First Semester Reflection

My first semester at IUPUI has been filled with so many memories, experiences, and challenges. I have made so many new connections and friendships along the way. I started applying for colleges around October of my senior year of high school. I heard back from IUPUI in November of 2022 that I had been excepted into my dream major, Exercise Science! I knew from then on that coming to IUPUI was what I needed to do. I worked hard all of high school to get good grades, a 3.83 unweighted GPA, and still balance sports, a social life, and volunteering. I looked forward to coming to college because I was ready to challenge myself and learn about what interested me- the human body. Orientation time came around and I was nervous, but also very excited at the same time. Meeting all these new people and seeing the school was such a surreal moment for me. Next was Bridge Week where I met some of my best friends. I will never get over how great of an experience Bridge Week was for me. All of the team building exercises, group projects, and get to know you activities helped me open up and feel at home. All of the leaders, professors, and especially the mentors were so genuine. After Bridge Week was over, I started going to classes and getting a feel at what college life was actually like. I learned quickly how to study and how to manage 17 credit hours. I learned how to focus and how to plan out my day in order to get as much done as possible. I was organized before college, so I used my skills and previous knowledge and applied that to my current studies.

A significant learning experience that I had this semester was my CAP (Career Action Plan) assignment in P212 which is my Introduction to Exercise Science class with Professor Fallowfield. This assignment was created to help us understand the bigger picture of life after college. It helped us breakdown how we were going to accomplish our career goal, what is required to get to our end goal, budgeting for our future, and common interview questions that we may come across in the future. This project was significant to me and stood out because it was so helpful and eye-opening. Becoming aware of what the real world entails is important for us all to know and understand. Learning how to budget is also a very important life skill that many people my age lack. Becoming educated and informed is the first step to success. Overall, the CAP assignment taught me all about my dream career and the steps it takes for me to get there. A lot of people just pick a career and don't dig deep into it, which usually causes someone to be unaware and can lead to failure. I believe this assignment sets us all up for success. Another significant learning experience that I had experienced this semester was a virtual exchange project for my N220 nutrition course with Professor Scherzinger. I learned about how nutrition recommendations vary from country to country. I also found it interesting how certain food groups are emphasized more in the US than they are in the UK. I believe this was significant because I got to meet someone new from another country. Getting to know someone that I otherwise never would have met was such a interesting and overall beneficial learning experience.

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I have easily been able to recognize my strengths and weaknesses over the past 3 months. I know that I am good at time management and organizing my day-to-day life. I use a planner to keep track of everything I have going on, so that I don't forget any assignments or get overwhelmed with too many tasks at once. I learned that another one of my strengths is balancing my school life with my personal life. I have found a great balance by making sure my school work is done and to work hard during the day so that I can relax for the most part at night. Some of my weaknesses that I have recognized are that I get stressed out and worried over little things. I know that in the long run it will all work out the way its supposed to, so learning to positively work through the stress is important to me. 

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One big lesson I learned this semester was to study during the early parts of the day. I personally feel like I am more productive in the morning and I recall information better if I try to memorize things early on in the day. I can apply this knowledge to my future by scheduling classes early in the day instead of at night if possible to ensure I am learning my best. I can also study earlier in the day and save other assignments for later in the day. One piece of advice I would give myself for next semester is to keep making flashcards for things and to ask for help when I need. I have been to the MAC (Math Assistance Center) and it has helped me a lot with math concepts I don't understand.