This was my first history class at Longwood and I was very nervous about it. During high school I was never the best at history and always ended all my history classes with a B. My dad is the best at history and loves the subject especially U.S. history. This class was focused on western civilization which I was the worst at.

After the first few classes I approached the professor because I wanted to know how to be successful in his class. His advice to me was to read the textbook, take detailed notes, and come to office hours if I was ever confused on anything. This was some of the best advice I had received from him. I read the textbook everyday before class and I would take notes on what I read in order to help me understand what was being discussed in class. The most rewarding part of this was when I got my first exam back with a 96.

Later in the semester we had a large paper to write in Chicago style which I had never done before. I was freaking out because I was never taught Chicago style in high school and I did not know where to start. During my time while I wrote this paper I was in my professors office for help on how to insert footnotes and how to cite all my sources. He was always so welcoming and helpful throughout the whole semester. At the end, I felt very confident about my paper on the history of Florence Nightingale and ended up getting a 98 on my paper. This was so rewarding because I never thought I would have a high A in any history class. 

I am so happy I took this class and was able to grow from this experience. I never thought I would be able to be successful in history and I was able to accomplish one of my goals.