Ava Andrews's "Expectations vs. Reality" Reflection Essay

Reflecting upon my first semester at the University of Maryland, I have noticed that my experiences have differed in many ways from what I had envisioned ahead of time. In general, my expectations on academic rigor and day-to-day life matched my experiences, while I was incorrect about how much independent studying and time management college requires. However, I expected to learn a lot, and I did!

Academic Reflection

As for my classes, I can compare my expectations for course structures, graded items, and more. Going into college, I was not aware of the distinct roles of discussions and lectures. I had expected discussions to be more centered around instruction, but from what I've gathered this semester, discussion sections are instead much more centered around practice that helps us strengthen our understanding and skills based on what was covered in lecture.

Regarding graded items, before I selected my courses, I expected that I would be writing more essays and papers in college. However, I have found that as a STEM major with high school writing credit, there are very few essay assignments, at least in my first year.

Another discrepancy I noticed was my perception of exams in college. I was very unaware of what they would be like, and my experience in high school did not prepare me. In college, I have learned that you have to study for exams actively and often. For example, it does not lead to success when you put minimal time into learning and reviewing content, especially not when you delay your studying to a day before the exam date.

Although the difficulty level of exams was about what I had anticipated, I did not expect to have to prepare so extensively for them outside of class. Since college classes meet much less often than in high school, time to practice and reinforce concepts must be left to independent study. This forced me to learn a lot of studying skills and develop a routine.

Moreover, I did not expect the homework portion of my grade to be a nearly-guaranteed 100%. I now know that instructors implement homework simply for our own benefit as a way to practice. I also didn't expect to have any quizzes in my classes, but discussion sections and online quizzes make this possible. I like quizzes because they help me keep on pace with what I need to be learning.

As a high school student, I did not expect that professors would be so open to answering any questions during lectures, and this semester has taught me that sitting towards the front is critical so that my questions can be facilitated more smoothly.

CPSG Reflection

For the specific class CPSG100, the colloquium course for Science and Global Change Scholars, there were a few aspects that I envisioned differently. First, I expected this class to cover more of climate change's impacts on humanity and focus on climate solutions. For some reason, I was focusing on the "global change" part of the SGC program, and I did not think that we would study the nature of science as deeply as we did.

We went into pseudoscience and why it gets perpetuated across time, logical fallacies, and misconceptions about science. Outside of class, it was a pleasant surprise for me that one of the main activities was discussions based on readings from engaging texts.

As for the excursions, I was expecting more of a field trip, but I was not able to travel anywhere physically due to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History trip getting canceled.

Life as a University Student

As a university student, I had many discrepancies between expectation and reality. I did not anticipate the amount of time that I would have to spend doing work, eating meals, and doing other tasks independently due to peers' diverse schedules. I also did not expect classes to go as late as 8:20pm, which was a difficult time for me to focus.

Next, I expected to be involved in more clubs, which was unrealistic because most people don't have time to be truly committed to more than two regularly-meeting organizations. I also expected that I'd have more room to take courses outside of my major, get sick of dining hall food faster, and spend less money on random necessities.

Lastly, I didn't expect to feel as at-home as I do at college, living in a small dorm away from family.

Advice for Incoming SGC Students

I think it's important for new college students to be aware that they are not alone, and that they don't have to do everything on their own. The next piece of advice that I have for future SGC students is to be consistent with learning as you move through your harder classes. A good way to do this is to practice active recall within 15 minutes of every lecture by writing down what you learned and revising your notes so you understand the content fully.

I also highly recommend finding friends in every class so that you have someone to discuss the class with, get notes from, and study with. I also found that going to bed before midnight and waking up relatively early is essential for setting up your days for success and wellness. It helps to make a schedule for the next day too!

Last modified: 9 December 2025