The University of South Florida

The University of South Florida is a public University that is part of the Association of American Universities. A prestigious group of the 71 leading research institutions in the United States and Canada. USF serves as a campus that spans over 1,500 acres and serves approximately 50,000 students.

Starting as a chemistry major and then transitioning to an International Business major, I have been through numerous classes that have shaped me into a well-rounded student. The tools that the University of South Florida offers such as being part of the Association of American Universities and generating an annual income of over 6 billion dollars that is reinvested into the surrounding communities to ensure student success, has shaped me as an individual. Some of my skills that have been strengthened by the University of South Florida for me to have a complete turnaround in my education is my digital literacy, self-discipline, and adaptability.

Digital Literacy is a priority at the University of South Florida. Freshman year was all analytical skills through Excel sheets and numerous websites that aided my labs through Chemistry 1 and 2 and Physics 1 and 2. Being able to create my labs and properly observing my data, I was able to build a proper foundation for when I transitioned into the Muma College of Business. The classes that are taken first in the business school are Information Systems and Management. Pushing students to learn all Microsoft applications and their functions. Through these experiences, it pushed me to develop skills and adopt an eye to recognize results from any data.

Self-discipline is something that I developed through some hardships. During my freshman year, I worked a job in door-to-door sales. It was an amazing experience to learn new skills beyond my university's walls. However, by the end of that semester, juggling 18 credit hours, Greek life, and working nearly 40 hours a week lead to my grades faltering. I decided to return to Cincinnati for the summer in order to re-evaluate my commitments. Following extensive discussions with my family and advisors regarding the feasibility of continuing my education given my academic standing at semester's end, we reached a mutual agreement. After convincing my closest family members that I could recover but only if they aided me while studying and focusing on school. After a year of the incident, I made a complete recovery and was able to learn very valuable skills like self-discipline and time management. After 2 years, I am now able to balance my higher-level classes, work nearly 30 hours a week, and still have the time to be able to relax and have a health social life.

Adaptability for me has been refined since I moved to Florida. Moving away and rebuilding relationships and everything I knew from my hometown required a significant adjustment. After finding my groove and learning how to have more self-discipline, I was able to acclimate to my new scenario and discover what works for me. University further nurtured these traits due to my major change. Learning how a pendulum swings and then shifting focus to the trends of the forex market represents a large jump from an educational standpoint. Thanks to my flexibility, I managed to make the transition seamless and appear effortless.