Coming to the University of Maryland has allowed me access to a lot of resources. I've been told there are major differences in scope compared to high school and university.
I have found this to be true. Here, there are a variety of courses and experiences available and easily accessible. For instance my child development psyc 355 class. In my high school the only psychology class offered was AP psychology and though I loved the class, child development was only a small topic taught that year. I discovered the class through my roommate’s sister while she was helping me set up my 4 year plan. At university, one is able to delve deeper in the content and obtain a more specialized education. Having courses only last one semester instead of two also allows more opportunities to learn.
I have also found great benefit in developing mentoring relationships with faculty. In school, I never made an effort to establish a relationship with my teachers. In university, getting to know your professors opens up many doors. At first I was very uncomfortable with the idea because I did not know how to initiate the conversation. I found the idea to be very intimidating. But in reality it is quite easy. Some advice to incoming students who want to pursue a mentoring relationship, the best way is to make an effort. It can be as simple as introducing yourself after the first day of class. Another way is to go to office hours when you need help. You can ask your questions and get to know your professors.
Adjusting to university can be very daunting but I found having friends to fall back on to be a great help. Pursuing friendships in college is surprisingly easier than making friends anywhere else. In university, especially freshman year, everyone is looking for friends. Everyone is very open and actually want people to come up to them. I think the best way I have made friends is by finding at least one person in every class, starting a conversation with them and sharing contacts.
An aspect of university life, in retrospect, I was the least prepared for was being sick at university. I think some good advice is to have a good stash of medication in your dorm. You are responsible for your own health. Make sure to remember to drink water and get enough sleep. Something I also was not prepared for was the dining halls closing at 9. At home, I ate dinner in the middle of the night. Adjusting was difficult and I found myself pushing off dinner until it was too late to go. I would then have to creep my way down to the convenience store and spend money. I wasted a lot of money, especially because they jack up the prices. Robbed me blind really but a great selection of ramen so I won't stop. In the end, I found bringing tupperware and packing food to take back to the dorm to be the best solution. The swiper hand scan thing was and is difficult. I don't know how people can do it in one go. I think the most difficult part of university I experienced this year though was moving the minifridge up. It was heavy and my dad was screaming at me. There are also a lot of hills on campus. Was out of breath a lot.