Adam Woodard

Career Fair Reflection

1. Going into the fair, I honestly did not really know what to expect. I was going in with an
open-mind and attitude that I would talk to a few employers and companies just to feel out
how a conversation might go in future career fairs. I did not expect the fair to be as big as it
was, and at first it was a bit intimidating walking in and finding the courage to talk to
employers.
2. Yes, I did speak to a few employers. I spoke to Great American Insurance and I asked
general questions about what their company and other companies are looking for when it
comes to selecting co-op students. The biggest thing he mentioned was to have experiences
to talk about.
3. One of the things I wish I would have done this career fair would be to bring resumes, which
I will make sure to do next semester. After I talked with Great American, he asked if I had a
resume he could look at and I did not have one prepared. I also might want to think of very
specific questions I can ask certain companies so that they know I am interested in their
company.
4. Some of my peers at the fair were just wandering around and others were engaged and
involved with what was going on around them. I think I wandered around some in the
beginning, but then once I got over my nerves and acted, I feel like I was pretty engaged.

Adam Woodard
MGMT1051 (009)
Jackie Oney
Ever since I was a little kid, I knew I would be attending the University of Cincinnati. My

mom, uncles, and aunts all came here, so growing up I was immersed in the bearcat culture.

My sister is also a fourth year here now, which just encouraged me to come here even more. I

never actually went on an official UC tour, but my sister showed me around campus several

times throughout my high school career. Also, I visited the College of Business several times

with one of my honors business classes in high school. My college search process was very

limited, as the only other option I really considered was Miami University. I did not see myself
fitting in with that environment and decided to come to the University of Cincinnati towards

the beginning of my senior year.

I chose the Lindner College of Business for a multitude of reasons. First off, the co-op

experience is a program that is unmatched by any other college possibly in the country. One of

the main reasons I did not even consider Miami was because I knew that they did not have the

co-op program. I have heard from every single student that their co-op experience was

beneficial, whether they enjoyed their job, or they disliked it. Disliking a job is just as beneficial

as enjoying a job because you then would know what you do not want to do in the future.

Second, the Lindner College of Business has so many well-known alumni that nearly any

company has some type of support for UC. The number of well-known individuals that have

went through the College of Business makes this program prestigious and something special. I

currently am majoring in finance and do not have a selected minor but would like to select one

by the end of my first year. I selected finance because I have always loved math and have been

good with numbers. I am willing to change in the future if I get experience in the field and do

not enjoy the actual working aspect of it. The professor who came in and talked about data

analytics caught my attention from the beginning. When he was talking about loading planes

the fastest I was curious and intrigued. Data analytics would be a field that I may consider for a

minor, and I do not have to take many more credit hours in that field for it to count as a minor.

As I read Making College Count I picked out several points that I highlighted that will

help me in my college career. The first thing that I really want to improve on is to study

between classes (87). There are so many nights when I realize that I waste all day and end up

staying way too late doing work that I could have done all day. Going to the library in between
classes would be a great idea because my brain would already be in school mode. The later I

wait to do homework, the less motivation I have. Another is some advice that I will take into

consideration as we are approaching final week, which is to study the Monday before you take

your first test (160). Although this sounds very far in advance, this is the perfect amount of

time to study for not just one test, but for the multiple tests that I have. The last thing that

anyone wants is to have to pull an all-nighter in the week of finals, that is just self-destructive

(143). Patrick S. O Brien said that joining a fraternity was one of the best decisions (182) that

he made in college. Currently, I am in the process of joining a fraternity and I can already tell

that my experience will benefit me in several different ways. The friendships and relationships I

have already formed are stronger than I could have imagined. Also, there are several

connections available from a business aspect. An older member has already helped me apply

for a finance job in the spring for the company where he works. I will definitely take advantage

of leadership roles like O Brien did in his fraternity to strengthen my leadership and winning

characteristics.

The University of Cincinnati has so many opportunities and resources that it is hard to

select just a few to invest your time in. Like I said previously, one opportunity I will pursue is

the fraternity experience to meet more people, strengthen my professional skills, and build

business connections. I will also use professors and advisors as resources to help me predict

the best route for me as a student and figure out what will work out best for me. The main

career options that I am interested now are finance and data analytics because I am interested

in money management and investing. I do not know much about data analytics jobs, but I want

to try to get an internship or co-op doing that type of work to see if I enjoy it or not.
 The Study Skills and Note Taking section might be one of the most important parts of

the book. Tests are not miniscule like they were in high school, now there are two tests that

count for a huge percentage of the final grade. One thing that I need to work better on it

absorbing and understanding it, not just memorizing (131). In high school, that is how I got

great grades, because I could memorize the material the night before and still get an A on the

test, but this is not the case in college. Most of the times I just read over material and skim it

over, but I need to start rewriting the important facts and concepts so that my brain can

engage and process the information (133). This is, once again, something that I did not do in

high school that will greatly help me succeed on tests in college. Thus far, I have a few free

hours every day after doing homework and attending classes/ meetings. I need to start

managing what my priorities are and consider the future to see how busy I will be. For

example, last week I had nearly no assignments due, and this week I am packed with

assignments and studying. If I would have planned out my time better and made a schedule, I

would have finished assignments in the previous week instead of waiting until the next week.

Next semester, I am going to print out a calendar and write when assignments are due and

when tests are, this way I can visualize everything that is due, weeks in advance.

One failure I encountered as a student in high school was when I was taking the ACT. I

did not prepare at all for the first test and got a 25, which was not the score that I was

expecting. From this, I learned that college and tests would not be as easy as they were in high

school. With a lot of preparation and taking practice tests, I got a 29 on my ACT. I was very

proud with that score and it really opened my eyes to make me realize everything was not

going to come easy to me and I would have to work hard to achieve good grades. I plan to
pursue many extracurriculars during my time here. Some things I want to get involved in with

the business school are Lindner Ambassadors and the Lindner Student Association. It may be

hard to balance classes, work, and extracurriculars but with proper planning and scheduling I

know that I could stay organized and in control. Classes will obviously always come first, but I

believe that these opportunities would give me leadership skills and connections that will

benefit me later down the road.

Adam Woodard
Look Me in the Eye Reflection #1
According to CNN, one in every sixty-eight kids born today has an autism spectrum

disorder. John Robison in Look Me in the Eye is obviously not alone when it comes to feeling

alone. Despite his disability, John was talented and smart in a unique way. After reading about

John Robison and his struggles that he endured through school and through the workplace, there

are many accommodations that may be made to allow people with diverse intelligence to excel

and to perform to the best of their ability.

One accommodation that may be made to help benefit people like John in the schoolroom

is to ensure that students are including him in activities and making him feel involved, without

putting too much pressure on him. John states in chapter 22 that he did not ever want to be

alone. This quote was included because John wanted to break the stereotype that people with

disabilities like himself did not want any interactions at all. One way that teachers and other

students can help kids like John is to make him feel welcome and important to the class.
Teachers must know that in large group settings, kids like John become nervous and anxious,

which is why breaking up into small groups several times a day would make them feel more

comfortable. In small group projects, other students must be able to pinpoint Johns skills and

use them to their advantage. In a small group, John may then have felt included and became

more comfortable with the kids around him. Robison describes how he hated some of his jobs,

especially the ones in the corporate fields. I believe this is true because in the corporate field

there are one-on-one interactions, which John was not comfortable with because of how he may

have been treated at an early age.

Another accommodation that could be made is to allow students with diverse intelligence

to take classes according to their strengths. John may have not dropped out of high school in the

tenth grade if he would have been allowed to take classes that he felt comfortable with. John

loved working with machines, which is why he worked with the band KISS to design special

effects and worked on cars for several years in his driveway. For example, if John could have

worked with computers, math, programming, etc. in his last few years of high school, he maybe

could have gone to college or a trade school because he would have been more educated in

certain topics. Just as he dropped out of high school because he was not comfortable, he also

quit many jobs in the corporate field because he did not know how to fit in. If students like John

could exploit their advantages and take classes that they are comfortable with, then they could

very possibly be successful and comfortable with their jobs in their future.