I've learned a lot about my skills and interests from each class I've taken at UMD. One of the most interesting classes I've taken so far is BIOE120. Before taking the class, I had no idea what to expect from it - biology is such a broad subject, and with so many new developments in bioengineering, I couldn't picture how our professor would be able to condense the material into a one-semester course. In this course, I got to learn about a range of applications of bioengineering, including gene editing, enzyme kinetics, and biofuel production. I thoroughly enjoyed the lessons because they focused a lot more on recent discoveries and real-world applications of bioengineering rather than plain textbook knowledge. There was also a brief lab project in the course, which I did not know lecture classes could have. From this class, I gained a much stronger interest in bioengineering and biofuel research.
Developing relationships with faculty is super important and can open many doors. Most of my STEM classes have 100+ students in them, so it's not always easy to approach those professors. However, I was lucky enough to enroll in a STEM class with less than 40 people this semester. One day, my professor started talking about his research on biofuels, and I was very interested in exploring this area, so I asked him about open positions in his lab after class. I was surprised to learn how accepting professors were to students interested in joining their research. My advice to incoming students is to check out what kind of research your professors do, and if you're interested in their work, ask them about it! They’re usually excited to talk about their work, and you could find yourself a new research opportunity.
Adjusting to university life can be hard at times, but collaborating with other students can help make the adjustment much easier. As a commuter, I thought it would be difficult for me to make new friends, but in reality, the students here are very approachable and friendly. I got to make friends in my classes by talking to the people I sat next to and joining study groups. A lot of my high school friends go to UMD as well, so I got to meet people through them. Outside of classes, it's also important to join clubs, because clubs are a great way to find people with similar interests as you. In my case, joining the Brazilian student association helped me build a lot of meaningful friendships with people who share my cultural identity, which has helped me feel more connected to my culture. Having a support system and building friendships with your peers is extremely important for your mental health, and will make your college experience a lot more enjoyable.
One of the main things that I was least prepared for in university academics is how misleading course credits can be in gauging the difficulty of classes. Some of my most stressful classes were one-credit STEM classes. Most STEM classes require you to put in a good amount of effort to succeed, but I feel that teachers put less effort into teaching in one-credit classes while assigning material of the same difficulty as 3-credit classes, so it takes more dedication to do well. Forming study groups, collaborating with peers, reaching out to TAs, and attending office hours have helped me greatly in getting through these classes, so I definitely encourage future students to do the same.