• Your first semester:
  1. Tell us how you have grown from the beginning of the semester to now.

At the beginning of the semester, I was really trying to get into the groove of University life. Although I’ve been to college before ODU, Tidewater Community College, I have never been to a University, so I didn’t know what to expect. I told myself that it wasn’t going to be the same as a community college, so I had to prepare myself. I sat in the front of the class, I took notes based on every word the professors were saying (well tried to), and I stayed to myself. As the semester went on, I made some new friends, and I learned new study habits. Now I record every lecture and I take notes after class, so that way I can make sure I didn’t miss anything. The reason why I do this is that at a University, professors talk really fast and cover a lot of information, so it’s hard to write down everything that’s important. I also tried to be a part of more activities on campus, even though this is really hard because I’m a stay-at-home, study, and clean kind of person. 

2. What were your expectations for this year? 

My expectations for this semester were to meet new people and make friends, get used to or comfortable with living with someone else, get used to living away from home for the first time, adopt good study habits, use the resources that ODU offers, make dean’s list, and try some new activities/get out of my comfort zone. 

1. Did this semester’s experiences meet your expectations? Explain.

I only met some of my expectations for this semester. I made new friends, and we study every day and they are also A student’s so I have positive influences around me. I am still not comfortable with living with someone else; it’s just a very hard thing to adjust to since I’m an only child. I did adopt good study habits because I study for every class every day and end at a responsible time that way I’m not cramming. It’s still hard living away from home because I have a mother that is ill and I get worried that something might happen and I’m not there. I do utilize my ODU resources, by going to the library and professors’ office hours. Sadly this semester I did not make the dean’s list because I ended my history class with a C. Although a C isn’t bad to most, for me and my career goals, nursing, a C negatively affects my GPA. Although I didn’t make the dean’s list this semester, I will definitely make it in the spring semester, I’M DETERMINED! 

3. What is something you wish you knew 14 weeks ago? 

I wish that I knew that my exams were going to be back to back. It is really hard to study for my exams because the minute I study for one, I have to study for the other and it starts to feel like I’m cramming and it’s hard to retain information. 

2. Study Habits
   1. How much time do you spend studying for each class now vs. at the beginning of the semester? 

At the beginning of the semester: 

• Chemistry lecture and lab: 3 hours each
• Sociology: 2 hours
• History: 3 hours MINIMUM- lots of reading needed for this course
• Health Professions: 1/2 hours (more hands-on assignments for this course)
• Theatre Experience: 2/3 hours

Now:

• Chemistry Lecture and Lab: 4 or 5 hours for lecture and 2 hours for lab
• Sociology: 1 or 2 hours
• History: 2 or 3 hours
• Health Professions: I don’t study for this course because studying isn’t required; I just do the assignments.
• Theatre Experience: 3 hours

2. How have your study habits changed?

I study in the study room every day with my friend about every subject. I also go to all of the exam reviews that my professors host, so I can ask questions. I also go to my professor’s office hours if I have any questions or if I’m confused about something. 

3. Tell us about a resource that you have used/learned about this semester that will assist you next semester.

One resource that really helped me was the writing center located in the library. They can help you write any paper. It’s like an in-person Grammarly. I will definitely use this resource next semester. 

4. What study habits/techniques will you use going into next semester?

The same study techniques I use now. They really help me excel on all on my assignments and exams. 

3. Health Professions Learning Community
   1. 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.
      1. 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.
   2. This semester we provided events for you to hear from health professionals from ODU. 
      1. Which event was most beneficial for you as a student, and why?

The most beneficial event for me was the paint night/art therapy event for my HIST 104H course. The reason why this event was so beneficial for me was that it thought me another technique on how to relax when things get overwhelming. Although this semester went pretty smoothly, there were some times where I felt very overwhelmed and defeated. Art therapy is a resource that I could use to relax when times get a little hard. It also showed me that that’s the one activity that I can’t get wrong, which is really comforting since I’m a perfectionist.