As a freshman who entered with 63 credits as a transfer student, I had to adapt to the courses quickly. After my first set of exams, I realized how hard I would have to work in order to keep up. In the BSCI370 course, Principles of Evolution, I found the most difficulty. This course had me reading chapters in the textbook daily, and then applying the concepts from the textbook in class. I am lucky that the course had an exam drop as I was able to use it for my first exam. After my first exam, I learned how to effectively study from the professor himself. He taught me to make sure the content is in my head by writing it out multiple times and connecting multiple concepts to better understand them. To prepare for my second exam and redeem myself, I bought a lot of notecards and used them in my preparation for the exam. I memorized every concept I needed to then worried about the application of those concepts. The first exam taught me that I had to understand myself to understand how to best study. The exam also taught me to stay composed throughout the semester. There are bound to be difficult times throughout the semester but taking breaks and staying calm can help refresh the mind. In my first semester I took a professional writing course focused on the environment. In this course, I had a class size of around 10 students and I asked many questions to the professor. I would stay after class and ask more questions as I wanted to improve my ability as a writer. I began to attend her office hours to ask for help when writing in my other courses and she got to know me as a person rather than a student. In November, nearing the end of the semester, she emailed me with an internship opportunity that she could only give one of her students. Although I chose not to accept her offer, I am grateful that she considered me as she knew the career I wanted to go into and sent it to me based on that and was happy to help with my application through my essay. Getting to know a professor outside of class can be very helpful and rewarding as they have the best understanding of how to pass courses and succeed at UMD. I have lived in Maryland all my life. Many of the friends I had in high school stayed in UMD and I was able to connect with them again. I was also able to meet many new people through my labs and clubs. It can be hard to make friends when many lectures have 100+ people, but thats why joining clubs that best represent your interests can help find good friends who share your interests. Many upperclassman peers will also give very helpful advice about classes. In my spring semester, my advisor told me not to take two difficult classes at once, but when I asked a TA in one of my classes, he told me that he took both classes in the same semester and it is maintainable with hard work. With friends, study groups can also be formed to study for exams. During many of my exams, I formed a study group with 2-3 people and they helped me understand concepts and vice versa. Having a study group allows you to better understand what they do and teach concepts that you understand better to others. When it came to university, I was not prepared for how much I was in control of my life. There are people who may choose to be on their own while there are others who are always surrounded. Academic and personal lives are dependent on the student. Either way, living in the moment and enjoying every second are valuable as the memories that are made at UMD are invaluable.