have to complete 30 hours of service per academic year. A girl I met on the honors retreat started a club on campus called the UC Rotaract Club, which is an offshoot of the Rotary Club for students 18-29. Many of my service hours were earned during the course of service events and projects on and near campus. One of the larger projects we started took place towards the end of the spring semester this year at a house for girls who were aging out of orphanages. The property needs a lot of work and could potentially take the whole next academic year to finish so the Rotaract Club is taking it on as our ongoing project. We’re also heavily involved weekly with the VA hospital down the street. I’m extremely excited for Rotaract because I will be able to take on leadership roles and stay involved.
Arriving on campus with AP credit afforded me the opportunity to skip Calculus I and go straight into Calculus II, so after discussing with my academic advisor I decided to go for it. The first couple of weeks went by without a hitch but I began to realize that due to the pace of the material I’d need to study even more than I studied in high school. Fall semester I was happy to have success in most of my introductory courses. I made A and high B grades in Chemistry Lecture, Chemistry Lab, Engineering Foundations, Engineering Models, and my honors seminar Exploring Community Engagement. However, the Calculus II course turned out to be a challenge. I had my first experience with a foreign professor with a strong Middle Eastern accent. The material past the first month was given to us at a fast pace with little practice or help, which differed from how I was used to learning. As a result I found myself confused a lot and my professor’s office hours were not long enough to accommodate all her students that needed help. It was the first class in which I’ve struggled to learn the material, even with studying and weekly homework assignments. I felt overwhelmed and it showed in my final grade for the course as a C+. I decided that in the spring semester I would do things differently with my new classes. I made it a point to go in for help for my math course as well as my physics course. However, with the unusually cold and snowy winter UC called off several days of classes, which caused me to lose valuable lecture time. Much of the material that would still be on the test had to be skimmed over in order to stay up to date with the syllabus. Even though I went in to both professors for help almost every day of the week I couldn’t get enough help to make up for lost class time. I struggled to stay above water and at the end of the semester I was only able to salvage my math grade and get a C. Unfortunately I failed the physics course and felt enormous strife because of it. Thankfully the silver lining showed itself in the form of grade replacement. In the fall I plan to retake the physics course and work hard to earn a better grade so I can replace the failing grade with a passing grade.
It has amazed me how in only two semesters I learned such huge lessons that will motivate me to strive the rest of my time in college and once I graduate. Even though some of the lessons hurt, I know how college as a whole is a unique learning experience that will develop my academic, social, and personal skills in the years to come.
I spent one night in my new surroundings before leaving for the University Honors Program Retreat at Camp Kern. Not only was I introduced to the program in a fun way, but I befriended a slew of honors students. Once we came back from the retreat there was a couple days before classes started so instead of sitting around I decided to hang out with my newfound friends. During the course of playing Ultimate Frisbee at Sheakley Lawn we discussed joining various clubs and extra-curricular activities. Coincidentally a lot of us were enrolled in Chemical Engineering and so we joined AIChE together. AIChE is the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and we met once a week in a lecture hall and sometimes hosted social events.
In order to maintain my Cincinnatus scholarship I have to complete 30 hours of service per academic year. A girl I met on the honors retreat started a club on campus called the UC Rotaract Club, which is an offshoot of the Rotary Club for students 18-29. Many of my service hours were earned during the course of service events and projects on and near campus. One of the larger projects we started took place towards the end of the spring semester this year at a house for girls who were aging out of orphanages. The property needs a lot of work and could potentially take the whole next academic year to finish so the Rotaract Club is taking it on as our ongoing project. We’re also heavily involved weekly with the VA hospital down the street. I’m extremely excited for Rotaract because I will be able to take on leadership roles and stay involved.
Arriving on campus with AP credit afforded me the opportunity to skip Calculus I and go straight into Calculus II, so after discussing with my academic advisor I decided to go for it. The first couple of weeks went by without a hitch but I began to realize that due to the pace of the material I’d need to study even more than I studied in high school. Fall semester I was happy to have success in most of my introductory courses. I made A and high B grades in Chemistry Lecture, Chemistry Lab, Engineering Foundations, Engineering Models, and my honors seminar Exploring Community Engagement. However, the Calculus II course turned out to be a challenge. I had my first experience with a foreign professor with a strong Middle Eastern accent. The material past the first month was given to us at a fast pace with little practice or help, which differed from how I was used to learning. As a result I found myself confused a lot and my professor’s office hours were not long enough to accommodate all her students that needed help. It was the first class in which I’ve struggled to learn the material, even with studying and weekly homework assignments. I felt overwhelmed and it showed in my final grade for the course as a C+. I decided that in the spring semester I would do things differently with my new classes. I made it a point to go in for help for my math course as well as my physics course. However, with the unusually cold and snowy winter UC called off several days of classes, which caused me to lose valuable lecture time. Much of the material that would still be on the test had to be skimmed over in order to stay up to date with the syllabus. Even though I went in to both professors for help almost every day of the week I couldn’t get enough help to make up for lost class time. I struggled to stay above water and at the end of the semester I was only able to salvage my math grade and get a C. Unfortunately I failed the physics course and felt enormous strife because of it. Thankfully the silver lining showed itself in the form of grade replacement. In the fall I plan to retake the physics course and work hard to earn a better grade so I can replace the failing grade with a passing grade.
It has amazed me how in only two semesters I learned such huge lessons that will motivate me to strive the rest of my time in college and once I graduate. Even though some of the lessons hurt, I know how college as a whole is a unique learning experience that will develop my academic, social, and personal skills in the years to come.