This semester I’m most excited about being independent and on my own for the first time. In high
school I did manage my schedule on my own and was responsible for my things, but I knew I
always had my parents I could rely on. Now being away from home I’m excited to be responsible
and prove to myself that I am capable of being independent. I think my biggest challenge this
semester is going to be time management, while still trying to have a social life. I look forward to
being involved, but I’m afraid I’ll have too much on my plate and get overwhelmed. During my
first semester I plan to just get in the rhythm of things and not have a job until I’m comfortable handling everything. I have not joined any student organizations yet but look forward to getting involved in clubs around campus. In high school I was on my school’s soccer team and crosscountry team. I did a lot of volunteering around my community and at church. As of right now I hope to join campus ministry and find other organizations that interest me here at ODU.

My intended major is Nursing. I have always had an interest in the medical field but recently
decided on nursing. My freshman year of high school I was diagnosed with an immunodeficiency
and overcame many medical challenges. I realized the importance of a care team that is there to
support the patient and family. I hope to be able to provide that support and joy to future
patients. Some skills I possess that may help me in the future is that I am very hardworking and
work well with others. I’m a good advocate for myself and wouldn’t be afraid to advocate for
future patients. I’m fluent in Spanish which would help me communicate with patients whose
first language isn’t English. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to work hands on in the
nursing field yet. I took a CNA course in high school but couldn’t take the test due to Covid. In five
to ten years, I hope to be working in the PICU or going to school to specialize in anesthesia to
become a CRNA.

The biggest difference I except is the pace of the course. Since we are working in a shorter
amount of time, I expect the classes to be faster paced with more workload. I think there is a
difference between studying and homework. Homework is to reinforce what you have learned
and see what you are struggling with. While studying is the choice of the student to put in the
time and effort to understand the material and work on what they’re struggling with. For my
Intro to Chemistry lecture class, I plan to spend at least 2 hours a week studying. I hope to spend
at least 30 minutes after each lecture going over practice questions from the textbook to make
sure I understand the material. For my Elementary Statistics class I plan to study at least an hour
and a half each week. Personally, I feel math is one of my stronger subjects and I grasp the
material faster so I may not need to spend as much time on studying depending on the unit. For
Interpreting the American Past, I plan to study at least three hours a week. For sociology I plan on
studying at least two hours a week. For Chemistry lab I plan to study an hour a week to prepare
before lab and review after I have completed the lab. For this course I’m not sure how often I will
have to study or if I’ll have too yet. I plan to study either in my dorm or in the study rooms
available in the building. Some distractions would be the noise from my roommate and people in
the hall. For the most part I’m fine with white noise but if my roommate were to become too
loud I would either ask her if she could be quieter or just go to a study room. I don’t have a best
time to study. Sometimes I’ll wake up early to get started on assignments or to get them done.
Sometimes I don’t mind staying up late to get them done or doing them in between class. For
study techniques I prefer writing notes and going over them. I sometimes also write flashcards to
review or will create a Quizlet.