STUDY HABITS: I am doing very well in chemistry and sociology. I am doing well in chemistry because I prepare well for class. Before each class, I look over the notes we will be going over that day. I do this so I have a basic understanding of what we will be learning about. For the exams, Professor McCoy posts a document on what we need to know and a practice test. I use the document provided to create notecards on the information. I also make sure to complete the practice tests because they are very similar to the actual exams. I am doing very well in sociology basically because of the same reasons as chemistry. I prepare well before each class by reading the chapter and taking notes. I also do the practice quiz for each chapter prior to the start of class. When it comes time for quizzes, I do the quiz review Professor Lopez provides to us. The class I identify I was needing assistance in was history. I have spent more time reviewing the chapter before class, but this class is still a struggle for me.

TRANSITION TO COLLEGE: Coming into college, I expected there to be a big difference between high school and college classes. To me, this actually is not all that true. I feel like my classes are fairly easy, and I have high grades in all of them. However, it might not be that it’s easy, it might just be that my high school prepared me well. Since I went to a college preparatory school, I feel like I was prepared well. I learned how to take good notes and good study habits that I have used this semester. My college experience is different than I thought it would be because I thought I would be swamped with work. I went into the semester thinking I would have no free time. However, I have had a decent amount of free time in which I can hang out with friends and watch tv. I am surprised I have not overwhelmed myself yet this semester. The toughest challenge with commuting to campus is getting up early. On the day I have an eight o’clock class, I have to make sure I am awake by 6:15 at the latest and leaving by 6:45. The easiest challenge to overcome is finding the quickest route to school each day.

MAJOR: One thing I have learned about my major is that my grade for history does not matter that much to the College of Health Sciences. This is a relief to me because that class is the hardest for me. My feelings about my intended major have not really changed. I know that it will be a hard major to pursue, but I am ready for the challenge. I want to be able to help people when I get out of college, which is why nursing is perfect for me. Along with majoring in nursing, I plan to pursue a minor in criminal justice as well. I am excited about this because learning about the criminal justice system and the varieties of sub-topics are very interesting to me. If nursing ends up not working out, I will have a backup plan by minoring in this field.

CONNECTING TO CAMPUS: One problem I have encountered this semester is Wi-Fi. There have been several days where the Wi-Fi randomly just cuts out, which is very annoying. It makes it very hard to do my homework when this happens. Thankfully, this problem has only occurred a few times. If the problem gets too bad for me, I can contact the ITS Help Desk for help. I have had a couple of friends help me throughout the semester. Some help me with chemistry or history homework if I get confused about something. One of my friends also will send me lecture notes from class if I am not feeling well one day and do not come to school. I have also had friends peer review my papers and give me feedback on how to improve them. I have attended an interest meeting for a couple of clubs. Some clubs I did not get involved in because my schedule did not fit well with the clubs. However, I did join the Pre-Health Club and Student Nurses Association. I decided to get involved with both of these clubs in hope that they would provide useful information to me about my intended field.