Study Habits

As we approach the halfway mark of the semester, I can definitely say that there have been a few academic changes in terms of my success in each class. I am now doing well in College Algebra, Honors Music in History & Culture, and Chemistry. However, Sociology is a class that I am sort of being challenged by. This is a coincidence, though, since I mentioned in my pre-semester reflection that I think Sociology would be a good fit for me whereas Chemistry would be difficult. It has been demonstrated that my grades in my successfully classes are significantly impacted by the amount of time I spend studying using my whiteboard and active recall. Nonetheless, even though my sociology grade is my lowest, I believe it is easily improveable. My past performance in the class keeps me optimistic that my grade will rise. Given that my midterm was the only thing that caused my score to dip to an 80%, I am aware that I need to better prep myself for the exams as they ask you to make connections between what you learn in class and real-world situations. This should be fairly simple to accomplish since my instructor does a fantastic job of giving real-world examples; hence all I need to do is pay attention to them and record them in my notes so that I can adequately prepare for the next cumulative exam. Once I am able to accomplish this, I am confident that my grade will improve in Sociology and I can possibly conclude the semester with A’s in all of my courses.

Transition to College

My three main goals coming into college were to succeed academically, build a stronger social network and network for myself, and ultimately make the most of my talents. Since I’ve been here, I can absolutely say that my expectations have been met. The degree to which my expectations are fulfilled is greatly influenced by my commitment and drive to excel. For me, adjusting to college has been quite a challenge. Being away from home for long stretches of time has been the hardest part about leaving for college. It has been extremely hard for me to adjust to living in a place where my mom doesn’t live with me. However, living on my own has definitely gave me a sense of independence. In comparison, balancing my academic and social lives while in college has been the easiest component I’ve tackled. I’ve always been someone who holds myself accountable, so juggling my social life and academics hasn’t been difficult for me. Along with personal changes, classroom adjustments have also occurred since entering college. One unexpected difference I’ve observed about college is that professors aren’t nearly as considerate as high school teachers. Professors will only contribute to your success to the extent that you do, because we are all adults in college, and you will be treated as such. One thing that surprised me was the size of a lecture hall, which may house anywhere from 20 to 100+ students. This was unusual for me because I never saw a class of more than thirty people in my high school years. It helped me realize that the classroom environments in colleges and high schools are really different from one another.

Major

One thing I discovered about my planned major that I didn’t know before coming in was that you have to take a HESI exam before being eligible to enroll to ODU’s BSN Nursing program. This exam is necessary since it is meant to forecast your progress in the nursing program. Nevertheless, my opinions about my major have not altered in the slightest, even in light of what I have learnt thus far. To be honest, listening to the guest speakers who are nurses has further fueled my desire to become a nurse. Aside with nursing, I’ve considered minoring in real estate. My major makes it abundantly evident that I appreciate not just physically but also psychologically assisting others. Buying a home has the potential to greatly improve a person’s mental health, and I believe I would be a tremendous asset helping customers with this important transaction.

Connecting to Campus

A major miscalculation with my financial aid was one of the problems I encountered this semester. This problem was causing me a lot of stress. However, I received excellent assistance from the financial aid office in resolving this matter. They provided me with very clear directions via email on how to handle this issue, and, just to make sure I understood everything, they even called me to walk me through the procedures to solve the intended issue. Aside from financial aid concerns, we all know that college can be a significant transition for students, as it has been for me. Fortunately, though, my friend Daija has helped me through this change with ease. She gives me more assistance than she could ever realize, whether it is academically or mentally. This semester, I attended numerous club interest meetings to get a sense of what I would be interested in. Since I am majoring in nursing, I specifically chose to attend a meeting of the Students Nursing Association. I hope to become a member of this group one day. I did, however, choose not to become engaged just yet. I was intrigued during the meeting and I want to join to further my knowledge and performance as a nursing student. However, I don’t want to sign up for any extracurricular activities until I’ve fully settled into college. Therefore, fall semester of my sophomore year will undoubtedly be a time in which I reconsider joining this organization.