Kyle J.

Schuchter
University Honors Program
Year-In-Review 2015-2016
WHAT? SO WHAT?
After completing my first year at the University of Cincinnati, I cannot put into words
just how great my first year has been. After just a short two semesters and one academic year, I
have learned so many things. One primary thing that I have learned is the high school is entirely
and I mean entirely different from college. One major difference I have had to become
accustomed with is that classes are much larger than what I was accustomed to in high school. In
high school, most of my classes consisted of no more than twenty-five students. However, my
chemistry and biology courses have had upwards of three hundred students in one large
auditorium. In addition, I have learned that in college students are truly responsible for their own
learning. Instead of having your hand held by a high school teacher who explains every
assignment in depth and sends constant reminders, professors at the college level really put the
responsibility of education into the hands of the students; this being said, this approach has
significantly developed my sense of responsibility even more than what it was before my
academic career at UC. In addition, I've learned that although professors are accessible through
office hours, it is much more difficult scheduling time to meet with a professor than meeting a
teacher in high school. Besides these major differences I have noticed in my first year as a
college student, there are still many themes and ideas that I have noticed carry over from high
school to college.
In terms of an event that I had to overcome this academic year, I would say the biggest
challenge has been managing academics and involvements on campus. I knew that my first
academic year would be extremely important for me for several reasons. Due to the fact that I am

planning on applying to pharmacy school July 2016, I knew that my application to pharmacy
school would only have my GPA from my first two semesters and would only allow me two
semesters to obtain involvement in extracurricular activities, leadership positions on and off
campus, as well as experience in the pharmacy field. Thus, I knew how crucial this academic
year would be and could only anticipate how difficult it would be to manage time to achieve
academically as well as become involved in extracurricular activities. However, I can truly say
that I have been able to manage my time with academics and involvement very well. I have been
able to maintain a 4.00 GPA during my first two semesters, have pursued many on and off
campus extracurricular activities that have allowed me to grow as an individual, have gained
experience in the pharmacy field, and have also pursued leadership positions. Although time
management has been very difficult at times, keeping a very detailed calendar with all of my
events and meetings as well as has significantly helped in managing my time. Also, something I
have struggled with is limiting my involvement. There are over 400 student organizations on
campus and quite frankly so many of these organizations interest me. However, I have had to tell
myself that I can only be involved in a couple of organizations. My intent for doing this is that I
do not want to spread myself thin with many organizations. Instead, I would much rather be a
very dedicated member of just a couple organizations. This allows me to better focus my time in
making an impact in the organizations I am involved with.
Coming to UC, I knew a couple people already due to the fact that my high school
typically sends several students to UC. One of those people happened to be my best friend who is
also in the pre-pharmacy program that I am in. My relationship with this friend and peer has been
extremely beneficial. We have had all of the same classes together and I always consult her if I
have any questions. It is extremely nice to have such a great friend in the same academic

program and it significantly assists in building a support network, because it can be difficult at
times. Also, I have really fostered a great relationship with several faculty members at UC,
notably Dr. Brian Kinkle and Megan Minton. Before the first day of school Dr. Brian Kinkle
already intimidated me. He had already assigned homework due on the first day of the class,
Biology 1081, and informed us we would be having two quizzes on the material. I was further
intimated by his teaching style, which consisted of working in small groups with other peers.
However, about a week into the class, I really started to appreciate Dr. Kinkle's teaching style. It
was evident he really cared about his students, enough that he challenged the notion of what a
college course should consist of. Also, I built a relationship with Dr. Kinkle by frequently
visiting him in his office to discuss questions I had about material as well as inviting him to the
Darwin T. Turner Annual Breakfast of Champions. I have also established a great relationship
with my University Honors Program Advisor, Megan Minton. Megan has been instrumental in
my success at the University of Cincinnati. Megan is the advisor I know I can consult when I
need anything. Megan calmed my fears about fulfilling all of my honors experiences in just two
years and continues to provide me with support and encouragement that propel me forward on
the path to success.

NOW WHAT?
Looking forward to the next academic year, one piece of advice I would give to myself is
to keep hard work because it will pay off in the end. Looking at my upcoming courses for the fall
semester, I anticipate a very challenging academic year. I felt my first two semesters were
challenging and that was with a great background in chemistry, biology, and calculus. I
essentially enter my organic chemistry and physics courses with little to no background, so I

know hard work and perseverance will be necessary to perform well in these challenging
courses. Although I will strive to keep my 4.00 GPA, I will not be disappointed if I am unable to
do so, but put it hard work in these courses. In addition, another piece of advice I have for myself
is to be diligent and hardworking during the summer months in preparing for pharmacy school.
During this summer I will be taking the PCAT, completing the PharmCAS, and obtaining letters
of recommendation. It is absolutely necessary that these items be completed before I begin my
academic courses in the fall. Furthermore, another piece of advice I have for myself is to stay
involved with the extracurricular activities I was involved with during my first year. I strongly
enjoyed all of the activities I was involved with during my first year and I strongly wish to
continue my involvement in these activities.
As far as the ideas of who I am and what I want to do go, I feel that not a lot has changed,
but there have definitely been some changes. I feel that before entering college, many of my
central beliefs and ideas have been further reinforced by college. I still have a strong focus on the
guiding principles that I live by and also still have plans to become a future pharmacist.
However, two of the biggest changes I have had coming to college would be my respect for
diversity and desire to travel abroad. As a student selected to become a Darwin T. Turner Scholar,
diversity already resonated with me prior to becoming a UC student. However, coming from a
high school that lacked much diversity to a university where diversity is plentiful has really
opened my eyes up to the diverse world that exists outside of what I was accustomed to for so
many years. In addition, I have had the great opportunity to meet, interact, and become friends
with many diverse peers who I hope to learn from to become a more well rounded individual of
society. In addition, being a student at the University of Cincinnati has presented me with
numerous opportunities to travel abroad. In fact, I will be traveling to Australia in December

2016. This will be my first and most definitely not my last time traveling outside of the United
States.
Overall, looking back at my first year at the University of Cincinnati, I can truly say it
has been a year that exceeded my expectations. I have grown tremendously as an individual,
student, and leader through my strong devotion to academics, community service, as well as
extracurricular activities. In addition, I have had the opportunity to learn from tremendous
professors and advisors who have served as forces propelling me forward in my academic career.
I am very excited to see how I will continue my growth, how I will progress as a member of
society, and what experiences I will have in the upcoming year!