Final Reflection

Your First Semester

  • Tell us how you have grown from the beginning of the semester to now. From the beginning of the semester to now I would say I have grown in ways like getting out of my comfort zone, learning what is best for me, and watching my knowledge improve in several new topics. Along with my communication skills with my fellow classmates, professors, friends, etc. 
  • What were your expectations for this year? Did this semester’s experiences meet your expectations? Explain. My expectations for this year were to meet new friends, live independently, and to join/start new things. I would say I have met my expectations this semester. I have made a good amount of great friends, I went to my first doctor’s appointment by myself, and I have done new things that I have never done before. 
  • What is something you wish you knew 14 weeks ago? Something I wish I knew 14 weeks ago would probably be to definitely see what ODU has to offer like joining clubs, club sport teams, and the use of tutoring at the library, office hours, etc. I will be sure to use those offerings next semester! 

Study Habits

  • How much time do you spend studying for each class now vs. at the beginning of the semester? I would say from the beginning of the semester to now the hours I use out of class to spend time studying has increased a good amount. The reason for this is because I think the classes have gotten more difficult as we got more in depth with the semester. In the beginning of the semester I was probably spending 2-3 hours a week studying outside of my classes. Now I think I spend at least 5 hours a week studying. I know this isn’t ideal but to me it is an improvement! 
  • How have your study habits changed? I personally don’t think my study habits have changed too drastically. I still use Quizlet for flashcards, make paper flashcards, take notes in my binder for Sociology, and use my iPad for basically everything. I think the only thing that has changed would be the amount of times I spend doing homework and studying. 
  • Tell us about a resource that you have used/learned about this semester that will assist you next semester. A resource that I have learned about but unfortunately have not used yet was a study room in the library. I have been to the library multiple times in order to study and complete assignments. I have studied with my friends as well but we have never booked a study room. I plan on doing so next semester for sure. 
  • What study habits/techniques will you use going into next semester? Next semester I’m going to keep up with all my studying tools that I used this semester. I hope all my professors next semester allow me to use my iPad for note taking. I say this because this semester I had a professor who wouldn’t allow electronic note-taking. I think I am going to use office hours, book study rooms, and increase my studying time next semester as well. 

Health Professions Learning Community

  • This semester you were enrolled in at least SOC 201S, and HLTH 101. Many of you were also enrolled in CHEM 105N and CHEM 106N, and some of you were enrolled in HIST 104H with Professor White.
    • On the surface these classes do not appear to be connected; however this semester each professor was intentional about drawing connections between content, and subjects discussed. Discuss the ways in which  these courses are tied together. I do agree that these courses have content/subjects that are tied together. I was a student in SOC 201S, HLTH 101, CHEM 105N/CHEM106N, along with HIST 104H with Professor White. For example, in the Sociology and Chemistry note presentations there would be examples of the concept we were learning used in the health professionals setting. I found this to be interesting and it made me realize there is a reason behind why these classes are part of the prerequisites for our majors. 

Parallel Plan

  • This semester we had presentations from different majors in the College of Health Sciences as well as from different majors on campus. This was to give you an idea for possible parallel majors to your current intended major. 
  • Which two other majors would you be most interested in? Why? The other two majors that I am most interested in based on the guest speaker presentations in my health class would probably be Speech-Language Pathology and although this isn’t an undergraduate major, I really enjoyed the presentation on becoming a CRNA. I think speaking and language is such an important factor in our everyday lives like social communication, and cognitive communication. This affects everyone from infants to the elderly! Also hearing can also be involved which is also important for our everyday lives. The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist was also very helpful because I plan on continuing my education so being able to get that advanced nursing degree and could be considered a Dr., makes it very appealing. 
  • What benefit is there to having a parallel plan (or two) in place? There’s a benefit to having a parallel plan because everyday our minds change, I could change my mind on wanting to be a nurse next semester. I know that won’t happen but it could, it does to a lot of people! I also think having backup plans are important just in case something happens or something doesn’t go your way within your major. 
  • How could one or both of these two majors benefit your current intended major? The CRNA doctoral program would benefit my current major because I would be able to get advanced nursing certifications which would improve my nursing skills overall. It would allow me to start my own practice and work independently along with getting more experience in the nursing field, like more clinical hours, more learning opportunities, etc. The Speech-Language Pathology major would benefit my current major because I was told as a Speech Pathologist you were in the same setting as nurses and sometimes even work together. As of right now I would love to become a CRNA 🙂