The transition to college life from high school has been one with many changes and adjustments. Some of these changes include different class schedule structures, increased independence, new foods, and new living conditions. In this reflection, I will discuss how some of these changes affected me and how they compared to my expectations of college from high school.
The structure, delivery, and workload for most of my classes had a few differences from what I expected in high school. I was a little surprised by how acceptable it is to skip classes. I do not skip class often but it is nice to have the opportunity to choose to use that time for homework or extra sleep when necessary. The structure of my classes in terms of timing also differed from what I expected. I assumed that I would go to my classes each day and then spend most of the remainder of my day doing homework. However, my schedule provides me with a great deal of free time, to spend time with friends, exercise, and eat at the dining hall. I was especially surprised that my schedule worked out in a way that I only have one class every other Friday. Having this free time on Fridays makes my weekends feel longer and is helpful to my mental health. Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised by the attitudes of most of my teachers. Almost all of my professors from the first semester have been very approachable, caring, and lenient in respect to late work or extensions.
Within the scholars program, I was most surprised by the nature of outside-of-classroom activities. I was not at all expecting to be required to complete service activities. I thought that scholars would consist of simply taking the class and possibly some optional educational events. I was also not expecting us to cover so much material relating to logical fallacies. This is a topic that I felt was not directly related to the topic of science and global change, however, this lesson provided me with information that is very useful in argumentation and life and general. A topic that I thought would be covered more thoroughly this semester is the development of practices and technology that are being implemented to decrease the negative impacts of humans on the environment. I would love to learn more about topics like solar energy, beekeeping, and sustainable living. I’m sure that these topics will be addressed in further detail at some point in a later semester. I am excited to learn about what changes can be made to better the state of the environment. This year, I live in Centreville Hall and am happy about my living conditions. My dorm room is small but my roommate and I do a good job of keeping it clean together. I expected my dorm to be like this and I’m grateful that I have a roommate that values neatness in a way that is similar to how I do. In high school I envisioned myself spending much of my time inside of the library, writing papers and studying for exams. However, I have never gone to the library. I have found that I am much happier doing my school work when I am outdoors or at least near a source of natural light. When the weather permits, I like to sit at the tables outside of Centreville and when it is cold or rainy I complete my work in the chairs nearby Quantum Cafe where there are many windows to let in sunlight. At the University of Maryland, I also surprised myself by going to the gym frequently and joining the club running and club lacrosse teams. At home, I never went to the gym because I did not have a membership but now I love to go to workout classes or exercise with my friends. The impulsive decision to join the club sports teams mentioned above has also provided me with a great number of new friends that I would not have otherwise met. In high school, I would have never guessed that I would be a member of these teams in college. The first piece of advice that I would give to future Science and Global Change students is to become involved in as many activities on campus as possible. Involvement in clubs is a great way to meet new people and to keep busy in a fun way. It can also be fun to attend the many events hosted by our building. My friends and I have loved going to events like sip and paint where the school gave us apple cider, paintbrushes, and canvases to create art for our dorm rooms. I would also recommend registering for a course load that is manageable and enjoyable. This semester I selected courses that I was interested in and I registered for 14 credits. By doing this, I felt that I was able to manage my school work well and maintain my mental health. I would also recommend that new students attempt to make friends within their classes or at least ask for a classmate’s contact information. This can be very useful when one needs to miss class or is confused about a homework assignment.