This is a blog post by Kellie, one of the social media interns for the Division of Student Affairs. Click on “The Team” tab above to learn more about her! If you have a Q2S strategy to share, or if you want to blog for our site, then leave a comment!
Change scares most people. In fact, change is horrific for hyper-organized, ultra-prepared people like me. I love routine, and I get a little nervous whenever any aspect of my life is drastically (or mildly) altered.
With that information, I bet you can guess exactly how I felt when I found out about Ohio University’s switch from a quarter system to a semester system.
I was terrified.
I was worried and afraid, but instead of talking to someone about my fears, I sat back and pretended the switch would never actually happen. And I complained a lot.
Then it hit me, no matter how much I complained about it or hid from it, the change was going to happen. It was then that I decided to stop wasting my energy worrying and to instead start doing.
So, I went to the Q2S Resource Fair in Baker Center Tuesday. A representative from every college at OU was there to field questions from concerned students (like me). I am majoring in journalism, and I have two declared minors, business and economics. Needless to say, I talked to several representatives that day. I also asked an embarrassingly large amount of questions. The representatives gave me exactly what I needed; they gave me answers. And when they didn’t have the answer, they told me how I could find it.
I left the Q2S Resource Fair feeling confident and assured. I was actually excited about change, and that’s saying a lot for me.
A good thing to remember is that we are all in this together. Faculty, administrators and students are all facing a major change. We are all a little worried that the Q2S transition will not be seamless, and that is absolutely OK. None of us can predict exactly how the big switch will play out.
But we can take on this change together. We can all do our part to make the shift a little smoother.
As students, we can be proactive. We can meet with our advisors, seek Q2S advising sessions at Allen Student Help Center and, most importantly, we can embrace this change instead of running from it.
The administration and faculty will continue to help us by answering questions and holding information sessions.
Another thing that helps me come to terms with this change is that I will be able to complete a Transition Degree Completion Plan. Actually, all students will work with an academic advisor to complete a plan. It will outline, term-by-term, the courses you will take for the remainder of the 2011-12 academic year and the semester courses you will take to complete your degree, ensuring you are not disadvantaged by the University’s transition to semesters.
I love plans. This is perfect.
If you have questions, then ask them! If you are worried, then talk to someone. If I can welcome change, then anyone can.
Change is coming. Don’t run from it.
For more information, visit this page on OU’s website: http://www.ohio.edu/q2s/. Or, send your questions directly to q2s@ohio.edu.
