Your First Semester

Tell us how you have grown from the beginning of the semester to now. 

Since the beginning of the semester I have grown in a more mature, work-focused way. I have learned efficient study habits along with ways to stay on top of my school work as well as still keep my personal life. 

What were your expectations for this year? Did this semester’s experiences meet your expectations? Explain.

My expectations were to meet new people and make new friends. I also hoped to excel in my classes, since I was such a good student in high school. This semester was definitely an eye opener for me, with school. Classes are not easy and require effort put into them in order for me to excel. However, I am meeting lots of new people and making good friends. 

What is something you wish you knew 14 weeks ago? 

Something I wish I had known 14 weeks ago was that if you fall behind on your school work it will be hard to catch up. One lousy, hard week can cost you hours in catch up and make up time. 

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 did not spend much time studying because I was still adjusting to dorm life and being in a new place. However, now I try to study 2-3 days a week for a few hours a day. It varies on what needs to be done for each one of my classes. 

How have your study habits changed?

My study habits have changed by doing more group work. At the beginning of the semester, I did not know anyone and it was hard to find people to study with, however, I have met many people in my classes which makes studying a lot easier. 

Tell us about a resource that you have used/learned about this semester that will assist you next semester.

A resource I have used this semester is a calendar, and even having multiple. By always having what I need to do written down, it is a lot easier for me to remember and complete everything I need to do. I have never really used a calendar before now. 

What study habits/techniques will you use going into next semester?

Next semester, I will definitely utilize the study rooms in the library. It is more efficient for me to study in a room with my friends. It allows me to focus more and all of us can put our heads together and elaborate on the topic. 

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.

These courses are all tied together because they all talk about humans/people. Each professor discussed at least once how their class was tied to the human body or humanity. For example, CHEM 105N sometimes related chemicals to the human body, while SOC 201S would relate poverty and capitalism to how people think and act. Connecting all of these topics together. 

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? 

Two other majors I would be interested in would be nuclear medicine and speech and language pathology. Nuclear medicine seems super interesting and has a fairly wide spectrum of what you can do. While speech and language pathology is still working with patients and fairly using the head and neck area, which is what I find interesting. 

What benefit is there to having a parallel plan (or two) in place? 

A benefit to having one or two parallel plans is that you will not be as lost or discouraged if you do not get into your intended program. Also, it gives you something to work towards if you need to wait to reapply. 

How could one or both of these two majors benefit your current intended major?

Nuclear medicine and speech and language pathology could benefit my intended major of dental hygiene because they are both health related and still allow me to work with patients, which is what I really want to do later in life. I want to make peoples lives better.