Study Habits 

Throughout the semester, my study habits have altered since the beginning. Every week I study for about 2 to 3 hours for each class, mainly focusing on math and chemistry. However, I need to put more time into studying for all of my classes, specifically sociology and chemistry because there is an abundance of material to cover. I often find myself getting distracted while studying by social media, notifications on my phone, or by people texting me. To best remove these distractions, I could set specific times during the day to study and turn my phone on “do not disturb” during the time period. Most of the time, I study around early afternoon and review material again before going to sleep because this is when I am most alert and focused. 

Learning Style

My learning style as a college student has altered due to Covid adjustments, all of my courses are online except for two. This new lifestyle has allowed me to learn how to become a virtual learner compared to a hands-ons learner. However, my learning techniques have stayed the same despite the new adjustment. Specifically, I create study guides to prepare for exams, use quizlets to study, and take detailed notes in daily classes. These techniques have worked well for all my courses, but vary on how much time I spend on each class. Based on the new learning styles I have learned, I decided to add creating a “To-Do List” daily to keep the stress of time management at a low. 

Transition to college 

Transitioning to college was quite an experience especially because of current historical events we are living through. College has not been what I expected but it still has been surprising of the experiences I have had. My initial expectations of college included bonding with my new roommate, walking to my different classes, and getting involved in campus-life. Compared to my expectation, my college experience has been completely different. At the beginning of college, I stayed in my room alone because I did not have a roommate and it was difficult to make friends due to all of my courses being online. I spent every day in my dorm room, completing assignments, only leaving to grab food. By week 4, I decided to become more social and started meeting with a group of girls for study sessions. Our first time meeting created an amazing bond and now we meet for lunch sessions weekly. Moreover, I was surprised by the experiences I have made with this new friend group because of campus restrictions and new policies. 

Connecting to campus 

At the beginning of this semester, I wasn’t quite sure I would like Old Dominion campus life because of Covid-19 policies. A challenge I have encountered this semester would be time management and I used techniques learned from this course to assist with the situation. For instance, I went to the Academic Tips & Resources site, and browsed the different handouts to help manage my time. Moreover, I chose the “To-Do List” and “Remedies for Procrastination” handouts and used tips to help. So far this semester, I have had help from various friends and family members in balancing new responsibilities and time management. I have not attended any interest meetings for clubs this semester because I wanted to focus completely on academics and becoming adjusted to campus.