This is a reflection that shows my progress from the beginning of the semester to the end. I learned a lot and experienced college for the first time this semester. I am excited for what is to come!
Link to original assignment: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P4ARKy-4QNpf4_FCluw8Nl53c2HsEzhfCPPhC_ssycU/edit?usp=sharing
Your First Semester
- Tell us how you have grown from the beginning of the semester to now.
Throughout this first semester, I have grown a lot in my communication with others. I have learned how to be more outgoing and how to ask for help when I need it. In addition, I have grown my knowledge in a lot of different topics from the beginning of the semester to now.
- What were your expectations for this year? Did this semester’s experiences meet your expectations? Explain.
My expectations coming into college was to be challenged and grow. I would say that this semester’s experiences allowed me to do both. There have been times throughout the semester that I felt I was challenged. For example, taking a martial arts self defense class is something out of my comfort zone that challenged me in memorizing completely new skills. In addition, I have grown to be more outgoing with other students and staff.
- What is something you wish you knew 14 weeks ago?
I wish that at the beginning of the semester I knew to join clubs and play a recreational sport. I would have loved the opportunity to connect with more students outside of class. So, I am taking this knowledge into next semester.
Study Habits
- How much time do you spend studying for each class now vs. at the beginning of the semester?
At the beginning of the semester, I spent less time studying than I do now. I believe this to be due to the more complex the classes have gotten. During the beginning of the semester I probably spent one to three hours studying each week. However, now I would say that I spend around two to four hours studying each week. This isn’t necessarily a drastic change, but it feels like more to me.
- How have your study habits changed?
My study habits did not change at all. I would say that I started slacking a little before Thanksgiving break because I was doing a lot of things outside of school, but I still maintained good grades. I just felt a little more pressure. Like at the beginning of the semester, I still use a quizlet to study for Sociology and make notes for Chemistry.
- Tell us about a resource that you have used/learned about this semester that will assist you next semester.
A resource that I got the chance to use this semester was a study room. Previously, I have never used a study room and a group to study; so this was a new experience for me. I will be using this next semester for subjects that I feel I need more time with. During this semester, I used the room with two other students to study for our last Chemistry exam before the finals. During this time, I got to work with them and help them learn the topics on the exam which allowed me to review the material.
- What study habits/techniques will you use going into next semester?
I will most likely use the same study techniques next semester. For classes with a bunch of terms, I will use a quizlet. For classes with very complex topics, I will use hand written notes. However, I don’t know what classes will require what method. So, during the first week of the next semester I will get the opportunity to access what kind of material the class learns and pick a method of studying.
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.
As a student in SOC 201S, HLTH 101, and CHEM 105/106N, I was able to witness the connections in each class. These courses tied together to incorporate health professions. For example, in many chemistry and sociology lectures there would be slides that specifically discuss how the material relates to jobs in the healthcare industry. HLTH 101 related through actually bringing in these health professionals to discuss content outside of the classroom.
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?
There are a few majors that I would like to pursue after hearing about them during presentations. Firstly, I think Recreational Therapy would be a very satisfying and fun job that incorporates the health field. I liked this major because I felt like it would be just as helpful in society as Nursing is. Secondly, I liked the CRNA presentation. Although this would require a bachelor’s in Nursing, I view it as a new major because I didn’t even think about going after graduation. This field interests me because of the work life balance and independence it allows. Another major that interests me would be engineering or architecture. These weren’t presented to the class, but I have always felt drawn to them because they are STEM careers.
- What benefit is there to having a parallel plan (or two) in place?
The benefit of having parallel plans is because I might change my mind in the future. Having these plans established will allow me to have different careers lined up. This is especially useful if I were to not make it into the Nursing program since it is competitive.
- How could one or both of these two majors benefit your current intended major?
These majors would benefit my current major because they are related in many ways. Firstly, recreational therapists would interact with nurses during their job. This also applies for CRNAs. In addition, Nursing has to do with science and math much like engineering and architecture. All of these majors and careers are used to help benefit society as a whole.