One of the coolest courses I've taken so far was called "Living the Good Life: The Psychology of Happiness." I just needed a class my first semester that would fill a Gen Ed requirement and I didn't want to take another STEM course. In the class, I learned all about the new movement in psychology focusing on what it means to thrive as a human and had a workbook where I had a different "happiness exercise" each week which gave me time to get away from the workload of all my classes and do something for myself, for a grade. I was simply looking for a humanities credit, but I stumbled upon the most fun class I've taken so far that is more unique than many other Gen Eds. My biggest recommendation is to take advantage of Gen Ed requirements. They feel like a chore and have an annoying reputation, but they really are there for a reason. If you're like me, they not only give you a break from a boatload of STEM courses, but can be an interesting and fun way to get a wider range of knowledge under your belt and interact with people outside of your major courses. So I urge you to look beyond the first, lowest credit, simplest option available when signing up for courses. I signed up to take a lab next semester which is an overwhelming and scary requirement, but I picked "The Amazing Green: Plants that Transformed the World," and I'm really excited to take it now.
Making meaningful mentor-like relationships with your professors is an important and beautiful part of college. I am a relatively shy person and wish I made more of an effort during my first year to reach out to my professors. I have a few friends who have reached out to their professors asking to come into their office and chat and I have yet to hear of a bad experience. It's a difficult thing to do in a large school where it's easy to feel like you're drowning in a lecture of hundreds of students, and I doubt a few of my instructors would know my name if I saw them outside of class. One thing about the University of Maryland that I really like is that some of my classes have been really small. My communications class and my scholars English class both only had around 15 students. There was one specific English class this semester where it was a rainy day, and I was the only person that showed up for the first 5 minutes of class. Since I struggle to go out of my way to create meaningful relationships with my professors, the conversation I had with my professor about his experience vacationing in Dublin and the U2 concert he was looking forward to was a memorable one. In CPSG, one assignment for second semester was a 15 minute interview with either Dr. Holtz, Dr. Merck, or one of the TAs where you would engage in an open-ended conversation about future plans. This was an easy way to initiate a relationship with a professor or a TA. I really have valued little experiences like these which help me start to feel that mentorship relationship that students and professors can have and I would highly recommend taking advantage of any opportunity you have to get closer to your professors. It really will benefit you in the long run.
My friendships with my peers at UMD are definitely a saving grace for when college gets hard. It can be really isolating to struggle when you're living away from home. It's important to remember that you aren't alone, and having someone to talk to about the overwhelming amount of schoolwork you have or how homesick you're feeling who is probably going through the same things is a big relief. Even if you are just doing homework with someone who sits next to you in class, it makes that incredibly intimidating list of homework assignments feel less overwhelming to me. One of the hardest things about relationships in college is that everyone is busy. This was something that wasn't a problem first semester when a lot of my friends were in my classes so it was easy to see them all the time. We'd get lunch after class and do our work together. But this semester, our schedules were no longer the same and it took a lot of effort to keep the same people in my life. This is totally normal, and it seems that every semester might be decisive in terms of who is worth the effort to stay in your life. Prioritize the people that make you feel good, and it will definitely pay off!
I was honestly not prepared for how hard some courses will be. While this may seem obvious and my courses were definitely not easy in high school, some college courses are next level. In high school sometimes a class would involve some extra effort, but generally I could understand the material and get A's on any test I worked hard for. Some classes in college have exam averages in the 40s, and a 65 is something to celebrate. I heard people say this all the time and I understood college would be different, but I was able to get through first semester with the same mindset as high school and maintain a 4.0. In college, there is a point where you will be humbled. It happens to every single student on campus, and it will be really frustrating. There will be a course that just doesn't click, and it will take a ton of effort. Most likely those courses will be (heavily) curved and your grade will probably be fine if you do your best and talk to your professor when you're struggling. Its definitely a bonding experience for you and all the other students struggling in the class with you and it will be so rewarding when it's over. Don't be afraid of a hard course feeling hard. It's normal!