Considering your Pre-Semester Reflection, identify the changes you have made between the start of the semester and now, and how you are going to continue working on areas that you are struggling.

 

• What classes are you doing well in, and why? 

  The classes that I am doing well in are English and Interpreting the American Past. I am doing well in those classes because I pay attention and make sure I understand what is being talked about in class. And if I have a question I ask or I reach out to my professor and ask said questions.  I also feel that I am doing well in those classes because my peers in that class have all came together to create a study group and a study chat.    

• What classes did you identify as needing assistance in? 

The class that I need some assistance with is Chemistry. I need the most assistance with chemistry because I don’t understand what my professor might be talking about.  Chemistry is one of the harder classes for me because when I was in high school my freshman year I took chemistry but because of covid I didn’t get a chance to finish the course. 

• What changes have you made (i.e. amount of time, location, campus resources, study strategies, etc…)?    

The changes that I have made to better my success in my classes are not going back to my room after every class to “study” Every time I would catch myself going to my room after class I would not take a nap or not actually study. So I have been going to the library after my classes or going to the chemistry building to study and do my work. 

Transition to College

• What expectations did you have coming to college? 

 The expectations that I had for college were professors being able to answer questions I might had with class work. I also expected my professor to give me a list of textbooks or materials I would need for taking that class. I also expected to be given a grace period the first week of class to find our way around campus due to it being our first time going to classes by ourselves. 

• Have those expectations come to fruition, or not? 

The expectation did come to fruition.

• How? 

They came to fruition because my professors all were very nice and understanding. They went into detail about the course they where going to be teaching. And they gave the class a syllabus of what we needed to be successful in class. 

• In what way is your college experience different from what you expected? The way my college experience was different than what I expected it to be was I thought I would be partying a lot but I found out that I don’t really like partying. I do like hanging out with my friends. Another thing that I didn’t expect was to have my dorm room to flood. I truly didn’t think that could happen here on campus. 

• What has surprised you about your experiences so far this semester? What truly surprised me this semester was my experiences with housing and maintenance. My experience was truly terrible to the point where my mom had to call the school to get it fixed and resolved after a month of being displaced from my dorm room. 

• If you live on campus: What has been your toughest challenge with moving away to college? Easiest challenge to overcome? The toughest challenge about moving away is not being able to see my parents and my sister every day. I am very family-oriented but I do go home a couple of times a month. It is also hard because I miss the privilege I had of having my own room and bathroom. 

• OR  If you commute to class: What is the toughest challenge with commuting to campus? Easiest challenge to overcome?

Major

• Name something you have learned about your intended major that you did not know at the beginning of the semester. My intended major is Nursing and something that I learned recently is that if you are an RN and you’re a travel nurse or you move to a different state to pursue your career. You have to follow and remember the state requirements. 

• Have your feelings changed about your intended major? List some thoughts you are having. My feeling has changed about my intended major but after I talked to my advisor and did my research I am going to follow through with becoming an RN.

• Is there another subject (major or minor) that you are interested in learning more about?  A minor that I am interested in is psychology. I am interested in learning more about it because it correlates with being a nurse because you have to deal with people and al types of people from different backgrounds. 

Connecting to Campus

• Name one problem or challenge you have encountered this semester, and which resource(s) at ODU you have/can utilize to assist with this situation. 

One problem that I have encountered is not being able to work the eportfolio by myself because I didn’t understand how to use it but because Odu has a eportfolio workshop for someone to help you I went and made an appointment.

• Is there a friend, roommate, professor, advisor, or group in the ODU community who has helped you so far this semester? If so, how did they help you? 

Yes, I have a group of friends who help me with my chemistry work when I need help. They helped me by studying with me every week for an hour. And if they need help with something that they don’t understand and I do I help them as well. 

• Have you attended an interest meeting for a club? Why did you decide to get involved or not get involved?

I have not attended a meeting for a club. I have not gotten involved because I have yet to find a club that interest me.