- Study habits
At the moment I am doing well in history, literature, and sociology. I believe I am doing well in these classes because I turn my work in on time. Also I believe I am doing well in sociology because after class I go back to his powerpoints and write down notes. I write down notes after his class because I like to pay close attention while I’m there instead of trying to listen and write notes at the same time. Moreover, in history I write my notes as she’s talking because what she says is more important than what is on her powerpoint. One class I identified as needing assistance in was chemistry. Since doing the Learning Styles Self Assessment I have started taking advantage of the chemistry tutors. Also since doing the Learning Styles Self Assessment I have started to study a couple days before an exam instead of trying to cram it all in the night before and the day of. I also try to study for 45 minutes and then give myself a small break so I don’t tire out too fast. I have yet to join a study group, but I am hoping to join one soon.
- Transition to college
Coming to college I expected college to be very overwhelming and scary. I also expected college to be very time consuming and for there to be many distractions like parties. And just as I expected, college is very demanding, overwhelming, and time consuming. I also expected parties to be a bigger problem in college based on how everyone told me college was going to be like. Moreover, I think one thing that surprised me was just how much time college takes away from time to yourself. The toughest challenge with moving away to college was not being able to see my mom and dog everyday. The easiest challenge to overcome was the “home sick” feeling because my grandparents and cousins live in Chesapeake, so I can see them whenever I want.
- Major
One thing I learned about my intended major that I did not know at the beginning of the semester was that receiving a B is like receiving a C- and that discouraged me greatly. My feelings have changed slightly due to seeing how hard it is to get into the nursing program. Some thoughts I am having is that I might not be cut out for nursing because I am not very good at science, and science is one of the many things they look at to determine if you make it into the program. Also a thought I am having is that I’ll make it all the way to the end just to not cross the finish line, and that means getting accepted into the nursing program. There is no other major/minor I am interested in, so that is why I really want to do well and get into the nursing program.
- Connecting to campus
One problem I encountered this semester was not being able to fully grasp every concept my chemistry professor taught. An ODU resource I utilized to assist with this situation was the tutors in the new chemistry building. Some of my classmates have really helped me a lot so far in this semester. They have helped me multiple times when I had questions on a chemistry assignment and did an amazing job at explaining so I could understand. Furthermore, I have not attended any interest meetings for clubs this semester. I haven’t attended any interest meetings because I feel like I have no time to do that kind of stuff since my classes take up the majority of my time already.