Study Habits

• What classes are you doing well in, and why? I think I am doing pretty decent in all of my classes. I’m currently passing all of my classes, with my lowest grade being in sociology. Unfortunately, I didn’t do as well on my midterm as I hoped to, but according to my professor my grade is still on track for a good final grade. So I am not too worried about that. I think my easiest class would probably be my Interpreting the Past U.S. History class, my Intro to Visual Arts class, and of course this class! I am passing because I get all my assignments done all on time and spend time outside of class studying. 
• What classes did you identify as needing assistance in? The classes that I identify as needing assistance in would have to be my Introductory Chemistry class and the lab portion. This is because science, especially chemistry, can be difficult and there are a lot of patterns that I need to grasp to fully understand.  At the moment, I don’t have a grade for the lab portion  so I’m hoping I am passing the course. I plan to meet with the TA to ask about my grade. 
• What changes have you made (i.e. amount of time, location, campus resources, study strategies, etc…)? I noticed that I focus the best when I do my homework and study in the library, and not in my dorm working on my desk or in my bed. I think this is because I have a lot of distractions in my dorm room, and knowing that I am in the library and I have to be quiet makes me focus more on my studying. I prefer to study at night and do my homework during the day. (sometimes at night when necessary). For my studying strategies, I have recently switched over to my iPad for note-taking, especially for chemistry. This was a change from the beginning of the semester because I used to use my notebook for that class. I love to have visuals when studying, so I draw diagrams, look at my paper periodic table, etc. I like to review my notes and sometimes rewrite them and read them out loud as a way to try and remember/memorize. One thing that hasn’t changed is looking at some flashcards via Quizlet that others have made, or I make my own flashcards using notecards. I review my professor’s note presentations as well while studying. I think I could definitely spend some more time studying , but the amount of time has increased since the beginning of the semester. Getting all of my assignments completed on time makes me feel less stressed. 

Transition to College

• What expectations did you have coming to college? I expected to get involved with the different clubs offered, and find a good group of friends that “I consider my kind of people”. I have made some friends but not as many as I would have liked to. I think if I joined a sorority, my answer would have been different. I also expected the workload to be unmanageable and my classes to be a little difficult. Lastly, I expected to go to a college that “felt like home”. 
• Have those expectations come to fruition, or not? I would say academically yes, but socially no, at least not as much as I would have hoped. Before coming to ODU, I thought that if I joined a sorority during the Spring it would give me time to really process the transition to college and would allow me to settle in. I regret not rushing in the Fall, because I haven’t made as many friends that I would have liked to. I was hoping to find a good group of girl friends by now, but that hasn’t happened. 
• How? I think this is the case because I didn’t get as involved with the ODU community as much as I should have. I do plan on joining the club swim team still, I just need to read about it more and figure out the registration deadline. I also feel like if I joined a sorority, then I would definitely have a good group of friends because of all the outside of school events that go on. I’m  grateful to have gotten close with my roommate and to have made some friends from some of my classes. 
• In what way is your college experience different from what you expected? I expected the workload to be almost unmanageable and a lot different from high school. I have realized that you have a lot of extra time on your hands to complete assignments making the workload seem like a lot less. Another thing that I expected was there to be a lot of parties, not just on the weekends, but every night. That is not the case, there are only parties on Fridays and Saturdays (at least from what I have noticed) and sometimes none at all on the weekends. 
• What has surprised you about your experiences so far this semester? I think I am the most surprised on how good I am doing academically and how quick it has taken me to get used to living away from home and being independent. Homesickness comes and goes, but sometimes I don’t even think about being away from my family at all. 
• If you live on campus: What has been your toughest challenge with moving away to college? Easiest challenge to overcome? The toughest challenge with moving away to college and leaving home is the periods of homesickness that sometimes occurs. Sometimes I wish I was sleeping in my old bed and to just know that I am under the same roof as my parents and my sister.  The easiest challenge to overcome was getting my routine down, knowing where all my classes are, what to expect, etc.

Major

• Name something you have learned about your intended major that you did not know at the beginning of the semester. One thing about my intended major that I did not know at the beginning of the semester that I do now was how I have to take the HESI A2 test and score preferably an 80 to get considered for the nursing program. 
• Have your feelings changed about your intended major? List some thoughts you are having. My feelings have not changed about wanting to major in Nursing BSN, instead my want to become an RN has grown even more. I’m getting better knowledge about the flexibility of nursing and all the other health profession opportunities that there are. I still want to work in the NICU or the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and to become a Nurse Practitioner. I also think being a possible medical-surgical nurse would be fun as well. 
• Is there another subject (major or minor) that you are interested in learning more about? Yes, I am interested in learning about a possible minor in something that has to do with the field of education. I am currently considering either Special Education or the Training and Development minor. I think those two are the closest to a teaching minor. 

Connecting to Campus

• Name one problem or challenge you have encountered this semester, and which resource(s) at ODU you have/can utilize to assist with this situation. One problem that occurred within the first month of me being here at ODU was that I got sick. I started to have symptoms of the flu, so that is when I utilized the resources of the Student Health Services provided and made an appointment. Thankfully I did because I ended up being positive for Influenza Type-B. 
• Is there a friend, roommate, professor, advisor, or group in the ODU community who has helped you so far this semester? If so, how did they help you? Yes, I would say my roommate has helped me the most this semester because we have become good friends and I don’t have the extra stress of not getting along with my roommate. She has helped me have a smooth transition to college and I am grateful to have chosen a good roommate. 
• Have you attended an interest meeting for a club? Why did you decide to get involved or not get involved? I have not attended an interesting meeting yet but I do plan on doing so. I want to join the Student Nurses Association and the club swim team like I said earlier. I want to read more about the two clubs and figure out what I need to do in order to join.