After having such a positive experience with my own Schreyer orientation, I am so glad that I was able to become a SHOTIME mentor and pass along all of my knowledge and excitement about Penn State to the incoming Class of 2019. I approached my role following the great examples set by my mentors while also remembering the less positive experiences of some friends in order to avoid overwhelming my mentees or giving them a poor first impression of PSU. I had reservations before SHOTIME about running out of energy, not having enough to talk about, and not clicking with my group of freshmen; however, none of these worries came to fruition. My group was full of dynamic personalities, and it was a joy to hear them share about their lives and create friendships with each other. I had an awesome three days with the team leaders, mentors, and mentees learning about my old and new friends, my time here in Schreyer, and myself as a leader.
Being a part of SHOTIME as a sophomore turned out to be more fun than as a freshman, even though I was experiencing the same activities for a second time. The events I enjoyed the most were Playfair and the Brain Show because I loved meeting new people and watching my peers emerge from their shells. Both activities were fantastic for creating bonds among the freshman class because of the communication, support, and sociability that they promoted. In my opinion, the greatest benefit of SHOTIME was that it connected the new class and created a close-knit community so that all of the Schreyer students will feel like they have a family amidst the 45,000 people on campus. Another aspect of this year’s SHOTIME that I loved was the app created for the team leaders and mentors. It was a helpful way to keep up with the schedule, communicate with each other, and send pictures for Star Wars. Speaking of which, I also loved Star Wars—competition is a great incentive to encourage participation, especially amongst Honors students. My mentees were surprisingly enthusiastic about racking up points, and we made a lot of great memories together in the process. I think this part of SHOTIME should be included again and improved for next year.
Although SHOTIME was a great experience overall, I would like to see a change made to Excellence Beyond the Classroom. Due to the time of day that this occurred, the mentees were very tired, and at times, the discussion was boring. I do think the panels are a great idea since the students want to hear firsthand experiences from upperclassmen, but perhaps the event could be shortened a bit by having smaller panels. Alternatively, I think having slides with pictures from study abroad trips, internships, and research would be a great way to keep everyone’s attention, and I think it would help to include people who are doing research in non-STEM-related fields. I know many students majoring in business, liberal arts, etc. are uncertain about how or what they should research, and it would be a great opportunity to provide them with information about doing so. In spite of this, I thought all of the SHOTIME events were well-planned and well-executed, and I hope that I can be a part of it again next year.
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