I remember the week before I began classes well. I was terrified.

I thought I was setting myself up for failure. I mean, I’d been out of school for three years. Could I really do this? Despite my respectable GPA, I struggled with a lot of subjects in school. Science and math never made sense to me, and I found history confusing and frustrating. I began wondering if my acceptance to OSU was a mistake. I wondered how they chose me. How did I make the cut? I though to myself, “I’m not smart enough for this. I’m going to flunk out”.

I was wrong.

Here I am, at the end of my first term at Oregon State University. Not only did I not fail, but I truly succeeded, and exceeded my expectations. I have surprised myself: I’ve been successful.

I feel so happy to be a part of this community, and I am excelling in my classes. (Okay, okay. I have a B in history, but that’s better than I ever could’ve expected).

When it comes to online learning, I have encountered some challenges. First, I am extremely disorganized. I am not a person that can follow a schedule or calendar, and my file folders that started off color coded on the first day of classes have become a disaster. Naturally, I am also someone that struggles with time management. I think I could better place first in an Olympic decathlon than properly plan a day, let alone a week (and I am anything but athletic).

However, as much as I struggle to admit it, I do have natural strengths. Despite the anxiety I face, I am an incredibly open person. It was a struggle, but I was able to explain my setbacks to my professors, and discuss options that would give me a better chance of getting the most out of my classes. In addition, I am a perfectionist, and incredibly hard on myself. Though this doesn’t appear to go well with being a procrastinator, it’s all that keeps me afloat academically. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do my best, so although it may take me a long time to get something done, I almost always produce work I’m proud of. Lastly, I care so deeply about my education, that I approach everything with sincere desire to not only score well, but to learn all that I can. This has helped me greatly in being successful in my classes.

The main tool I use to keep myself on track is the Canvas app. I am able to keep track of my weekly to do list, broken down by due date. In addition, I can easily access Canvas from anywhere- I most often check it in bed when I first wake up, to be able to get a glimpse of my day (and my grades).

The main strategy I will use is to be patient with myself. Rather than being overly critical, I need to give myself time to really immerse myself in assignments, to provide better understanding. Also, by giving myself more time, I will be able to give myself breaks when I feel too overwhelmed. It’s important to leave time for self care in between stressful assignments, as I’ve learned through experience.

The library, Canvas app, OSU Open Campus, and psychological services are the resources I plan to utilize most. The library, of course, is practically essential in conducting effective research, and has great tools in order to provide better understanding of the research process. The Canvas app is an extremely valuable resource, as I mentioned. It makes schoolwork highly accessible, and provides a feeling of connection to your classes throughout the day.

Open Campus is what I discussed in my “One Thing” presentation, and provides short, free courses that will lead to so much more learning opportunities and broaden my horizons. Lastly, the psychological services for students are beyond helpful, and I am so thankful even ecampus students have access. OSU does an amazing job at caring for students’ mental heath and safety, and I’m proud to go to a university that cares so much for its students.

My goal for the next term is to gain a better understanding of what I want to do with my life. Though I know my calling is to help animals (and hopefully people, too), I hope to be able to identify the career and degree choice that will best fit who I am as an individual, and what I am meant to do in this lifetime.

This term, I was able to identify my goals through the natural process of learning about myself, and also using SMART goals. Developing a SMART goal helped me to identify my values, and also what is possible in the short vs. long term.

Throughout this class, I have gained a much deeper understanding of myself, and how I will further pursue my education. I know for sure through what I have seen in discussion posts that all or most of you have had a similar experience, and I am thankful that we have all had the opportunity to participate and engage in this class.

I am fortunate to have had this experience, and to have gotten to know all of you in some way. Good luck next term, everyone!