Mid-Semester Reflection

Study Habits 

At the moment, I’m doing well in all my classes. I have an average of 91% or above in each of my five classes. I would say this is due to the way I study and the people I surround myself with. Most of my friends are fellow nursing majors so it makes it easier to study and understand material when we’re in the same classes. Although I understand most of the concepts in my classes, I would say the class I feel that I may need some assistance in is chemistry. I find that the lectures are hard for me to retain the information fully. With that being said, I’ve been watching youtube videos and emailing my professor for additional help on certain concepts. As for changes I’ve made in my studying routine, I’ve been allocating more time for chemistry and utilizing some of the study areas provided around campus. 

Transition to College 

Going into college, I expected it to be more stressful and chaotic. Fortunately, the transition to college has been more fun and exciting than stressful and chaotic. I’ve found my group of friends and we’re doing well navigating college together. I thought I’d have a hard time making friends, but the learning community really helped me in that department. Seeing the same people daily made it easier to build friendships and find things in common. One thing that has surprised me this semester is how hectic parking is. Being a commuter, I’ve found that I have to get to campus around 7-7:30am just to get a decent parking spot. Although parking is my toughest challenge, the easiest challenge is getting homesick. I love hanging out with my family so being able to go home everyday is really nice. 

Major 

One thing that I’ve learned about my intended major that I didn’t at the beginning of the semester is how tough the competition is when applying to the nursing program. Due to the staff shortages in the various hospitals near ODU, I thought getting into the nursing program would be fairly easy; however, this class has shown me that is not the case. The rigor of the application process and the program itself hasn’t deterred me from wanting to pursue my nursing degree. It’s actually made me more motivated and excited in getting my BSN at ODU. I know I wouldn’t switch my major, but I am thinking about minoring in biology or looking into taking pre-requisites for a physician assistants degree. 

Connecting to Campus 

One challenge I’ve encountered this semester is time management. Being a commuter, having to allocate enough time to drive and find parking was a hassle in the beginning of the semester, but now I’m getting the hang of it. My success coach Mr.Thomas helped me navigate the commuter parking areas on campus and how to be successful when designating enough time to commute to school. As for clubs, I’ve been to the Vietnamese Student Association Meetings. I decided to get involved because my upperclassmen friends were a part of it and said it was a good club. I like it so far and can’t wait to see how the rest of the school year will go. 

Themester: Sustainability (Environment) 

This semester we’ve learned about a variety of ways to be more sustainable. A couple that have stood out to me are from Dr.Hawkins presentation about how hospitals could be more sustainable. She brought up that they could start allowing patients to bring medications from home (meds like tylenol, over the counter mostly) and donating medical supplies. I think both of those practices would help reduce the amount of waste hospitals produce and also allow almost expired products to go to use instead of entering our landfills. A sustainable practice I’d like to take part in are eco bricks. Eco bricks are plastic bottles filled with other waste that are used to build things like furniture, buildings, etc. I’ve seen a lot of people getting into this practice lately and I’d love to give it a try. As for what I’d like to learn regarding sustainability, I’d like to learn more about how the hospitals near us (ODU)and how they are trying to reduce waste. I wonder if they are using any of the suggestions Dr.Hawkins presented in her presentation.