No amount of research or preparation can make coming into college normal. Everything is going to be new, exciting, and scary but overall you come out a new person. Everything about college shapes you into this new person but the classes you take have the biggest impact. If you think high school has a lot of different options and opportunities during class selection, then you haven't seen anything yet. When picking classes I felt overwhelmed by the sheer number, but there are ways to narrow down your selections. UMD offers ways to sort by different GEN-ED requirements, which allows you to have classes tailored to your needs. I feel GEN-ED classes let you truly follow what you enjoy and become some of the best classes. I am taking an Apollo missions class which is about the moon landing and the steps that need to be taken to get there. This subject already fascinated me going into college, so getting to learn more about something I am passionate about while fulfilling a GEN-ED requirement was icing on the cake. Now no college course was a walk in the park. For that class, I had to write 10 pages and with most classes, they will have a different amount of rigor than high school classes. However, since I enjoyed the topic I was writing about, it felt no different than writing an English essay in high school about something I hated. If I had one suggestion for deciding what class you should take, pick classes that you enjoy. Not which ones they say are easy or have no homework, but ones that truly fascinate you and make you excited to learn.
Now that you have picked the perfect class there a definitely ways to make class easier. In my experience, if there was one thing I did right in college it would be talking to professors. If I didn’t understand a topic I would go to their office hours. If I was stuck on homework I would ask for help. Yes, there are a lot of students only one professor is teaching but that doesn’t mean they don’t have time for you. The most important part of being successful in the class and future endeavors is making connections with your professor. This is not like high school where teachers follow a standardized curriculum, but professors create the tests and homework. Ask for help and most likely they will give you some insight into what you need to know for tests and homework. Outside of classes, professors can help get into different programs and classes, and have you ever heard of a letter of recommendation? Making connections with your professor opens up a world of possibilities and without it can you even call yourself a college student?
Not only do you have professors but every student around you is in the same boat. Making relations with other students helps you stay mentally and academically on top. Now I can say oh just make some friends, but trust me I know it's not that easy. Coming into college I had no friends from high school and I am not the most outgoing person but the biggest thing I realized is everyone wants to make new friends. I guarantee that if you think something about college a thousand other people have thought the same thing. Now if going up to random people and introducing yourself is too much don’t. All I am saying to do is maybe in class talk to the person next to you about what you are learning. Go get involved with the UMD community, you are not alone.
Now that I have told you everything I have done well, there are parts I was completely unprepared for. School has always been separate from my personal life. I go to school to get a grade and then I go home to have fun. In college, there is no separation, school, and learning is in every aspect of what you do. I thought I didn’t need to join academic clubs because they are just extra work. I was dead wrong. Academic clubs aren’t just an extension of your classes but a whole new experience. Most people are adults in college so there are few restrictions on what is possible in an academic club. Joining an academic club in college is fun and you make some great friends. Learn from my mistakes and join an academic club.