My first year at the University of Cincinnati included many events that made it a great school year. Here are some of them below.
First Year at the University of Cincinnati
Semester Breakdown
Fall 2014 is when I began my time at the University of Cincinnati. During my first semester, I joined a slew of organizations to figure out what I really enjoyed most. Those organizations include the Lindner Finance Club, Student Government First Year Leadership Program, Business Fellows and the Emerging Ethnic Leaders Institute. It's easy to say that the Business Fellows Toronto Business Experience was the highlight of my first college semester. Around 25 students in the Business Fellows Program spent five days in Toronto, Canada which was an amazing city. My classmates in the Business Fellows community were all so friendly and are still good friends of mine to this day. Overall, my first semester of college involved a lot of transition and understanding of my new surrounding. However, I managed to stay true to myself by taking advantage of the best opportunities I could find and always acquired new knowledge by attending informational events and lectures while always staying career-focused.
Spring semester of my first year of college had me feeling confident as I thought I had everything figured out and was ready to make an impact. I became a part of more organizations such as ADVANCE, Beta Alpha Psi, and the University Honors Program. I also decided that I could handle taking on nine courses during that semester as well. I was only about a month into the spring semester when I realized that I may have bitten off more than I could chew. In my opinion this was beneficial in a way as the semester really tested my time-management skills and allowed me to take a step back to plan instead of trying to do everything at once. Despite being very busy, I still had an excellent experience during my spring semester which was highlighted by the Emerging Ethnic Leaders Class 4 Campground Retreat, and the spring break ADVANCE Corporate Excursion trip to New York.
Spring semester of my first year of college had me feeling confident as I thought I had everything figured out and was ready to make an impact. I became a part of more organizations such as ADVANCE, Beta Alpha Psi, and the University Honors Program. I also decided that I could handle taking on nine courses during that semester as well. I was only about a month into the spring semester when I realized that I may have bitten off more than I could chew. In my opinion this was beneficial in a way as the semester really tested my time-management skills and allowed me to take a step back to plan instead of trying to do everything at once. Despite being very busy, I still had an excellent experience during my spring semester which was highlighted by the Emerging Ethnic Leaders Class 4 Campground Retreat, and the spring break ADVANCE Corporate Excursion trip to New York.
Business Fellows - Toronto Business Experience
When starting out during my first year of college, I had no idea what I could expect from the students around me. I wasn't sure if I had to make myself fit in or try to conform in order to be socially accepted. The greatest thing I learned from my first year at UC was how friendly the community of students were. Students in college generally accept people and help facilitate an inclusive environment which helped me become a much better communicator overall with my peers. Communication seems to be key when facing challenges both academically and non-academically. Acquiring that key skill has made it much easier to accomplish the goals I had set in place during my first year. The Business Fellows Program at UC provides students with numerous opportunities to gain useful experiences and resources which may be utilized for years to come. One major part of the program is the Business Fellows Toronto Experience which allows students to learn how businesses and cities can differ from one country to the next. As a person who has been to four other countries, it's easy to say that this was my favorite international experience. Toronto, Canada is a very large and diverse city that is in some ways very similar to the United States, and in other ways very different. During this trip I had the opportunity to tour businesses, try amazing food, explore the city, and gain a community of student friends around me. This was my first trip as a college student and may be my most significant as I had to learn to adjust to the new group of students that were around me. The experience has helped me become more accepting and open-minded about people and life in general which is a perspective that I wouldn't change for the world.
Emerging Ethnic Leaders - Class IV
The Emerging Ethnic Leaders Program at UC fosters the growth and development of up and coming leaders on campus. It was amazing to be a part of this program which was highlighted by a two day retreat to West Harrison, Indiana. This trip allowed me to learn much more about myself and the world around me. Activities, discussions, and interactive games made this an unforgettable experience.
ADVANCE Corporate Excursion
ADVANCE is an organization at UC that helps to provide students with key career skills and resources that will prepare students for the transition from college to career. One part of this program is the Spring Break Corporate Exposure in New York City. This event included just over twenty students as we traveled to Manhattan and visited two businesses each day to learn both about the business and about what we could do as college students to take advantage of the opportunities that were ahead of us. Overall, the trip was excellent and ended up being one of the best Spring Breaks I have ever had.
Looking Ahead to the Future
Prior to starting college, I knew I wanted to get involved and make an impact mainly because I was career driven. I knew that campus involvement was the key to landing a great job after college. Now, while I am still career focused, I have experienced many responsibilities and rewarding aspects of getting involved on campus which has altered my plans accordingly. I have learned that the best experiences come from events that I am the most passionate about, not necessarily what will land me the best job. In this aspect, I am very excited for the future as I look to make an impact in areas that I know I will enjoy.
Looking ahead to my next school year, I am determined to conquer my college time management. Taking 19 hours worth of courses, attempting to start a new student organization, and working for the first time during college could make this a difficult semester to manage time wise. However, I am confident that I will be able to achieve this goal during the upcoming year.
One piece of advice I would like to give to myself for the upcoming school year is to make sure I keep making connections while maintaining older ones. I have learned that connections are personally my key to opportunity and happiness. I want to keep putting myself out there to meet new people during my next school year because I know that it will make my college experience even more rewarding.