After roughly three months of life at college during a pandemic, I can say confidently that virtually nothing about college has turned out the way I expected. While it is unfair to compare my college experience this semester to ones of the past, I am still shocked at how far my expectations deviated from reality. Thinking about college growing up, I had never imagined a fall without football, or being stowed away in a dorm watching lectures virtually from a computer all day, or that I would need a mask to walk five feet down the hall.
This being said, I am slightly underwhelmed with my college experience this far. Taking all my classes within a foot of my bed has definitely been a unique experience and one that has been equally challenging as it is comfortable. Also, learning virtually through a screen has been an interesting adventure. I will admit that I have enjoyed not having to leave my room to go to office hours or study sessions, but it has been exceptionally difficult to maintain my attention through hours and hours of staring at a screen. Aside from the pandemic, I was surprised at the amount of work I was assigned this semester. In high school, I had always been a student that stayed on top of their work and did projects the day they were assigned. However, in college, I was unprepared for the sheer amount of work given each day and I struggled to submit assignments on time, let alone early. On a brighter note however, I have found my classes to be more interesting in college than high school. I have especially enjoyed my Greek Mythology class this semester because the content has been very engaging and fascinating. Overall, I would say that the courses I have experienced in college are similar in that they are all rigorous, highly focused on particular subjects, and challenging.
My experience with CPSG100 this semester has been quite unique as well. I did not expect that this course would discuss subjects not specifically related to climate change such as logical fallacies and pseudoscience. However, prior to this class, I had not realized how much these topics pertained to science and how critical their understanding was in attaining accurate research. On the other hand, I had expected this course to cover topics such as dinosaurs and prehistoric climates in greater detail, but these subjects may be discussed in greater depth at another point in the school year. Finally, on the topic of the course in general, I had expected there to be far more hands-on field trips and events, but I understand that these circumstances are obviously very challenging and that these types of activities are simply not practical for this school year.
Life as a University of Maryland student has not been anywhere near what I once imagined when I thought of myself as a college student. For starters, as I touched on earlier, I never anticipated a pandemic to coincide with my first semester away from home. It has been disappointing to live on campus without the usual perks of football games, parties, and experiencing college fully without the looming fear of contracting Covid-19. In highschool, I had also always imagined college to be a place where I would meet many new people and experience new opportunities. Once again, university life has failed me in this department as social distancing restrictions have made it difficult to venture out and meet new people. Aside from the pandemic aspect of university life, I have found it exciting to live in a dorm and experience at least that component of college. It has been fun to engage with my classmates both in class and at Centreville because I got to know them on a far more personal level than any of my classmates in the past. In this light, the pandemic has been positive for forging relationships with my peers and uniting us in tighter bonds than life under normal circumstances likely would.
Looking back on the year this far, I would say I have learned a lot about the college experience as a whole. My advice for future SGC students is to come into college prepared to work. While the amount of work and expectations for certain classes differ, it is a good idea to mentally prepare yourself to work hard because college will start off on a much better note than going in with a mindset that college is just partying and fun. I would also stress the importance of keeping your assignments and exams organized because it makes life significantly harder when you are all over the place. While it is important to keep school as the number one priority, college is also a time to meet new people and put yourself out there. In this respect, I would advise incoming SGC students to come into college open minded and willing to seek out new opportunities because you never know where it could take you.
Overall, my past semester at University of Maryland was definitely a unique experience and one that I will likely never forget. There were some surprises and challenges, but I am optimistic that my college experience will improve next semester and in semesters following.