Study Habits:

In my first semester of my freshmen year I am doing great! I have almost straight A’s across the board. My top classes that I am excelling in the most are Intreparting the American Past, and English! I think the reason why I am excelling in a multitude of courses this semester is my balance of time management, and organization! At the beginning of the semester I mentioned that I needed assistance in Interpreting the American Past. The changes that I have made to help me succeed in this class was managing my time and staying organized. Intreparting the American Past has a heavy workload, with that being said it is very easy to get behind. Staying organized and managing my time has been the biggest change I had to adjust to be able to succeed in this class! 

Transition to College:

I had a variety of expectations coming into college! One of those being that the workload would be hard to manage with 6 classes! Another expectation that I had coming into college was that I was going to have to make changes to my daily routine inside and outside of the classroom to be able to achieve my goals! These expectations that I have had about college have all come true! The workload is and can be a lot to manage, and push through! Also, I have definitely had to make changes to my daily routine at school, and home! I can’t just come home and relax! Most of the days I’m eating dinner while working on school work! I stay up late finishing assignments, or studying! These expectations have caused a true change in my life! My college experience is different from what I expected in a sense of relief. I think I had an assumption that after I take a quiz, exam, or even a homework assignment I would be relieved. However, this is not the case at all! I feel like I am constantly stressing about even submitted assignments because the pressure of receiving straight A’s is real! One thing that has surprised me about my experiences here at ODU is the involvement on campus! I feel like there is always something going on as far as paint night, or a college job fair! I look forward to future events that ODU organizes for students! The toughest challenge that I have had as a commuter is having self discipline and weather issues! For starters, feeling sick and being a commuter is not a good mix! You have to push yourself to get your classes out of the way, otherwise falling behind can happen! Also, the weather in Norfolk affects the roads quite a bit, and I have to be able to decide if missing class is appropriate or not. My easiest challenge that I had to overcome as a commuter was being able to create study/work environments both on and off campus to focus on school! 

Major:

One thing that I have learned about my intended major that I did not know at the beginning of the semester was the opportunities that ODU offers for a Master’s degree in Dental Hygiene. For starters, I did not know that ODU offered a Master’s degree for Dental Hygiene. Secondly, I learned about the ways a Master’s degree in Dental Hygiene and how it can benefit your career as a Dental Hygienist! My feelings about my major have not changed! I am so excited to become a Dental Hygienist! If I am being honest when I am having moments of struggle in school, I just step back and remember that this will all be worth it! I will be able to achieve my goals of being able to help the community, and become a Dental Hygienist. I use my major as a motivation strategy when needed. I do intend on having a minor, however I am still trying to figure out what to do! I think it is important to have the best back fall if needed. One thing I am sure about is my want to be involved in helping the community and making a change. With that being said I am leaning towards having a minor in something health related. 

Connecting to Campus:

One problem that I have run into this semester is not having my schedule line up with Chemistry tutoring. For Intro to Chemistry they only offer tutoring twice a week, and my schedule because I am a commuter does not always allow me the ample amount of time needed to get the help that I need, when needed! One thing that has helped me resolve this issue is using my peers! We have study groups together, and we help each other when someone is not comprehending the material completely! I have been blessed this semester! I have a small group of friends that help me through personal and academic issues that I face! Also, there is a student named Janise that has been a great amount of help as well! She has been a saving grace in a few situations with me! When I lost the internet at my house she printed my Chemistry Lab documents for me. Also, she has come to a few of our study groups and has helped tutor us before our Chemistry exams. Janise has been in communication with us students in the LC community consistently and has offered a great amount of support and guidance throughout the semester! I have not attended a meeting for the club unfortunately. My goal was to be involved throughout the semester! However, it is very important for me to have the best academic success for my program! As I am aware that it is doable, my main focus is achieving the best GPA for my program!