Alexis' "Expectations vs. Reality" Reflection Essay


I was ecstatic to start my first semester of college at UMD. Since I took several AP classes at my high school, I thought I would be prepared for the courses here. I was half correct with this. With my computer science and calculus courses, I knew a good amount of the material and it helped me greatly. However, the overall workload threw me off. I found myself studying these topics the most. It took me a while to adapt to my schedule and find the best way to get all of my work done. Both of these courses were very content heavy, and we learned a new topic every lecture which forced me stay on top of my studies. I felt a bit underprepared with my time management and found myself at the library more than I was planning. I was not used to this many assignments and needing to study for several hours each day. There was a new computer science project every week, and the prompts got longer as the semester progressed. Calculus gave me two homework assignments every week, with two graded worksheets along with it. The other courses also had a lot of work to do but the content was not as challenging so it was manageable. It was not until the end of the semester where I found a good schedule and routine. Throughout high school I was told that university professors were strict and unyielding. In reality, many of my professors ended up canceling their lectures often and made their classes engaging and lighthearted. Many of them are lenient with grading and understanding that their students have a lot going on in their life. They truly want to help you succeed and want the best for you.


CPSG100 was a very engaging class. I was drawn to the program because of the focus on the environment and climate change and ended up with so much more information than I was expecting. I got to learn about extinction and the history behind the changes in our environment in great detail. Pseudoscience was a topic I was not expecting to cover in this course but it ended up being my favorite lecture. I never thought I would learn about bigfoot and crop circles in my class, but here I am. However, I did wish we talked more about extinct or endangered species that had their populations decimated by human actions. While there was a focus on dinosaurs throughout the semester, I would have also been interested in exploring more modern organisms like the blue whale, vaquitas or spix macaws. It would have been fascinating to predict the future for these critically endangered species and do research on how our interactions with the environment affect them and others.


As for my campus life, I actually love it. I feel like I am living in a little city because the campus is so huge. I love the independence and convenience of living on North Campus. But with independence comes responsibility. I realized I needed to control my spending habits and time management. I ran through my $200 dining dollars in two months, not my proudest moment. As for my time, I realized most of my classes did not require attendance, and the temptation to skip was immense. I was used to attending every class in high school because my attendance was mandatory for playing on the school softball team. There is really nothing stopping me from skipping my lectures every so often in college. Also, sometimes I got carried away when hanging out with my friends, and my priorities were not straight. I caught myself spending too much time with them when I had more pressing matters to attend to like quizzes or assignments due soon. Second semester I will definitely learn from my mistakes.


For the future SGC students: take your first semester seriously. This is the time where you learn how to manage your time and get used to this newfound independence. Get used to the workload and assignments given to you, it will just get harder as you go on. Before classes start, go walk around campus. Figure out where all of your classes are and walk the paths you will take for the following months. Explore study spots and find where you will be the most focused. Be outgoing! College is a fresh start! Get to know the people in your courses as they will be there to help you with assignments and work. You can also rely on them to catch you up if you have to miss a lecture/lab/discussion. You might even find some lifelong friends. Do not be afraid to ask your professors or TAs for help when you need it. You will need to communicate with others and this is a skill needed for the rest of your life and professional career. But most importantly, have fun! Work hard and play harder. Reward yourself every so often, college is stressful. You deserve to have a break after your studying. I love it here at UMD and I am so excited to see where my studies take me.

The Topic:
As you finish up your first semester at the University (and in SGC), it is a time to reflect on the difference between what you expected this to be like and how this experience actually played out. In what ways was life as a college student different than you expected? Specifically address:
Last modified: 8 December 2023