Biological Sciences Scholars

My major concerns are academic related, and doing well, especially about MCAT/calculus/chemistry/selectivity and applying to Biomedical Engineering. Also forming good study habits/Effective studying - This is very understandable and appropriate! My best advice is approach any difficulty early and often, using your academic advisor, instructors, the Younkin Success Center (https://younkinsuccess.osu.edu/), etc. to address any specific concerns right away. Chances are, these people have helped students just like you resolve your issue, and it's easy for them to help you. And remember that the first year in a new environment is always the toughest - it gets easier after this!

Self-motivation skills - Motivation is different for different people, because it is related to identity, but there are some great places to start working on this skill: The Dennis Learning Center has a great post, there are some books on this page that may help, and lots of students have written about their personal journey staying motivated at OSU. To find those stories, try copying the following line into Google (or your preferred search engine): motivation site:.osu.edu . 

Work/Life balance - There are number of factors that contribute to work/life balance, so to identify where to start, I encourage you to visit the student wellness center (https://swc.osu.edu/), and take the wellness assessment (https://swc.osu.edu/on-demand-services/wellness-assessment). This can help you determine what parts of your life may need more attention and what services that OSU offers to help with those parts. Please don't try and go it alone, especially when there are so many people and tools that can help!

Not overwhelming myself/Work overload/keeping up with classes and work - I definitely recommend an organizational system that helps you plan ahead and allocate your time to top priorities. I use a digital calendar (and require that everyone make appointments) as well as a running 'to do' list. I review my calendar at the beginning of every semester and write in obligations and deadlines and when I see a bunch piling up, I put reminders in early (sometimes with a fake deadline) so I avoid the weeks where everything comes due at once. When things go unexpectedly, I also reach out to people to move deadlines or get extensions. I try not to do this often, but sometimes it's my only option. Each person may have a different system that works for them, so I encourage you to explore your resources and then organize and prioritize!

Time management/Balancing my workload between school work and other activities/making time for more extracurricular activities/I want to make sure I take advantage of all my resources offered to me - Choosing what to do is hard! I've put some books on the first page of this guide with more information on time management. My best advice is to have a system of organization and prioritization, and change it if it doesn't work as well as you'd like. Eventually you will have a system that works for you. Also, what I wish someone had told me earlier about time management: You can do anything! But you can't do everything :( I have to choose what is important and that means other things won't happen.

Staying organized - There are all sorts of methods of staying organized, from apps to bullet journals, and in my opinion, having any system is better than no system! I've put some resources in answers to other concerns in this box, but also please consider looking into some of the books listed in the first page of this guide. And if you have a method you like, please share with your classmates!

Keep Learning website: https://keeplearning.osu.edu/