As I start my first semester of college, I am excited about making new friends and learning new hobbies. My biggest challenge this semester is time management. For example, a big responsibility I have is getting to campus on time since I commute from Virginia Beach. Procrastination is another challenge that I face. I tend to get easily distracted and sometimes wait till the last minute to complete assignments. The only time commitment I have is work. I work at Sentara Leigh Hospital and currently spend a total of 18-24 hours a week. I plan to balance this commitment by creating a schedule that balances work and school. I do plan on getting involved in student organizations sometime in the future as well. In high school, I participated in many organizations such as competitive and varsity cheerleading, French honor society, national honor society, SCA (student council association), and student government. I am currently searching for clubs and organizations to join; however, there are a few organizations that I do plan to participate in the future, such as a sorority and stomp and shake cheer.

The most significant difference between high school and college is time management. Teachers must hunt students down about attendance, study, and turn in assignments on time in high school. However, college students are more independent; they are responsible for attending class, submitting work on time, and studying without a professor’s authority. Furthermore, homework and studying share many differences. For example, homework is a task provided by the professor that is completed at home or outside of class. Studying is the reinforcement of looking over notes and other assignments to prepare for an exam or quiz. Although homework and studying are different, they are similar because both prepare students for upcoming exams and quizzes. In addition to studying, I currently take six classes: Chemistry105N, Hist 104H, Sociology, Chemistry 106N Lab, English 110C (online), and Intro to health professions. For all my courses, I will be spending about thirty minutes to an hour a day in each class to study and review notes. Because English is an online course, I need to manage my time by looking at the library at Old Dominion University, Starbucks, home, or any quiet/peaceful setting.

One distraction that will distract me from studying is my phone due to social media, text messages, and phone calls from other people. I will prevent this distraction by placing my device on “do not disturb” and notifying people that I am busy studying. The best time for me to review is directly after class because my mind is still in “school mode,” this is when I will get everything done on time because I am more focused. In addition, the best study techniques that work well for me are flashcards, online practice tests, or quizzes. I use online websites like Quizlet or quizzes for memorization purposes.