Your First Semester:
From the beginning of the semester, I have grown a lot. I feel like I’ve become more
social again because, for a long time, I felt like I had lost that side of myself. I’m still working to
not be so uptight which has gotten better. But sometimes I feel like when I’m not comfortable
with certain people I tend to be that shy person all over again.
My expectations for this year were getting more involved and putting myself out there
even if I felt uncomfortable doing so. But I can gladly say my experience this semester met my
expectations. I am now involved with LSA which is the Latin student association, and I am part
of the WEPA team here on campus which is the Latin dance organization. I also love that I feel
connected to my roots which was something that I felt I was going to lose. Something I wish I
had known 14 weeks ago was the lack of sleep I would be getting while trying to study and get
work done. I also wish I knew the amount of stress I would have from schoolwork and how hard
I would be on myself which I am still trying to balance out.
Study Habits:
For each class, it depends on how much I study for a certain class. For example, dance
and history I don’t study just because most of it is common knowledge and easy things to catch
up on. Compared to chem and chem lab I study hours; I even pull all-nighters trying to study for
chem so I do well on exams. I feel like my study habits have changed but not too much. I just
spent more time studying, but I do feel like I need to change the way I study because no matter
how much I study, I still don’t see the grades I want to see.
I have tried using resources this semester like the tutoring center in the chem building. But I feel
like it isn’t useful just because it is very unorganized and sometimes the tours just explain but
don’t truly help. I’ve gone more to my friend who is taking chem 2 and when she explains it, I
understand it more. But that is all the resources I’ve sought for this semester. I can’t email my TA
or professor because they usually never respond or respond late when I have already figured out
the problem. Some study habits I am taking next semester are flashcards, going back to
homework, and trying to get all the questions right with no notes. One new study habit I am
considering using next semester is the whiteboard method, where you write your notes on a
whiteboard without having to look back at your notes. I’ve heard good things about this method,
and I am curious to try it out and hopefully it works.
Health Professions Learning Community:
Some ways sociology was related to history must be society norms. In sociology, we
talked a lot about societal norms and how most people are usually scared to step out of societal
norms because they don’t want to go against what society expects. But I think history relates to
that because for one the civil rights movement. African Americans would step out of society’s
norms and fight for civil rights which was not allowed for African Americans to make noise
because they would either get arrested or attacked by white folks. Another breaking of societal
norms was when women took over men’s labor jobs during World War 1 because the labor force
needed people to work and since men were at war, women had to step up and do the jobs. That is
one way I can connect sociology with history.
Parallel Plan:
This semester we’ve had people come in and talk to us about other majors. Although
many of them were interesting to hear, none of them caught my eye at all. I have to say
recreational therapy didn’t sound a little bit interesting, but it isn’t my ideal job. I still haven’t
found a minor or another intended major, just because none has felt right yet. I am interested in
occupational therapy in case nursing doesn’t work out, but sadly ODU does not offer that. I still
must do more digging into the intended majors. I know my response doesn’t answer the questions
given but I can’t lie knowing that none of the other majors that were spoken about didn’t interest
me, I just don’t have a clear answer for my parallel plan.