Greatest Surprise
Gen chem lab surprised me. In Gen chem lab, we had to figure out how to do the lab procedure without guidance and then write professional-like research papers. The biggest surprise from this class was how much time it took and how beneficial it was to future internships. Although it was a two-credit class, I spent roughly six hours a week on the class. I think it's crucial to pick enjoyable classes. There's no point in spending money and time in a class that you don't enjoy. It's also important to understand that what you get from a class is what you put in. For Gen chem lab, although it took me a couple of extra hours, I did outside research to help me understand what we were doing in the lab and find the relevance of the lab to the outside world. Although the class was beneficial overall, it was super difficult. In high school, many assignments you can (not to be crude) half-ass. Classes like gen chem lab, you can't half-ass it. You have to be dedicated to it and work hard. Writing many papers gets very tiring, but again hard work reaps rewards and success.
Faculty Mentors
The strongest mentor relationship I have is with Dr. Merck. I think the greatest success is being bold and having small talk with them. If you are a shy person, I recommend the "fake it til you make it" strategy. I remember on service day, I talked to Dr. Merck while we were waiting to go onto the bus. Luckily, Dr. Merck was a part of the Chesapeake Scholars faculty. He knew that I was in Chesapeake Scholars and SGC, so he picked me to mentor. I also recommend a person that you know that your personality will match. Dr. Merck is very extroverted, and I'm an extroverted-introvert, so we get along very well. One obstacle to finding a faculty mentor is finding opportunities to talk to them. I think the best ways to get to know your professors and create a mentoring relationship are asking questions or participating in class, talking to your teacher after class, and going to office hours. Make yourself known in a good way.
You should put in the effort and time to obtain good relationships with your professors.
Student Relationships
Making friends makes adjusting to school easy in two ways: helping you cope mentally and helping you cope academically. I have friends who helped me adjust to being more independent and helped me cope with missing my family. These friends make sure I don't get burnt out, because they are my break from schoolwork. I also have friends who help me cope academically. These friends help me keep on top of my work and help me when I don't understand my schoolwork. I think the hardest thing in college is balancing social life and academic life, but these friends keep me in check. Making friends isn't the easiest thing, but in college, it's honestly really easy. I recommend on the first day of classes, talk to at least one person. Then you have someone you can sit by, if you miss class they can give you their notes, and you can study with them outside of class. I also recommend going to clubs. Just exposing yourself to new people and places can help you create new friends, and you'll eventually find someone you click with.
Least Prepared Aspects of College
I was least prepared to find a good social and academic balance. I'm a bit of a people pleaser, so I hate to say no to hanging out. Choosing to hang out with my friends did have bad effects because it took time away from my school work. This hurts my future self because some work gets piled up. I recommend always standing up for your values, respecting your time, and always reflecting. College is all about finding yourself, and that doesn't occur immediately. It's all about trial and error. Don't do anything that goes against your core values, but try new things and reflect on whether it works for you. It's two weeks away from the end of freshman year, and I finally found a schedule that works for me. I don't know if it'll work for me in the future, but again it's all about trial and error.