You must include the assignment submitted in HLTH 101 regarding your Learning Style Self Assessment
Mid-semester Reflection
- Study Habits
I am currently about halfway through the semester, and am discovering new challenges everyday it seems like. I would say that I am doing well in all my classes except for Chemistry, lecture and lab. I find myself doing mainly well in my Statistics because I have to actually practice what is learned in class by doing homework assignments and reviewing the material. Lifespan Development and Sociology are relatively easy classes because I simply take notes and practice quizzes to help me prepare for the tests, and also can make real life comparisons with what’s being taught. In Chemistry, I have a hard time understanding the lecture in class because she goes kind of fast in my opinion, which makes it hard for me to grasp the concept. Lab isn’t that difficult, I just think the TA makes it more difficult than it needs to be and has a hard time making the assignments clear. I have identified that class as one in which I need extra help in, so I try to go tutoring to gain a better understanding of the material. I also try to look up the concept on Youtube or TikTok to see if someone can explain it in a way that I can understand it.
- Transition to College
When I first came to college I expected to make friends, be involved on campus, and do well in my studies. These expectations have partially come true, but not to a point that I am pleased with. I feel like making friends came to be harder than I thought, and I am usually good at that since I’m not so much of an introverted person. In my honest opinion, most people here seem to be unapproachable and that hinders me from wanting to make the first move in a way. I have met a few people that I feel like I can call friends, but I honestly was expecting more or maybe my expectations were just simply too high. As far as being involved on campus, I wanted to join clubs and go to events hosted here, but I found that to be a little difficult as well. I don’t like going places alone so if I don’t have someone to go with then I simply won’t go, or I just find myself not having the energy after classes to actually be involved. Lastly, doing well in my studies turned out to be more difficult than I thought it would be because of the lack of motivation and having that “it is what it is” mindset. To be more specific, with chemistry I have settled with C’s on exams and not understanding certain topics. I become less motivated when I get confused during lecture and feel like I don’t have the time to really catch up. This is probably the only class I feel this way towards, other than my Aerobics class, but that is only because I don’t have the energy to get up and work out so early in the morning. I am most surprised with my Chemistry grade because I went from being a Straight A student to settling for C’s all because the class is difficult. However, I am working to bring that C up to at least a B by the end of the semester. With living on campus, I would have to say my most challenging thing since moving away would be not having my own space. Nothing is wrong with having a roommate, but at times I just want my own space and peace of mind, and that is kind of difficult to have while living with someone else. My easiest challenge to overcome would be being on my own without my parents or family around. I only live an hour away so I know if I really need them they’ll be here, but I’ve always been independent so I didn’t find it very hard to adapt to not seeing them everyday.
3. Major
Something that I have learned about my intended major that I didn’t know before was how competitive and challenging it is to actually get into the nursing program. I say this because I didn’t expect such a small number to only get accepted out of so many applicants. I guess I could say I somewhat knew this, but it didn’t necessarily sink in until I came here and went to information sessions and saw how many of us are actually planning on going that route. My feelings towards my intended major haven’t changed, although I feel more pressured and to do well so that my chances of getting in are high. For example, I have never had any experience in the medical field, so I know that sometime in the coming months I need to go out and gain some upon applying to the program and so I can actually get a feel of what I plan on doing in life. I wouldn’t say that there isn’t another major that I am not interested in because you never know, but after listening to a few information sessions, athletic training seems interesting. I haven’t seen a minor that has actually spiked my interest, but I do want to learn more about those that are available and what I can do with them.
4. Connecting to Campus
One problem I have encountered this semester would be actually getting out to campus events and connecting with my peers. I’m not sure what ODU resources would be of help with that because that’s more so a me thing and not a campus thing. I would say there are definitely people here who have helped from as little as holding the door for me, to helping me prepare for exams and completing homework assignments. Specifically, friends have helped me because we get together and study or do homework and try to help each other with things we’re confused about. Also, the people in the Chemistry tutoring center have also helped me a lot with understanding assignments and actually breaking things down in a way that I can understand them. I have attended an interest meeting for the Global Brigades Club, and plan on joining. What interests me the most about this club is the traveling to different places and helping those who don’t have access to the healthcare they need. I love traveling and helping people. I feel like I will really enjoy this club and gain a lot from it, especially if I am able to go on the Brigade next year.
Final Reflection
Your First Semester
My expectations for this year were to make new friends, stay on top of my classes, and create new memories. As I said in the pre-semester reflection, I came to school with high expectations for my college experience and I feel as though they were partially met. I can say that I am succeeding in all my classes except Chemistry. Chemistry has been a struggle for me throughout the semester, to the point where I even considered dropping from the class. As far as making memories and new friends, I can say that I have definitely made new memories that I will carry with me. I have also met a handful of new friends that I’m still getting to know. Some of them are also nursing majors, so it is helpful when we can help each other. I feel like I have grown from the beginning up of the semester to now in different ways. I feel as time has gone on, that I have become a more social person. I finally learned what study habits work best for me, I just realized it a little too late into the semester. Lastly, I have become more responsible and less dependent on people now that I am living on my own. Something that I wish I knew 14 weeks ago is how tedious chemistry would be. I had an idea that it would be difficult because I had taken it in high school, but it proved to be a lot more difficult than I was expecting. Another thing would be to manage my time better. When it came close to the end of the semester, I started to slack off in all my classes. I would spend more time sleeping and watching Netflix, than I would studying. If I had managed my time a little better, and spent more time preparing for my exams, I wouldn’t be struggling to try and bring my grade up now.
Study Habits
At the beginning of the semester, I probably spent about 2 hours everyday studying. Now I spend a little less than an hour studying, or start a day or two before an exam. Although the amount of time studying decreased, I can say that my study habits have improved. I used to simply read the notes without actually writing them down, now I have started to actually write them down and somewhat do a brain dump on each chapter. Writing them down instead of printing them out and reading them helps with remembering the information better and being able to recall what I had just written. A resource that has helped me the most this semester, that I will likely utilize next semester, is the Chemistry Tutoring Center. I would usually go whenever I needed help understanding a Chemistry homework assignment, and I always left out feeling like I knew more than before I went in. The tutoring center was most beneficial to me when the tutors didn’t mind sitting there and helping me with each question. The study habits that I plan to use next semester are to actually take notes either during or after class to provide myself with a better understanding of the material discussed in class. I also plan to continue the brain dump technique for each chapter and continue going to tutoring.
Health Professions Learning Community
These courses are all tied together because they each made an emphasis on sustainability. Throughout the course of this semester, each Learning Community class I took, mentioned sustainability sometime within the lecture. It was more so mentioned often in HLTH 101 and SOC 201S than CHEM 105 & 106. Sociology focuses on studying humans and their relations within others, society, and themselves. Sociology takes real life instances such as the political and economic systems, relationships within society, and compares them to sociological theories. Sustainability relates to sociology because they both focus on the changes in society and its impact on humans. Chemistry and sustainability also have a connection by way of certain gasses, energies, and renewable sources. In lecture I can recall the discussion of how certain chemicals can negatively affect humans and the environment. With sustainable practices, chemistry highlights the importance of certain toxins and harmful chemicals. While in the lab, we practice sustainable measures by making sure our waste goes into its designated container. This helps not only with our safety but also guaranteeing that the waste is disposed of properly.
Parallel Plan
After having guest speakers come in to discuss different majors, the two I would be most interested in are Recreational Therapy and Medical Laboratory Science. This is because both majors involve the thing I am most passionate about, which is helping people. Recreational therapy involves helping patients whether it be mentally or physically. Recreation therapists use recreation to help individuals who have/are suffering with mental disorders, disabilities, recovering, and more. Medical Laboratory Science involves more of a behind the scenes job, meaning they don’t get as much patient interaction as the other majors. They mainly run the diagnostic testing of blood and other bodily fluids and samples. The benefit to having a parallel plan is to provide yourself with the chance of other options if your initial one doesn’t work out. It is also beneficial because it opens a person to multiple opportunities outside of their initial plan. Knowing alternative options can save someone’s time and money from having to wait and decide if their initial course of action doesn’t work out. Recreation therapy would benefit my current intended nursing major because they would teach me to not just only care about someone’s medical needs, but also their unique needs as a patient. I could also provide patients with alternative methods of recovery outside of medicine. Medical Laboratory Science could also benefit my current intended nursing major because it would allow me to see more than just the treatment plan and diagnosis, but also the science behind it all.