Ted Van Green

My name is Ted Van Green, and I am in my first year at The Ohio State University.

My top 5 StrengthsQuest Strengths are: Harmony, Adaptability, Empathy, Arranger, and Relator.

I was not surprised at all that Harmony was one of my strengths. Personally ,harmony is trying to find a balance between things. Letting people see that they have areas they can agree on, or are similar. It means looking for common ground among people, ideas, or things. This is something I identify with strongly because it is something that I often find myself doing in my every day life. I feel as if there is a lot of conflict and disagreement in the world today, so I am often looking for areas of agreement for people. It is nice to find common ground with people, even if you do not 100% agree with them on some things. I would argue that this strength impacts all areas of my life because there is disagreement in all areas of my life. If two friends are fighting, I can try and help them find common ground. I agree that Harmony is one of my greatest strengths.

My favorite Ohio State tradition is the singing of Carmen Ohio. This is my favorite tradition because it shows unity of the students, or people who are singing the song. No matter your background, we are all Ohio State students, and that song helps give everyone common ground. It is also relevant to me as a first year student with one its last lines: Time and change will surely show, how firm thy friendship. Like all first year, I just left behind all of my friends from back home, and it will be fascinating to see how many of them were truly my good friends. Like the song says, time and change will help show who truly was my good friend. This song is truly my favorite tradition at Ohio State.

If I had to give 5 lessons to incoming freshman they would be as follows:

1. Figure out how to budget your time. This will help to relieve some of the stress you may have your first year.

2. Identify study methods that work the best for you that also produce the best results.

3. Try new things, gain new experiences. You are only in college and this young once.

4. Don't stress out. Keep working at something, and eventually you should get it. Worrying is not going to do much to help you, but it can hinder your progress.

5. Don't be afraid to go to your professors for help. They are there to help you.

This activity showed me some lessons that I will use throughout college.