Pre - Junior Year
My third year at the University of Cincinnati has flown by in a strange way. It started with my second co-op at the same company as my first, then my first semester of classes as a third year, and I just finished my first week of co-op at a new architecture company in Cincinnati.
My first, and especially second, co-op taught me a great deal. I was able to dive deeper into historic preservation, falling more madly in love with helping old buildings than before. I hope to spend the rest of my professional career working with historic buildings. I recently joined the Cincinnati Preservation Collective and cannot wait to take advantage of the events held by the group to expand my knowledge of old buildings. Another hope is to increase my networking circle among the preservation community.
This past spring semester consisted of ups and downs, but I am extremely proud of myself for my hard work and the results it yielded. I’ve finally found my rhythm in school. Students in my major are finally seeming to become more of a community and a support system for hard classes, which made a world of difference this past semester. I’ve also become better with time management, started eating healthier, getting enough sleep each night, and taking care of myself better, in general. The result? Straight A’s. My social life was beyond lacking, but being in Cincinnati for co-op this summer semester will allow me to be around friends again – and this time, in a stress-free environment.
This past academic semester, I was given the opportunity to take an honors seminar called The Irish in America, and was undoubtedly the highlight of my semester (a more in depth description of the class may be found in my experiences tab). This class made me notice a trend in my academics: I have enjoyed a total of three classes thus far in my college career, and none of them were out of CEAS. Two were not even part of my major. Evolution of the Angel was through Judaic and religious studies, The Irish in America was through honors, and Architecture History was through architecture and interior design. I’ve realized I wish I hadn’t gone into architectural engineering. I made the mistake because I find math easier than English and sciences and had the mindset if I didn’t become an engineer, I was a failure. So, I find myself thousands of dollars of tuition into my major, with too few credit hours to transfer into something else and graduate on time, and with an interest in a specific major UC doesn’t offer. I thought I had things figured out and how to get around this. I would pursue the historic preservation certificate in DAAP, which would eat up every single free credit hour I had for the rest of my college career, and I would find historic preservation co-ops. Then, CEAS added classes to my major, eliminating the space for a certificate, and my current co-op doesn’t focus on old buildings, but it was summer, which is when students cannot afford to be picky with co-ops – though we really aren’t ever allowed to be.
The chain of events this semester has lead me to the realization I still have much to figure out. I’ve been left with lists of things to figure out at the end of each academic year; however, this year, I’ll be figuring it out from sturdier ground. My future worries me, but it no longer cripples me with anxiety. I know I can handle what life throw at me, now. I will have to work harder than ever, and I’m up for the challenge.
My third year at the University of Cincinnati has flown by in a strange way. It started with my second co-op at the same company as my first, then my first semester of classes as a third year, and I just finished my first week of co-op at a new architecture company in Cincinnati.
My first, and especially second, co-op taught me a great deal. I was able to dive deeper into historic preservation, falling more madly in love with helping old buildings than before. I hope to spend the rest of my professional career working with historic buildings. I recently joined the Cincinnati Preservation Collective and cannot wait to take advantage of the events held by the group to expand my knowledge of old buildings. Another hope is to increase my networking circle among the preservation community.
This past spring semester consisted of ups and downs, but I am extremely proud of myself for my hard work and the results it yielded. I’ve finally found my rhythm in school. Students in my major are finally seeming to become more of a community and a support system for hard classes, which made a world of difference this past semester. I’ve also become better with time management, started eating healthier, getting enough sleep each night, and taking care of myself better, in general. The result? Straight A’s. My social life was beyond lacking, but being in Cincinnati for co-op this summer semester will allow me to be around friends again – and this time, in a stress-free environment.
This past academic semester, I was given the opportunity to take an honors seminar called The Irish in America, and was undoubtedly the highlight of my semester (a more in depth description of the class may be found in my experiences tab). This class made me notice a trend in my academics: I have enjoyed a total of three classes thus far in my college career, and none of them were out of CEAS. Two were not even part of my major. Evolution of the Angel was through Judaic and religious studies, The Irish in America was through honors, and Architecture History was through architecture and interior design. I’ve realized I wish I hadn’t gone into architectural engineering. I made the mistake because I find math easier than English and sciences and had the mindset if I didn’t become an engineer, I was a failure. So, I find myself thousands of dollars of tuition into my major, with too few credit hours to transfer into something else and graduate on time, and with an interest in a specific major UC doesn’t offer. I thought I had things figured out and how to get around this. I would pursue the historic preservation certificate in DAAP, which would eat up every single free credit hour I had for the rest of my college career, and I would find historic preservation co-ops. Then, CEAS added classes to my major, eliminating the space for a certificate, and my current co-op doesn’t focus on old buildings, but it was summer, which is when students cannot afford to be picky with co-ops – though we really aren’t ever allowed to be.
The chain of events this semester has lead me to the realization I still have much to figure out. I’ve been left with lists of things to figure out at the end of each academic year; however, this year, I’ll be figuring it out from sturdier ground. My future worries me, but it no longer cripples me with anxiety. I know I can handle what life throw at me, now. I will have to work harder than ever, and I’m up for the challenge.
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