- Study habits
a. How much time do you spend studying for each class every week?
i. Do you need to put more time into studying, and for which class or classes?
b. Where do you study?
i. Do you often find yourself distracted while studying?
ii. What could you do to remove these distractions?
c. What time of day do you study?
i. Do you feel focused and alert at this time?
The amount of time I spend studying for each class every week varies. Some weeks when I know I have something big coming up like a quiz or midterm I would say I study for three hours every other day. Sometimes I will study right after a zoom meeting to keep the information I just learned fresh in my mind. I think I would have to put more time into studying for a certain class. The class I need to put more time into studying is Sociology. This has been one of my hardest classes to keep the work and notes up to date in. I have a feeling that with what I’ve been doing recently I will do much better on my assignments and time management. When I’m studying I usually study at my desk in my room or the couch I have in my room. I avoid playing music when it comes to studying, but instead, I would play a podcast that wouldn’t be as distracting. I’m not distracted while I’m playing that. Also, I have siblings who can be loud sometimes so I would remind them that I’m studying and that I need them to lower the volume a little. Depending on if I have a class that day, I will study around 12 or 1 pm. This gives me time to have a study session with myself and also time after to do whatever I want. When I choose to study at this time this is when I’ve already had some food to keep me energized or I have nothing better to do.
- Learning style
a. What specific study techniques do you think work best for you? How do these vary
from class to class?
b. What new study techniques have you tried this semester based on what you have
learned about learning styles?
The best studying techniques for me are writing down my notes. This is what works for me because I need to know that I can go back and flip through something that has all my notes in it. I also have to write with colorful pens because I think my studying should be fun and also educational at the same time. I find this very helpful because I won’t get bored while reading or writing these notes. A new technique I’ve been using is the Study Cycle. This has been very helpful to me ever since I learned about it. I may have modified it to fit me the best. I’ve come to realize that studying is more than just reading. It’s more or so you review and going back over the concepts you’ve learned to remember it better.
- Transition to college
a. Has college been what you expected?
i. In what way is your college experience different from what you expected?
ii. What has surprised you about your experiences so far this semester?
b. If you live on campus: What has been your toughest challenge with moving away to
college? The easiest challenge to overcome?
c. OR If you commute to class: What is the toughest challenge with commuting to
campus? The easiest challenge to overcome?
Once I started college, I knew it would be very different than high school. My college experience has been different than expected because of the workload, the amount of studying and learning everything online. The workload in college involves more in-depth answers and more time spent on an assignment. This is a little harder than expected since I have more work for each class. The amount of time I spent studying in high school has changed significantly once I entered college. I wouldn’t spend as much time studying in high school because everything was easier to remember and learn, but college involves more hands-on studying. This means I spend more time studying nowadays. Some assignments involve more time spent doing since I have to do more than one-sentence answers. It can take a while, but I get the assignments turned in on time. This semester I only have one class on campus. I have to commute to ODU only on Tuesdays, and it can be a hustle at times. I would say I live 30 minutes away from the campus, but sometimes at the hour I have to go there can be quite the amount of traffic. It’s not that bad of a drive to get on campus either. The easiest challenge I’ve had to overcome was getting to my class on time. I don’t walk slow so I am able to get there faster than usual. I can sometimes be one of the first couple of people to show up earlier.
- Connecting to campus
a. Name one problem or challenge you have encountered this semester, and which
resource(s) at ODU you have/can utilize to assist with this situation.
b. Is there a friend, roommate, professor, advisor, or group in the ODU community
who has helped you so far this semester? If so, how did they help you?
c. Have you attended an interest meeting for a club? Why did you decide to get
involved or not get involved?
One problem that I encountered this semester was being lost the first couple of weeks on Blackboard. It was confusing on how to turn in assignments through blackboard. I had to watch a tutorial on how to use it and the different tools that it has. It was very helpful and now I feel like a pro. I have a couple of friends that have helped this semester. We started a study group since we were all in the same Chemistry, English, and Sociology class. We would either meet in person at someone’s house or we would have a Zoom meeting together. Being able to share some of my struggles and problems with my peers made me feel at ease since some of them had the same issues. We would have one person read a problem and all of us would figure it out and when we have a miscommunication, we would resolve it by looking at our notes or watching a lecture. I would also like to thank my Health 101 professor for teaching me and showing how to utilize my resources at ODU. The tips and trick he told my class and I were very helpful and use them still today. I haven’t joined a club at ODU this semester. I chose not to get involved this semester because I want to get used to how much work I have to d and how I can utilize my time. I’m thinking about joining a club in the springtime or next year so I can be more included at ODU.