Eryn Gaither's Freshman Time Capsule Essay

I have created this essay in order to inform incoming students on what to expect here at the University of Maryland!

  • The courses that have surprised me the most and I ended up actually quite enjoying were LARC151, PLSC110, and PLSC111. LARC151 is a landscape and architecture class that focuses on implementing green spaces into urban communities. Going into the class, I thought that the topic was going to be uninteresting. I had assumed that the structure of the class would work in a lecture and then discussion kind of way. I ended up being quite wrong in my assumption and we actually were designing green spaces and communities and actually working on improving communities that had little to no green spaces. I liked this class so much that I am actually changing my major to landscape architecture with a focus on urban design! PLSC110 is an introductory course into horticulture where we focused on learning about botany and horticulture and PLSC111 is its corresponding lab. I have always had an interest in plants and if you do as well I highly recommend this course and its lab. I was surprised with the amount of field work that we did in the class and it was actually quite fun! I discovered these classes through my advisor, so if you ever find yourself wondering if a class is worthwhile, talk to your advisor. There is a strong chance that they know about it and if they don't they will always try and get you some information on it.

  • When it comes to developing relationships with faculty, the best thing that you can do is contact them whenever you need help, and participate in their class. Especially if it's a larger one. You will stand out to faculty members whenever you interact with them directly. I understand that college can be quite terrifying in the beginning so I recommend that you go to office hours if you are afraid of putting yourself out there in a lecture hall with over 100 students. Also asking for help shows professors that you care to understand what they are teaching you and it also shows initiative. Plus, you never know, all of that initiative you've shown could absolutely come back and help whenever you need a recommendation or just for someone to be able to vouch for you. All of the things that I previously mentioned are what allowed me to be successful in building relationships with faculty members and I highly recommend that you do these things too.

  • For me personally, building relationships with other students wasn't easy. It felt like everyone already knew each other and after having so many friends in high school I genuinely felt like I was good at making friends. But the truth is that just about everyone else feels the exact same way. No one wants to be the person to start a conversation or introduce themselves, so you can be that person. You could also join a club or student organization on campus. There are so many of them available that you are sure to find people with similar interests to you and that's a pretty good start to a friendship. I made most of my friends from clubs and the classes that I have been in. I offered to study together, get lunch, and other things of that nature and that's how I ended up with the friends that I have now. Plus, having people in your inner circle that are going through similar experiences as you is a good way to help you get through tough times.

  • I would say that I was least prepared for the realization that I was somewhat on my own and stepping into the adult world. Every opportunity you want or would like to experience you have to get there yourself. Nothing is going to be handed to you. And this doesn't mean that faculty members won't be here to help you along your journey but everything that you want is up to you to get it. But if you truly believe that this is something you can do and you want it, then you will absolutely have it.

    Last modified: 10 May 2024