Study Habits

Halfway through the semester, I feel as though I can say with confidence that I am doing well in both music and chemistry. A class I feel that I might need assistance in would most likely be sociology. Compared to my pre-semester reflection these classes seem to be the same ones that I discussed then, with my original reasons still being applicable. I have figured out how to actively work for my success, whether it be spending time in the library to work, or writing in my planner for specific times when I can work before I do anything else. Adopting this habit has shown I’ve grown, and I am doing surprisingly well considering the fact that I would constantly worry about not getting everything done in time.

Transition to College

I am not sure if I really had any set expectations when coming into college. I was aware that I would have to be more independent and make my own decisions, yet I do not feel it was too hard to adjust when I broke it down into chunks to handle. My college experience has been different in terms of getting a grasp on my time availability and commitments, as it is something I didn’t expect to do so fast. For the most part, every aspect of college seems to be fun, with the exception of anything that sometimes overly requires extra time than I am willing to give. Moving on campus has been fun, but it has been really hard to adjust to living without my family. I do miss them dearly and there are times when I want to see them, but I know that I cannot. However, being away from them has let me figure out who I am as my own person, and gather some self-awareness as an individual.

Major

Something that I have learned about my intended major that I did not know at the beginning of the semester is how closely nurses work with not only doctors but a lot of medical professionals. I don’t think that my feelings have necessarily changed about my major, just maybe a few worries if anything. I know that people can have a wide range of emotions and opinions, so experience with the major and similar experiences with people would be definitely something that I need before fully committing. Another subject that I am interested in learning more about as probably a minor would be either children’s rights or applied ethics. I find both subjects to be very interesting to me personally, as I love my classes in sociology and philosophy this semester.

Connecting to Campus

A problem that I have encountered this semester has been being able to properly maintain my mental health. I have times when I go through fits of needing to just get a bunch of work done and lose my senses and good habits in the process. To help with this, I have been able to connect with my RA. She has helped me a few times when it comes to realizing that I am not just my grades and that my mental health deserves to come first over certain assignments sometimes. I feel that I’ve built a very big community here at ODU that has helped me this semester. I have my roommate, who I am getting along with well, and one of my closest friends here since we have almost every class together. I have not attended an interest meeting for a club this semester, as I planned to focus on not being overwhelmed with adjusting to college. I felt as if rushing into things was not going to be the best for me and decided to push being more active until at least next semester. I do hope to look into studying abroad next year and even rushing for a sorority in the spring.

Themester: Sustainability (Environment)

New sustainable practices I’ve learned about so far this semester is reducing your carbon footprint by carpooling, installing rainwater tanks, and using reusable cloths over paper towels. I would like to start using my cloth towels over paper towels more often, as I hope that would help with a more sustainable lifestyle. Something that I still want to learn more about sustainability is if there is a chance that the world can be completely sustainable. For example, are there practices that are necessary to live that cannot be improved by sustainability, or have we just not gotten far enough in development to improve them?