2022-2023

It was in June of 2022 that I decided to make one of the biggest decisions of my future- transferring from Miami University to the University of Cincinnati.

 

Academically, in my transition to a new college, I changed my major from Psychology to Neuroscience and along with that, added in a Psychology minor and a certificate in Developmental Disabilities. Adjusting to a course schedule that included much heavier sciences aimed to push my resilience and work ethic, pushing me to focus harder on my schoolwork. It offered an experience to show me how I could study better and learn new strategies to better refine the process I understand class material such as using flash cards and active studying throughout each day to avoid cramming near the end. Transferring into a new major made me take other classes I didn’t plan on before, such as Intermediate Composition or Applied Calculus. These classes helped to keep me refreshed outside of my science-heavy classes and continue the growth of my other skills such as writing, creative thinking, and problem solving.

 

One of the main reasons for me transferring schools was to better prepare myself for graduate school to pursue my Master’s in Genetic Counseling and then become an accredited Genetic Counselor. I was excited to explore the vast opportunities associated research due to the importance for being competitive with graduate school. I got to experience working within the Kottyan Lab through the RaMP program during my Spring semester.

 

Within the Kottyan Lab, I helped to investigate the Filaggrin gene and the relevance to allergies and atopic dermatitis through the performance of many lab tests. I conducted Western Blots, cell passaging, EMSAs, nuclear lysates, and more. From the experience, I realized how slow research truly is, which patience could be something applied to my life overall. I expected tests to be quick, finding results in a timely manner, but we would do one singular experiment over the span of two weeks and still come out with a poor result, and that was that. I have been so stressed out about my future and planning everything to a fine detail, that maybe I too must slow it down. Further, with having a time commitment to the lab of 10 hours a week, I had to learn to balance my schedule and keep time for academics and a personal life, and this experience helped to provide skills of understanding my own mental health and academics come first, and then I can prioritize other things after I feel capable once more. I hope to continue my involvements with research and find myself working in a lab again soon if my schedule allows.

 

Personally, transferring was one of the most alienating transitions I have had to go through. A new school with new buildings, new people, new faculty, new everything… and somehow, I just had to fit in. From this, I had to become more outgoing and try new things, such as talking to people in my classes and forming friendships while keeping myself grounded with prioritizing my own hobbies. I volunteer with Crisis Text Line to develop my interest in helping others, while also trying to read at least one book a month to give myself a mental break. I realized that quality time with the relationships I have formed is important and to care for those, making time for these people.

 

My goals for my academic year is to prioritize my studying more and develop my skills within refining what methods work for me and how to best apply it to my courses. With going into my third year of school, I am in more difficult courses and therefore it is important to continue to put my coursework at a high priority. Professionally, I hope to become involved in research again in some sort of capacity, while also hoping to experience shadowing a Genetic Counselor as well to get a feel for the job.