Mid Semester Reflection

Study Habits

What classes are you doing well in, and why?

I feel like the class I’m doing the best in is English,I enjoy this class because not a lot of work is given and it’s easy to balance what is being assigned in that class with my other classes.

What classes did you identify as needing assistance in?
- What changes have you made (i.e. amount of time, location, campus resources, study strategies, etc…)?

The class I’m always going to tutoring for is chemistry, It’s very complex and I actually like the tutoring, it pays off. I like the fact that I understand the material im being taught. I go to the STC in the new chemistry building multiple times a week.

Transition to College

What expectations did you have coming to college?

I thought college was going to be hard and I thought I wouldn’t have much homework

Have those expectations come to fruition, or not?
- How?

College is very hard and I don’t get a lot of homework most of my assignments from my class are just considered “assignments” and not homework

In what way is your college experience different from what you expected?

I don’t get much homework but I do get a lot of assignments, but once you get a good routine you’ll be able to come up with a routine and a schedule.

What has surprised you about your experiences so far this semester?

I wasn’t expecting to feel overworked and overwhelmed by all the new experiences I would experience. For example, my advisor gave me a hard time about not knowing how to use or opening degree works frequently. I found it weird for her to feel some type of way about that, you would think she would understand the fact that I’m a freshman and this is all very new to me, I’ve never been on my own. I’m not going to remember to look at degree works all the time

If you live on campus: What has been your toughest challenge with moving away to college?

Figuring out how to be alone and doing things on my own was challenging for me, I’m used to having a guide and always having someone to lean on. In college youre really on your own and by yourself! I’ve overcome that after having a really hard day of realization and stress. We all have to turn that left and make changes for it to become easier for us. I have anxiety so asking questions is something that doesn’t come easy, but ive gotten all to comfortable with emails and I will have the simplest questions to ask over email. I was having this problem with my history teacher who also happens to be my advisor, i would ask questions in person and she would tell me to ask a friend or “wait till class is over because it was time to start”. Thats when I just had to break it down to her over email about how Im not comfortable with doing any of that and it would be impossible because I haven’t really made friends yet on campus. She understood and accommodated for me which was greatly appreciated. I now ask any and everything over email sometimes ill even do it over zoom.

Easiest challenge to overcome?

My easy challenge to overcome was the fear/anxiety around asking peers or teachers questions. I just use email! Its great!

OR If you commute to class: What is the toughest challenge with commuting to campus? Easiest challenge to overcome?

Major

Name something you have learned about your intended major that you did not know at the beginning of the semester.

I didn’t know how many categories it fell under there’s so many different types of studies and carreers

Have your feelings changed about your intended major? List some thoughts you are having.

My feelings have changed, these requirements and qualifications for the nursing program are hard. I didn’t want that to discourage me but I have been looking into dentistry. That’s something I’m also heavily interested in.

Is there another subject (major or minor) that you are interested in learning more about?

Definitely dentistry

Connecting to Campus

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.

I was struggling with chemistry and I started going to walk-in tutoring and which helped a lot and made chemistry easier

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?

My roommate helps me study chemistry a lot especially when exams are coming up

Have you attended an interest meeting for a club? Why did you decide to get involved or not get involved?

I haven’t but i do want to be more involved, not much has piqued my interest

Themester: Sustainability (Environment)

What new sustainable practices have you learned about so far this semester (think back to our guest speakers Dr. Hawkins and Dr. Hoglund!)?

I’ve learned more about composting and recycling and reusing

What sustainable practices would you like to begin participating in?

recycling

Is there anything more you would like to learn about sustainability for the rest of the semester?