Mid Semester Reflection

Study Habits : 

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

I am doing well in all of my classes. I believe that I am doing well because I ask questions and use the campus resources. I generally use the tutoring sessions provided for every class and am always looking for diverse ways to study. I also do not procrastinate like I used to. I try to get all my work done on time.  

  • What classes did you identify as needing assistance in?  

Even though I am doing well, I could use more assistance with chemistry. I think that more examples/clarity will really help me to succeed. I also think that one on one discussion with my professor could help with that.  

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

Some changes I have made were to do most of my work at home. I am a commuter so that is ideal for me. I find that being on campus really distracts me from doing my work because I am always looking for things to do. It also distracts me because I always have my friends around, so I implemented that change. Like I have already stated, I also stopped procrastinating. I try my hardest to turn my work in on time. I also take more notes than I used to. I feel like writing it and studying from my notebook is more efficient than using a powerpoint presentation. I feel like I get distracted easily on my computer, so that has really helped.  

Transition to College 

  • What expectations did you have coming to college?  

The expectations that I had for college were primarily that it was going to be super difficult. Everyone makes it seem unbearable and stressful. It is not like that at all. It has been like high school for me, now. Another expectation I had was that all my professors were going to be mean and not offer any assistance. I thought I would be on my own for everything and that professors would not provide study material, such as PowerPoints, for me to use.  

  • Have those expectations come to fruition, or not?  

They have not because they are not true at all. College has been quite the opposite. 

  • How? 

All my professors have been extremely helpful to me in succeeding in the class. They have offered assistance where I may need help and have given us plenty of practice on the materials we are covering.  

  • In what way is your college experience different from what you expected? 

My college experience is quite different from what I was expecting. I was expecting a lot of partying to be going on, having no free time, and just slammed with assignments to do. I have not done much partying at all this semester. I have been focusing on school. I have plenty of free time to hang out with friends and do things I enjoy.  

  • What has surprised you about your experiences so far this semester? 

What has surprised me the most is how well I have been balancing my outside life with my school life.  

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

I would say the toughest challenge with commuting to class is all the outside factors that can play a factor, transportation wise. I have already had an incident where my car would not start, and I could not get to class. Another challenge would be in regard to my class schedule. There is one day where my classes are hours apart and I have no where I can catch up on sleep or relax because I commute all the way from across the bridge. I would say the easiest challenge to overcome was time management. I have never gotten to my classes late.  

Major 

  • Name something you have learned about your intended major that you did not know at the beginning of the semester. 

Something that I learned that I did not know about before is that we work closely with laboratory scientists. I did not know that was a thing. Another thing I did not know is that us nurses must clean poop sometimes.  

  • Have your feelings changed about your intended major? List some thoughts you are having. 

My feelings have not changed. I feel more strongly now than I did before.  

Some of the feelings I am feeling now are: 

  • Excited 
  • Confident 
  • Anxious 
  • Happy  
  • Is there another subject (major or minor) that you are interested in learning more about?  

I have not really thought about another major or minor. If I had to choose, I would say in the future I would love to learn about anesthesia.  

Connecting to Campus 

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

I have not really encountered any challenges other than miscommunication with my professors this semester. To overcome these situations, I would meet one on one with my professors and clarify any miscommunications that were present.  

  • 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?  

A friend of mine has in fact helped me this semester. There was one time when I was struggling with a certain assignment, and she helped me through it. We had the same class but not the same teacher.  

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

I haven’t joined any interest meetings. I decided to not get involved this semester just to see how well I could handle college first.  

Themester: Sustainability (Environment) 

  • What new sustainable practices have you learned about so far this semester (think back to our guest speakers Dr. Hawkins and Dr. Hoglund!)? 

I have learned more about the 3 Rs. I have been recycling the things I can and have been trying to reuse many things. I invested in metal straws and just been trying to preserve our environment in any way I can.  

  • What sustainable practices would you like to begin participating in? 

I am trying to get more in the habit of going paperless. It has been a struggle because most of my classes require me to print things out.  

  • Is there anything more you would like to learn about sustainability for the rest of the semester? 

I would like to learn new ways to keep up with being sustainable in the long run. I want to learn more tips that I could implement that could help me stay on the right track to preserve our environment.