Throughout the past year of my life, I have encountered a wide variety of “last” and “first” experiences, as I transitioned from a high school senior to a first-year student here at the University of Cincinnati. I did all I could to hold back tears at graduation, and again a few months later as I said goodbye to my parents after helping me move in to my dorm.

 

          I started out my first year of college in UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science, as an electrical engineering major. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do with my time in college, but as I started classes that fall, it didn’t take long for me to figure out that the major I signed up for was not meant for me. I still wanted to remain in engineering, just a slightly different major from the one I thought was what I wanted. After communicating with my college advisor throughout the semester, I was able to change to my current major, computer science, by the start of spring semester. Even though it was just a small change, it was one of the first times that I had felt like an actual adult, having made the decision without looking for confirmation from my parents or anyone else.

 

          I was lucky enough to have two friends from my high school go to UC with me, so I wouldn’t be starting this whole new experience completely on my own. However, after my first year, I failed to really branch out and get involved around campus, largely due to the fact that I had close friends to cling to. While I did attempt to join a few different clubs early on, like Society of Women Engineers, Paws for a Cause, and a few others, I couldn’t really find anything that really sparked my interest enough for me to go to more than two or three meetings. Along with this, I have yet to really make any new friends (just two, that were roommates of one of my high school friends) due to crippling social anxiety, but I’ve been working on being better at conversing with new people, and communication in general. I still have quite a ways to go, though. In spring semester, I did try a little harder to find a community in which I felt more comfortable. I joined Bearcat Buddies as a means to get required volunteer hours. I plan to continue in this program every semester that I can, and I am hoping it will be a catalyst to get me to find more ways to get involved and stay involved.

 

          In terms of academics, this first year has been a complete success. I was able to make Dean’s list both semesters, and I managed a 4.0 for spring semester, with a 3.95 overall so far. I decided to sign up for Calc II my first semester despite having earned a 5 on the corresponding AP test, and I’m very glad I did. It has been my only class so far that I did not earn an A in, but it has been for the better. I was expecting it to be fairly easy considering I had completed the equivalent class in high school, but this was not the case. On the first major test of the class, I performed very poorly, and I immediately realized how much more effort and studying that would be required compared to high school. Had I chosen to take the AP credit for Calc II and go straight to multivariable calculus, I surely wouldn’t have done as well as I would have wanted, and it would not have been needed after changing my major, as multivariable is not a required math class for computer science. As for the rest of my first year classes, everything else was relatively easy and did not require an immense amount of effort to succeed in. I am expecting this to change dramatically over the next few semesters as I delve deeper into the more relevant classes for my major, as opposed to more Breadth of Knowledge requirements.

 

          Moving into my upcoming year at UC, I will prospectively be starting my first co-op rotation in spring 2015, which is already giving me a lot to freak out about, like the career fair in the fall, and interviews and whatnot. I know that I am prepared and will be even more so by the time this next semester starts, but a little stress is a good thing. I will just have to keep it in check and make sure the stress and anxiety doesn’t prevent me from performing well, or from doing all I can to make the most of my time at UC. The main thing I plan to work on this upcoming year is to put myself out there more, and not be so hesitant when it comes to asking questions or just talking to people in general.