To begin with, throughout the semester I feel that my study habits have gotten better and I have put more commitment into my classes. When I study I usually split up how much time I study for each class instead of studying the same time for all of them because I see how well I am doing and if I need to put more focus in other classes. I spend the most amount of time studying for chemistry since I feel if you get behind in the class than it is way harder to get caught up so, I study the days I have chemistry and for two to three hours. Next, is my history course- American past, other than chemistry I feel like this is one of my most time-consuming courses since we have many readings and lots to cover so getting behind in this coarse could penalize my grade so I put about the same amount of time studying for history. My other classes like sociology, English, and lab I do not think I have to put as much time into those classes since I am stronger in them and some of it is based on memorization as well and that is one of my strengths. Where I study most times is the top floors of the library and the study rooms provided by the dorms. If there are lots of people and noise then I get distracted easily but usually, the top floors of the library are the quietest so I have not had too many difficulties focusing on my material. Other ways I remove distractions are, wearing noise-canceling headphones and putting my phone on do not disturb. The times I study are in the morning or early afternoon since I have the most energy around that time; If I study in the evening or late night then I barely retain the information since I have little energy and it feels as if I am cramming which never works for me. So, studying after breakfast or lunch I am the most alert.
Moving onto my learning style, study techniques that have worked best for me are, flashcards, reviewing over recordings done in class, practice tests, and regular breaks. These vary from all my classes since some of my courses like Chemistry and Lab I should focus more on practice tests and reviewing over vocabulary. And, other classes like American past and sociology I should put more focus on memorizing and retaining, so taking notes on the recordings and also doing flashcards. New study techniques that I have used this semester are making charts and diagrams to organize my work.
Other than my learning skills, my transition into college has been a rollercoaster rather than a smooth ride. When I first came into college I expected that I was not going to have any free time and the workload was going to be all I had to focus on. But it is way different, I have so much free time and sometimes I do not know what to do with all of it other than studying. What has surprised me the most so far is, how many people I have met that have the same ambitions and goals as me, I have gotten along with so many people in the same major and others in completely opposite majors. But it has made school feel more like a home. I have not faced many difficulties since I have moved on campus but living in a dorm was most likely the biggest transition I needed to get used to. Being at home I had my own room and bathroom so getting used to sharing a room and bathroom with multiple girls has been a transition for me.
Lastly is how I have connected to campus, a challenge that I have had to encounter is starting my English papers, working on transition words, and writing other reports. How I have fixed it is going to the writing center consistently. Since I have been to the writing center, I feel as if my writings are way better and make more sense than they did in the past. So far this semester my biggest supporters in the ODU community have been my roommate and current friend group. My roommate has been there for me since day one of meeting her and she always motivates me and helps me when I am down. Also, my friend group has always been there for me and I met many of them later in the semester but whenever I need to relax and decompress they are always there. I have met many people so far this semester and it has been wonderful, during the involvement fair it was very overwhelming with how many clubs and other activities ODU has. The only interest meeting I attended was the track and field club. I chose to attend it since I ran during my entire high school career and running has always helped me with motivation and my health physically and mentally