I came to the University of Maryland from a public magnet arts and technology school very similar to that of the TV show Victorious. Immediately upon stepping on campus I noted a different atmosphere. My high school was small and very diverse with maybe 2,000 students whereas the University of Maryland is a predominately white institution with more than 30,000 undergraduate students.
As an incoming STEM major, I am not quite sure what I was expecting but it is nothing like my first semester experience. I felt like I was immediately thrown into the deep end with weights tied around both of my ankles. I could only keep my head above water for so long. I found myself struggling in my Chemistry, Math, and Mechanics classes almost immediately. I was able to enjoy my biology class as I found the topic and scope of the class very interesting. Once I was able to find people in my other classes and begun to from a support system, I felt myself finding my bearing a bit.
My calculus teaching assistant was amazing, going over material in office hours, and holding review sessions on his own time, he explained the math in a way I could easily comprehend. By forming a strong relationship with him I was able to reach out this semester for help in my calculus 2 class, where he switched me into his TA group, and he became my TA for the second semester as well. By forming this relationship, I felt like there was a person I could go to for help if I really needed it.
However, I did not have the same student teacher relationships in my other classes and continues to struggle with Chemistry and Mechanics. It wasn’t until I found people who were also struggling and worked together with them that I was able to get my head above water. By finding a group of people who understood the classes and were willing to work with me and hang out outside of class I found it easier to go to lecture and had a better time in class. I think the relationships I formed with other students helped me when it came to studying and understanding the classes overall. I ended up passing all my classes but still had lower grades than I ever would have had in high school.
I was a straight A student with a 4.0 GPA, so learning how to accept that myself worth is not defined by a letter or a number grade was another challenge I had to overcome. I realized that my success is not measured by my grade but the effort and work that I put into my classes, and this is still something I am working on.
I may have loaded my freshman year first semester schedule a little too much 4 STEM classes right at the beginning was a challenge I was not prepared for. Finals were especially challenging. Having never had finals in high school I was ill prepared for 4 finals in 3 days with my chemistry and biology finals being only an hour apart. The second semester I feel far more prepared for what to expect and while I have a significantly a smaller number of finals, I learned a lot from the chaos that was the first semester.