The courses that surprised me the most were my major courses. Throughout highschool, I was good at chemistly and math, so I thought the transition from high school to college would've been a breeze. The first day in my first ChemE course, my professor went "If you're here because you're good at high school chemistry, prepare for the worst. Chemical engineering is nothing like that." And it scared me. But, as time went on I realized I had nothing to worry about because the class felt like a breeze. I prepared for the worst, and was estatic when the worst was never reached.

In order to establish strong relationships with faculty, I attended as many office hours and learning communities as possible. Even if I did not have any questions, I would go to have a conversation with my professors and their teaching assistants. Not only did I form stable enough relationships with them so I can ask whatever dumb questions I may have, I have a good relationship with them so they can write recommendations and references for me. These small interactions have greatly benefitted my future.

Forming relationships with fellow UMD students enabled me to keep myself going. When I had a lot of work that I was not able to do in my room, I would grab a few friends and go to a dorm lounge or McKeldin and do work with them. Oddly enough, having them there with me kept me in check and allowed me to focus on my work. They were also there for me if I ever felt alone or stressed, and helped me with whatever I needed whenever I needed.

I was least prepared for the sheer amount of coursework at the end of each semester. Multiple classes of mine has semester-long projects that were all due the day before reading day, leaving me with little to no time to study for my finals. If I could do this year differently, I would establish communicaiton with my groupmates as early as possible. I would also take as much time as possible to work on the project early in the semester.

Last modified: 18 December 2022