Without a doubt, my ENES100 class came as a great surprise to me. As an incoming freshman, I was not prepared for the amount of hands-on learning I was expected to accomplish during my first semester at college. The bulk of the class was spent in a lab, working on a team to construct a robot from scratch, which exactly exemplifies the academic breadth and scope of a research university. For incoming students who plan to pursue a degree in engineering, I suggest that you look forward to these new experiences, as you will learn a lot about both the engineering field, and also learn a great deal about working on a team, as group projects are the basis for lots of engineering assignments.
Incoming students should absolutely look to developing strong relationships with faculty members. There are many benefits to knowing your professors, from making classes easier, to having an experienced member of your program in your back pocket. My greatest success in developing a strong relationship with a faculty member was with my ENES100 professor, which was very helpful when it came to working on the lab, and getting work done during office hours. The best way to foster a relationship with a professor is to go to office hours, and show lots of earnest interest in the subject they teach.
Adjusting to the university is definitely not easy. As an out of state student from Massachusetts, I didn’t know anybody when I came to UMD. But very quickly I found some of my best friends here on my floor, and soon throughout Centerville Hall. From there, I got to meet so many new people from both classes I took, and clubs I joined early on in the semester. Having relationships with fellow students helps the college experience fantastically. Having friends who you can go to class with, go to dinner with, and just hang out with make the campus feel much smaller and easier to manage, and all it takes is being open and friendly to those around you. My best advice for next year’s freshmen is to keep your door open to meet your floormates, and join some clubs early on to make friends with people who share similar interests!
With respect to university academic life, I was least prepared for the work-life balance that is necessary for a college student. In my experience as a freshman this year, the college class workload can be very overwhelming at times. Complicated concepts coupled with hours of homework and projects can take up a lot of your time here at the university. However, it is extremely important that you find a balance between your work for class, and having fun on campus. There’s no question that there is always something to do on campus, what’s important is that you make sure you enjoy your time here, hanging out with friends, going to parties and festivals, while also staying on top of your studies and maintaining good grades. There are many tools out there to help you with maintaining this work-life balance, like calendars that keep track of your tasks, online to-do lists to help you prioritize tasks, and even just regular old-fashioned sticky notes to keep yourself organized. Whatever it is that you use, make sure to stick to your goals, keep those grades up, and remember to have fun!