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.
At the beginning of the semester, I relied heavily on my new friends and roommate. I would always ask them to come to the dining hall with me or accompany me to the Webb. I was uncomfortable doing anything alone. However, as time passed, I realized I needed to become more independent. It wasn’t just because of our busy schedules but because I needed to learn to be okay with doing things alone. Being able to do things alone and being independent is a good thing to learn early in my college life.
- What were your expectations for this year? Did this semester’s experiences meet your expectations? Explain.
My expectation for this year was to make new friends and form strong connections with my teachers. I wanted to build relationships with all the important people in my life and express gratitude to everyone who worked in my dorm building and the dining hall for always keeping it well-maintained and clean. I am incredibly fortunate to have a clean place to live and learn. Another expectation I had for myself was to be an “academic weapon,” which meant staying on top of all my coursework and achieving good grades. I did not want to procrastinate and end up overly stressed about my work.
This semester, my experience has met my expectations. I have made many new friends and connections and formed strong bonds with my teachers – not all of them, but most of them. I have built relationships and a good foundation with the people who work around me every day. When I go to the dining hall, I enjoy talking to the workers and asking about their day and getting to know them. They have exciting and fun stories and experiences to tell me and I am always looking forward to catching up with them.
- What is something you wish you knew 14 weeks ago?
I wish I had known that it’s perfectly fine not to stick with the same group of people and feel obligated to stay attached to the first person I meet. The friendships I make in my first week of college may not last forever, and that’s okay. Additionally, receiving a bad grade on my first exam does not mean the end of the world. Not doing so well on the first test is fine because I can always analyze what I did wrong and how I studied for the exam – what worked and what didn’t. I must remind myself that one exam doesn’t define my entire semester, and everything will be alright at the end of the day.
Study Habits
- How much time do you spend studying for each class now vs. at the beginning of the semester?
At the beginning of the semester, I studied for about 30 minutes for my Sociology class. By the end of the semester, I increased my study time to an hour. For my History class, I studied for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes at the beginning of the semester. By the end of the semester, I studied for an hour. For my Chemistry class, I studied for around 2 hours at the start of the semester, but towards the end, I had to study until my brain could not absorb any more knowledge. For my Music class, I spent roughly 2 hours studying at the start of the semester, taking notes, making flashcards, and reviewing. I maintained the same study time towards the end of the semester.
How have your study habits changed?
My studying habits have significantly improved this semester. I have been able to isolate myself in a study room and complete all my daily work, no matter how long it takes me. I have also increased my study time, which has been beneficial. However, I am still struggling to find an effective way to study for my chemistry class. I know it seems like it might be too late to learn this now, but I need to develop new study habits to succeed in future, more challenging classes. I have also learned how to study more efficiently with my friends and we have been able to complete our work together.
- Tell us about a resource that you have used/learned about this semester that will assist you next semester.
I found that attending office hours was extremely beneficial for me. It allowed me to connect with my teachers on a personal level, and they were able to understand my situation and work with me accordingly. Another thing that was helpful was going to the chemistry tutor in the new building. Other students who have taken my class helped me understand the problems more efficiently. In addition, I also made use of the study rooms in my dormitory, which were very helpful as I prefer to study alone.
- What study habits/techniques will you use going into next semester?
I will be using flashcards to study vocabulary and rewriting problems on the whiteboard provided in my study room. Next semester, I will be taking an English class and plan to use the library extensively to improve my writing skills.
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.
- 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.
SOC 201sS, HLTH 101, CHEM 106N, and HIST 104H all of these classes tie together because they are all talking about public health and how things came to be in society. Chemistry is an essential field in public health as it helps us understand the chemical makeup of human health. Sociology plays a crucial role in understanding the social determinants of health and how social factors impact healthcare access and outcomes. It also helps us understand the dynamics of different social classes, including how the concepts of poverty, middle class, and upper class came into existence. Additionally, it helps us understand how individuals can achieve success and fulfill the American dream. History allows us to examine the evolution of healthcare systems and policies, learning from past successes and failures. Lastly, health professions combine all these classes to provide comprehensive care, applying scientific knowledge, social understanding, and historical context to improve health outcomes for individuals and communities.
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?
I am interested in pursuing a career in speech-language pathology and nursing. I am drawn to speech-language pathology because I have heard that professionals in this field work with children a lot, and I love working with kids. It gives me tremendous satisfaction to see kids achieve something after working hard for it and watching their faces light up when they understand something is truly rewarding. I also believe that nursing would be a fulfilling career for me because it involves direct patient interaction, similar to that of a dental hygienist.
- What benefit is there to having a parallel plan (or two) in place?
It is always a good idea to have a parallel plan in life as it is very unpredictable. As a freshman with no experience, it is possible that I may not get into my intended major or I may change my mind about my major in the future. Having alternative options in such situations provides a sense of security and relieves stress and worry, as it allows me to choose another major with the same idea. Having a parallel plan also opens up new opportunities and paths that I might have not considered before. Therefore, having a parallel plan is important as it gives me another way to achieve success in a different situation.
- How could one or both of these two majors benefit your current intended major?
I believe that studying these two majors will greatly benefit my current major, as I need to learn to be patient and understand how to interact with people in their daily lives. This will help me in my future career as a dental hygienist, as patience is crucial in dealing with patients. Learning about what makes them nervous will be key in both of these majors and my major.