Mid-Semester Reflection

“We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.”

-Zen

Each week I spend an average of 16 hours studying mainly because every class requires more studying than the others. For example, History, Sociology, and chemistry take between 2 hours and 2 hours 45 minutes each day. Most of the time I study in my room while sitting on the floor instead of my bed because sitting on my bed and studying is extremely uncomfortable to me. Or sometimes when I have work right after class and I get off late I’ll come home and study at the kitchen table while everyone is sleep. Somedays when I am studying I tend to become distracted not by my phone or peers but by my own thinking. When I overly think it becomes extremely loud and chaotic in my mind that I simply cannot focus and become irritated. I actually don’t know how to stop my over thinking I’ve just learned to deal with it, but when it happens while I am studying I just take an hour to calm my thoughts and listen to some mellow R&B music so I can place my thoughts in the right place.

Studying at the same times everyday help a lot because it keeps me on a schedule that my mind can get used to and will know that this is the time to study and be ready. Each class I have to have a different time to study for because like I said before every class requires more time. This semester I have tried to actually color code my notes. This new study habit has actually helped me out so much because just using one plain color for all of your notes can become confusing sometimes and when you’re trying to look for a specific topic or phrase all the words looks jumbled up. Whereas, color coding can help your notes become more organized.

College has absolutely been what I expected. I expected it to be stressful and time consuming. College is the step that I need to get to my future goals and I knew it was not going to be an easy step to step onto. I think the biggest difference is virtual learning. I had this whole vision that my first year in college would be me in me in my dorm making new friends and coming out of my shell but instead I am home and just trying to do the best I can to pass my first year. Being home has surprised me the most because at first I did not want to do it because I wanted the college experience, but it is much cheaper and since I have my parents around I know I have to work hard; not because my parents are on me about school but because they provide that environment that makes me want to work hard and be great in life.

One problem that I faced this semester was stressing out about the possibility of not getting into the Nursing Program at ODU because of one B in my Chem Lab. I talked to my peer mentor and she was such a great help and provided me with encouraging words and basically told me not to stress and to just ask my teacher for more help when I can. This semester there has been a couple of people that have helped me. Professor White has helped me by being the first History teacher that I actually understood while taking her class. She is an absolutely amazing teacher and she really knows her knowledge. Shavae Ward, which is my peer mentor is a blessing. This past week I had to register for my spring classes and she helped me choose between technology and literature and gave some helpful tips. Being that she went through the same stuff as us freshman in the LC, she helps make our journey less stressful.