Shawnee State University

I have recently found that a few of my newly graduated friends have been blogging about their work and internship experience. Last night I was having trouble sleeping, and decided to come up with one of my own. I'm hoping that it will become some kind of electronic portfolio of my experiences in grad school and out in the clinic. Not only will it be a fun break from my studies, but it may also work as just the opposite: a tool for me to recap what I have learned and freshen my memory later on down the road.

So for those of you who don't know, here's a little bit about me. I am a 22 year old alumnus of The Ohio State University. I received my bachelors degree in allied medical professions, with a major in Health Management in March of this year. I have learned a lot about the health field in the past 4 years, and, on a side note, I'm very interested in seeing what our newly elected president is going to do to remedy the health care situation. I think everyone agrees that something has to change, but nobody knows just how to go about it, or how we will ever afford it.

Anyway...last month I moved from the bustling city of Columbus to the teeny tiny little town of Portsmouth (or as i like to call it Practicallykentucky), Ohio, just two hours south. Here, at Shawnee State University, is where I will be studying toward my Master of Occupational Therapy. Now, let me tell you a little something about these two universities. OSU is one of the biggest universities in the US, home to over 50,000 students. The football stadium holds over 100,000 people and it's players are celebrities. Depending on your walking speed, crossing campus can take over 20 minutes, and a parking pass for the year cost over $200. SSU on the other hand, at any given time educates less than half the number of students that OSU graduated this June. It does not have a footbal team, and all the other sports are open to anyone who wants to play. I can easily walk across campus in approximately 4 minutes, and my parking pass was free.

Needless to say, I am in for a big change. I am extremely excited. While I LOVED being in Columbus, and I LOVE the buckeyes, I am a small town girl at heart, and I think I will benefit greatly from the smaller, community oriented atmosphere. My parents bought a house about a mile from the university, and I will be living with 3 other girls who will be in the MOT program with me. All of us will be moved in tomorrow, orientation is Friday, and we start classes one week from today on August 19th.

Here comes the next 2.5 years of my life!