STUDENT PLT ENCOUNTERS LOW VISIBILITY AND BECOMES LOST AND MAKES PRECAUTIONARY LNDG.

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AT XA45 AM I DEPARTED I69 DEST PORT CLINTON (PCW) FOR MY FIRST LONG SOLO XCOUNTRY. IT WAS AN EXCELLENT TRIP; UNRESTRICTED VISIBILITY; ALL PREPLANNED CHKPOINTS CHKED OUT. APPLETON VOR AND DME CHKED-OUT AS DID SUNDUSKY VOR AND DME. I LANDED AT PCW; FUELED; AND CALLED THE OFFICE TO CHK-IN. I WAS TOLD IT WAS RAINING; BUT DIDN'T LOOK BAD OR THAT THE RAIN WOULD LAST LONG. I BECAME WORRIED AND LEFT IMMEDIATELY. NEXT STOP MED. THIS WAS ANOTHER EXCELLENT TRIP. ALL COMS HANDLED PROPERLY; LNDG WAS GOOD; THEN I TAXIED AND DEPARTED FOR DEST I69. I CONTACTED COLUMBUS TO BE PLACED ON RADAR FOR VFR CONDITIONS. ONCE LEAVING COLUMBUS RADAR I WAS ON MY OWN TO I69. OVER THE HORIZON I SAW DARK CLOUDS AND MY CONCERNS ABOUT RAIN (IFR) INCREASED. I BECAME DISORIENTED WITH MY POS SO I TUNED TO YELLOWBUD VOR AND I DISCOVERED THE DME DID NOT WORK. THE VOR INDICATED 330 DEG WITH NO DME. I DID NOT KNOW HOW FAR FROM YELLOWBUD I WAS. IT BEGAN TO RAIN. I PANICKED; NOT FLOWN OR TRAINED TO FLY IN RAIN OR ADVERSE WX. MY INSTRUCTION HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN CASE OF SUCH WX OR EVEN POSSIBILITY OF SUCH TO LAND IMMEDIATELY. I BECAME MORE FOCUSED UPON THE RAIN AND BEGAN TO LOOK FOR AN ARPT. I SPOTTED ONE TO THE R. THE VOR INDICATED 290-300 DEGS. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT ARPT I WAS AT; THEREFORE; I HAD NO COM TO THE TFC. I THOUGHT THE SAFE THING TO DO IS CIRCLE THE ARPT THEN LAND. SO I PROCEEDED; I DID NOT REALIZE UNTIL I WAS ON FINAL THAT I WAS AT A 'TWR' ARPT. ONE OF THE RWYS WERE MARKED 'X.' ONCE I HAD TAXIED TO THE TERMINAL I DISCOVERED I WAS AT SPRINGFIELD A CTLED ARPT AT WHICH I LANDED WITHOUT CLRNC TO DO SO. I AM SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME. TO ME THIS WAS AN EMER SIT AND I KNEW NOT WHAT ELSE TO DO. I THINK CORRECTIVE ACTION IS TO CONTACT DAYTON RADAR FOR VFR AND TO RECEIVE IFR TRAINING ASAP.