Transition to College

What did you expect college would be like 14 weeks ago? 

Fourteen weeks ago, I thought college would be completely different than what it turned out to be. The main expectation I had was being on campus. Fourteen weeks ago, I thought I would be sitting in class with my new friends experiencing what college actually is. I never would have expected I would be taking all of my classes online. I initially expected I would also be able to have study groups. Although I could meet with my peers over zoom, it would have been nice to meet in person and discuss and collaborate about our different classes. 

What is something you wish you knew 14 weeks ago? 

I wish I would have known the different opportunities and resources that are provided. At the beginning, I had no idea some of the resources existed. If I would have done more research before starting college, I would have been able to understand the opportunities I have and how to get in touch and help from the resources available. Although I now know how to get in touch with different people if I need assistance, I wish I would have known before starting because I could have gotten more involved during my first semester. 

What is a resource or activity you have found helpful this semester? 

I have found the Health Professions Learning Community events to be the most helpful. Having classes online made it hard to experience different opportunities and guest speakers. With these events, it allowed me to hear from people with different and similar interests as mine. This was a very helpful source because it gave me insight as to what I may be doing as a nurse or someone in the nursing program at Old Dominion. Along with that, I was able to hear from people who have different interests as me and was able to learn more about the careers and determine if that was something, I would be interested in. 

What is a resource or activity you have found unhelpful this semester?

Although this resource is very helpful normally, this semester I would say the least helpful resource was the learning commons. With COVID being such an issue, I was unable to experience the resources that involved multiple students getting together to discuss and study together. This was not very helpful to me this semester, but I look forward to using this resource along with the other resources at ODU in the future. 

Name something you have learned this semester that will assist you next semester. 

This semester has set me up for success in my college career. I have learned several resources that will assist me in the semesters to come. I have learned about the many different resources Old Dominion has to offer. I learned there are many different organizations that help each student at ODU be successful while they are a monarch. The main resources I have found that will assist me in the future are the math and science resource center, the peer educator program, and the writing center. Learning more about these resources has allowed me to feel confident going further in college. I never knew ODU provided such great help to their students, but I am relieved they do. 

Study Habits

How much time do you spend studying for each class now vs. at the beginning of the semester? 

The amount of time I study for each class has changed from the beginning of the semester to now. At the beginning I studied a lot less than I do now. Surprisingly, the beginning of the semester was a lot easier for me than I was expecting. At the beginning, I typically studied three to four hours a day. I broke this time up between my classes depending on what homework and assignments I had that week. Now, with finals approaching, I find myself studying more often and more longer periods of time. On average, I study about six to seven hours a day. I still like to split this time up between my classes. For example, if I have an exam for a certain class that week, I will mainly focus on that class but still making sure I review my notes for my other classes. 

How have your study habits changes?

My study habits have changed in fourteen weeks. At the beginning, I studied for every class every day. This worked really well for me the first three weeks. I then started working, which made it more difficult to study for several hours for each class every day. I eventually figured out different days to study for different classes which I am still doing. I study for history and English on Tuesdays and Thursdays and chemistry and sociology on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This habit is something I will continue to do because it allows me to focus on a few subjects at a time instead of trying to learn all of them together. 

What specific study techniques do you think work best for you?  How do these vary from class to class?

The specific study techniques I have found are using Quizlet, Quizizz, and taking detailed notes. Quizlet These techniques vary from class to class because each class is demanding in a different way. I use Quizlet for my sociology class. Using this technique allows me to review the definitions and apply the terms to different scenarios. This technique makes it easy to study and memorize the many terms for each chapter. Quizizz makes it easy to test myself on my knowledge for my history, English, and sociology classes. This technique makes it easy to make sure I am prepared for the quizzes in my classes. Finally, I take detailed notes. For chemistry and history, I take as many notes as possible. Taking such detailed notes makes it easy to prepare for the assignments and tests without feeling stressed and cramming the day before. 

Health Professions Learning Community

This semester you were enrolled in at least SOC 201S, and HLTH 101. Many of you were also enrolled in CHEM 105N and CHEM 106N, and some of you were enrolled in HIST 104H with Professor White.

1. On the surface these classes do not appear to be connected however this semester each professor was intentional about drawing connections between content, and subjects discussed. Discuss the ways in which these courses are tied together.

Being a part of the Health Professions Learning Community, I saw how the most opposite of classes connected in some way. There were several times where we discussed the same topic in my history and sociology classes. One of the main topics in history, inequality, was also an extremely important part of sociology. Along with that, I was able to see a connection because of how each professor taught. The classes where structured around how it would be in the health professions field. I was able to learn about the history of the health field in my understanding the American past class, the importance of people’s experiences and feelings in introduction to sociology and hear from different health professionals and their experiences in health 101. 

This semester we provided events (Health Chats) for you to hear from health professionals from ODU. 

1. Which Health Chat was most beneficial for you as a student, and why?

The health chat that was most beneficial to me was the zoom call with all of the different types of nurses. I really enjoyed hearing their different stories and experiences that led them to the career they have today. It showed me the different career options that I had no idea about. This chat allowed me to broaden my thoughts on what kind of nurse I want to be and allowed me to hear in-depth some of the things I will be experiencing as a nurse or health professional.