Before I actually left to live on campus I wasn't very excited about college at all. In my head it was just going to be more school. Until a few months before arriving on campus I was intending on coming to UMD to do information technology, to continue the associates degree I completed in highschool at PGCC. I realized that I don't like IT much at all and decided to switch my major to physics, something I think is more in line with what I like and what I'm good at. Now that I rethought my goals I was able to actually engage with the positive aspects of college life. I live in Centreville, and so far living at UMD has been great for me. College has forced me to rethink a lot of how I approach academics because college is both less directed, and harder than anything was in high school. Overall UMD is meeting my expectations in most areas and in some it is even exceeding them.
I expected adjusting to living in the dorms on campus to be a much harder transition than it was for me. I didn't have a roommate before I arrived on campus and I know for many people that can make or break their first semester. I like to think I got pretty lucky with my roommate Nathaniel as we haven't had many problems and share a handful of interests. I was initially dreading having to share the toilets and showers with everyone on the floor, but I got over that pretty quickly as it actually doesn't change my routines that much. One thing I was looking forward to and was definitely not disappointed in was the dining halls. Since the Cambridge community is so close to the Yahentamitsi I almost exclusively eat there. There are a bunch of options there but to be honest, I eat pretty much the same thing everyday. I also like North Campus Dining's ice cream and South's pizza, but I only go to those occasionally. Since I didn't bring my car with me to campus I was worried what shopping would be like but luckily the convenience stores on campus are pretty convenient and stay open late. In addition to that I also need to buy a lot less stuff than I thought I would since most of my food comes from the dining halls. Though now that I don't live with my parents I am responsible for a lot of my own time managements. At home I would simply do chores on the weekends and call it a day but on campus I have to plan around things like when club meetings are, early/late classes, and even stuff like when the washing machines will be free. This struggle carries over to academics as well which I am still trying to figure out.
I knew that there was going to be a big difference academically between college and high school. The freedom that college gives is a blessing and a curse. Many instructors leave homework entirely up to you and it's on you to make sure you don't fall behind. I knew these parts were going in but I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was. Another part of high school I didn't realize affected my studying so much was the time you'd be in school but in a class where you aren't working. In a lot of these 'free' classes I would study and get work done for other classes because there wasn't much else. This is very different in college because there's always something else to do and I have to make myself work. I knew that college classes would both be harder and move faster than highschool classes and I think this aspect I have adjusted to well enough making sure I don't fall behind, for too long, in my classes. Currently I am struggling in a few classes so I hope to bring my grades up with finals. One thing that completely blindsided me despite it making perfect sense is how in college there are far fewer opportunities to fix your grades. Many classes having 2 exams worth 80% of your grade can be really scary if you mess up on one of the exams. Overall I'm still working out how I will proceed academically but I believe I am making progress
So far college has been really enjoyable in large part due to the people I've met on campus. In highschool I was a pretty closed off person and to some extent I still am but on campus I met plenty of people who I enjoy being around. In large part this through me joining on campus clubs relating to interests I have something I regret not doing in high school. I know there's still a lot of work for me to do but I'm hopeful for the future.