Study Habits 

Starting college has definitely been a rollercoaster for me. Trying to make friends, participate in campus activities, and studying has been a lot to juggle. Now that the semester is about halfway through, I have found my routine and place on campus at ODU. My favorite class so far has been Sociology, because I find the subject to be interesting. Considering this, that is the class that I am doing best in. I have found that I am more inclined to study the material because I am eager to learn more and see what I already know. Chemistry is a class that I need to put more focus and time into out of all of my classes. The material is very heavy, and I often get confused during lectures. Due to this, I have to take extra time outside of class and review the material in depth to make sure I fully understand. From the beginning of the semester to now, I have made changes in the way I study and do homework. I was used to cramming assignments last minute in high school, and that is a habit I have learned to kick. I quickly found out that this way of studying was not beneficial in college. I now map out my assignments and do them throughout the week based on what is due sooner rather than later. I have found that my routine has made my transition into college much easier. 

Transition to College 

Coming to college I definitely had a lot of expectations, some that were met and some that were not. I expected to have a lot more coursework, and for the classes to move at a faster pace than I was used to. I also expected everyone to already know each other from living in close quarters on campus. As a commuter, I was worried I would be left out, but that has not been the case. I was expecting college to be more different than what I was used to in high school. I expected professors to be super strict and somewhat mean. So far, my professors have been very nice and understanding of any issues that have arised on my end. Something that surprised me about my experience here so far, is that everyone is going through the same thing in some way. As freshmen, we are all experiencing college for the first time and people are very open to helping each other. I was expecting to figure things out on my own, but my classmates have been welcoming and we are all figuring out this new experience together. I would not say my expectations have necessarily come to fruition. I was expecting the college experience to be much different than it actually is. Like I said, I was expecting to have no friends and be left out, but I have made a few friends and always have someone to ask for help if needed. The toughest challenge I have faced with commuting is the feeling of being separated from on campus students. At the end of the day I can’t chill in my dorm and meet up with friends whenever I want. Staying on campus after classes is something that I have to plan in advance and figure out a friend’s dorm to crash in. The easiest challenge I have faced is the drive to and from campus. At first I was very intimidated to drive on the highway everyday, but now the drive is very easy for me. 

Major

My intended major is nursing, and I have definitely learned information that I previously did not know about this major. While being in HLTH 101, my view on different pathways nursing can be taken had broadened. I was not aware that the nursing major could branch off into so many different directions. It has been very cool to learn about and consider so many different opportunities. I am still very interested in continuing my education through being a nursing major. I am feeling very confident that this is what I desire for my future. The more I am learning, the more excited and eager I am to dip my feet into the world of nursing. All of the guest speakers that I have encountered so far have been very helpful with any thoughts or concerns I had regarding my intended major. Now that I have slightly advanced into the semester, I have been exploring other directions I can take my education. I have been looking into picking up a minor in public health. I would love to work in that field, but I still want my direct focus to be nursing. Having a minor in public health could still fulfill my interest in the topic, but still give me the opportunity to put my main focus on nursing. 

Connected to Campus 

At the beginning of the semester, my campus card and ID was acting up. I was not able to scan into my class for attendance. I was fortunate enough to be able to use my ODU mobile app to mark my attendance, but I needed to solve this problem. I went to the IT center located in Monarch Hall and asked them for assistance. They were able to identify the problem and fix my university card. One friend that has helped me this semester is Alisa. She has been able to help me with chemistry and chemistry lab considering we are lab partners. It has been very helpful to be able to do some assignments together, and work through some material we are struggling with. I have decided to not join any clubs for my first year of college. I want to make my studies my main priority, so I have not attended any club interest meetings yet. I would like to look into some clubs next year so that I can connect more with other students and opportunities. 

Guest Speakers/ Field Trips

In HLTH 101 we have encountered many guest speakers that have provided a lot of insight on nursing. The guest speaker that I found the most interesting was the woman speaking about public health. Like I previously said, I am interested in minoring in public health, so it was very nice to learn some more about the topic. I tied public health into nursing because it deals a lot with healthcare access. Not everybody has the luxury of being able to go to the doctor when necessary. Public health really focuses on the different categories that people fall into, and try to help them with healthcare access. At the end of the month, I would love to hear from someone actively working in the ICU or NICU. This is the field I am most interested in going into, and would love to get some insight on what actually goes on in these units of the hospital.