As a first-year student at the University of Maryland, everything seems to be going well so far (although this is possibly susceptibly to change in the future, who knows.).
My experience with this college and the College Park Scholars Program has been fruitful in many aspects and I hope it continues to stay that way in the future. I have met many different people from different circumstances and situations. Everything is quite enjoyable in the sense that I have finally been given the chance to socialize after such an agonizing isolation period due to the pandemic, and I am sure many will agree with this.
Courses at the University of Maryland: I quite enjoy studying at the University and the courses I have taken so far. The courses addressed for my major, computer science, are challenging to an extent and very engaging. The lecturers and professors are amazing at their job which is a huge improvement from how a few of my high school teachers have taught (in the same subject). I had always expected college to have a very convoluted and complicated style of teaching. This is contradictory to how I am currently learning. The pacing of the professors seemed extremely fast at first. I had a bit of a hard time keeping up with them during the first week, but I quickly adjusted and realized how well everything fit into my learning pace. One of my professors gives quizzes each week, and as much as I grumble upon taking them, they have served as a very efficient tool of constantly reviewing both old and new material. This has greatly helped me in studying for bigger exams and I do not have to worry about cramming every piece of knowledge the night before. The grading procedure is also very straightforward for most of my professors as none of them give busywork. This helps me focus on relevant topics and practice as such, rather than completely diverting (which was a common occurrence in many of my high school courses).
The CPSG100 Course: The College Park Scholars Program is quite enjoyable. Specifically in the Science and Global Change aspect of the program, before taking this class, I had not heard of the many different types of logical fallacies that can falsify certain hypotheses in scientific topics. I also have not heard of Carl Sagan’s toolbox before taking this course. In a way, I have learned many beneficial topics that help with discerning scientific topics that appear to be productive from opinionated claims. The topic I had enjoyed the most was on pseudoscience. I enjoy learning about phenomena that are not necessarily supported through science, and how they can be proved to be false claims. I was very much hoping to learn more about climate change and how a global cooling can be induced through it, however, I have learned about many other interesting topics in this semester. The out-of-the-classroom activities were also very enjoyable, and I had not expected them to be so hands-on. I enjoyed the Metro Scavenger Hunt very much as it was a very nice change of pace of knowing the ins and outs of traveling. Through this program, I have met many different kinds of people of different backgrounds and majors, and I suppose that was the most enjoyable aspect of the program.
Life as a University Student: I am a commuter student who lives pretty close to College Park, MD. I have to say, life at the university far exceeds my life as a high school student. I very much enjoy having the freedom to stay on and off campus between classes with friends. We often hangout in different places and that makes such a vast campus more comfortable to traverse in. However, I underestimated how large the campus is. Having to walk nearly two miles is another thrill to this university. Although there are shuttle buses, I enjoy walking more. For the first semester, even my schedule had been extremely lenient. Throughout high school, it is impossible to count how many times I have been tardy to my first class. I believe I am a good student, but I am obviously not a morning person. During registration for courses at UMD, I managed to create my schedule without any morning classes (at least for the first semester) and it is my best decision. High school teachers have constantly warned their students about how college would be awfully strict about every aspect of life, but clearly that does not seem to be the case. I have built many types of relationships in such a short time, and this has allowed me to feel more comfortable at this university.
Advice to Future SGC Students: The only advice that I can possibly give out to future students in CPSG is to do their best and have good participation. The course is simple possibly because the professors are amazing at making the content as engaging as possible. The course material helps in preparing students for different objectives of topics discussed in class. Having an open mind to anything and the will to communicate is most important (for this course and in general). Being mindful and staying cautious of one’s surroundings is also an important skill to have in easing into college life. The only thing I can say is to always try one’s best (this is objective to how one is faring in life because the “best” is not always achieving perfection.).