Diymond Brooks

Intro to Health Professions

Professor Jacob

10/22

    As we are approaching our halfway mark through the semester, I feel that I am doing well in all of my classes except for Chemistry Lab. This is because I take notes in class, create study guides for each test, make flashcards, use office hours, and ask questions. The only reason I am not doing as well in Chemistry Lab is that I didn’t do all that great on the midterm because I wasn’t prepared. In the beginning, I did expect Chemistry to be hard, but I see this class as challenging rather than hard. In my Learning Assessment, I stated that the one class I needed assistance in was Chemistry because the material is sometimes hard to understand. Some changes I have made to help me maintain a good grade in Chemistry are learning to not cram studying in the night before. When I know there is a test coming up, I will start by creating my study guide over the weekend and using it all week to study so I don’t get overwhelmed. Another thing I do is review all the homework I completed from the chapters that are going to be on the test. I also take advantage of the sample exams my teacher posts on Blackboard. 

    When I came to college, I expected it to be very difficult because I knew I would be so worried about my classes and not sure how my social life would be. To a certain extent, my expectations did come to fruition because the work is never-ending, but that is not all college consists of. College is an exciting experience because you get more freedom, meet new people, join sororities who become like family and learn to be more independent. Most people are welcoming and making connections with individuals with whom you share a class can also be very rewarding. One thing that kind of surprised me about my experience so far this semester is that every time I think I have all my assignments completed and turned in, there is always something else for me to do. Not that I didn’t expect to stay busy, but it was a bit surprising. At this point in my college life, I will say that I am doing just fine transitioning but it has been kinda tough adjusting to being far from my family. However, I am enjoying the freedom of not living with my parents. 

    Since my intended major is Nursing, I try to do well in all my classes because I know it is easier to maintain a good GPA rather than to bring one up. One thing about the Nursing program that I didn’t know is that the grade you receive in your science classes weigh heavily when they are thinking about admitting you into the program. So, many people that get a C or below are most likely to retake those classes. Although hearing how challenging my major is, my thoughts about it have not changed. It has always been my dream to become a nurse and I think this is the major that fits me the most. However, I still think that I could explore other majors I like as a backup because anything can happen. The main reason why I want to be a pediatric nurse is that I love working with children and helping others. Other majors or minors I have thought about are Elementary Education and a minor in Fashion Merchandising. I picked these two because I  love kids and I am also very into fashion and styling and designing clothes. 

    This semester, one challenge I have encountered is having a hard time adjusting to my Chemistry Lab teacher. He was sometimes very hard to understand and didn’t answer your questions when you needed help. So, I would get assistance from my Chemistry teacher, Professor Mccoy, when I needed help. Two individuals I would say that has helped me in the Learning Community are my friends Mikalia and Ivana because when we don’t understand something we help each other out, study together, and attend office hours together. I would love to be involved in other things such as clubs and sororities, but I am still learning to balance my college life and social life. I have attended an interest meeting with all the sororities because they were very welcoming and because of the sisterhood. Most of them do not accept first-semester freshmen, but I do plan to join one soon.