Reflect on the Fall semester and the overall experience of your first semester at college.
Your First Semester
- Tell us how you have grown from the beginning of the semester to now.
I have gained more academic confidence and find it easier to use all the resources I can access in the library and with my professors.
- What were your expectations for this year? Did this semester’s experiences meet your expectations? Explain.
My expectations for this year were quite extreme, I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep up in my studies and feel overwhelmed all of the time. This semester has exceeded my expectations with how successful I have been and the amount of personal time I was able to manage.
- What is something you wish you knew 14 weeks ago?
I wish I knew how much help I would be able to receive just by asking for it and setting my pride and time aside to do so.
Study Habits
- How much time do you spend studying for each class now vs. at the beginning of the semester?
I spent 10+ hours a week studying at the beginning of the semester but not retaining as much information. However, now I spend >6 hours a week studying because I have a lot more structure and productivity in the way I study, Based off of the grade I get in my classes I have been retaining much more information
- How have your study habits changed?
I study more with peers/friends and make it fun by incorporating breaks and laughter.
- Tell us about a resource that you have used/learned about this semester that will assist you next semester.
Surprisingly Chat GPT has been a useful resource for completing assignments and studying. Not using it inappropriately but by using AI to help generate practice questions and provide me with more background on a topic.
- What study habits/techniques will you use going into next semester?
I would like to pace myself better and not let assignments accumulate for too long causing me to become overwhelmed. I also utilize a to-do list/planner more
Parallel Plan
- This semester we had presentations from different majors in the College of Health Sciences as well as from different majors on campus. This was to give you an idea for possible parallel majors to your current intended major.
- Which two other majors would you be most interested in? Why?
If not exercise science I would be interested in Recreational therapy, mainly because of the versatility I would have in the workplace and the hands-on opportunity I could get to have with patients.
- What benefit is there to having a parallel plan (or two) in place?
To have something to fall back on and have some freedom in the routes that you can take to not be set strictly on one profession.
- How could one or both of these two majors benefit your current intended major?
They could benefit my intended major by exposing me to more knowledge surrounding the rehabilitative profession and allowing me to work with a wider range of patients.