College has mostly lived up to my expectations, as I was aware that I would need to embrace greater independence in order to succeed. However, I did not take into account the factors associated with this newfound independence. 6 months ago, I was still deliberating on what I was going to study, where I was going to go for college, and how I could translate my academic life into a suitable career. I also thought that going to college would transform me into a new person and that I would automatically know what I wanted to do, which was not the case. I learned that the transition to college required gradual adjustments and that independence takes time. In terms of classes, I thought that I would be able to manage my time more efficiently as I would have more time to set my own schedule and free days. This circumstance tested my time management skills and forced me to adapt to a standard college schedule, since I began maximizing my procrastination. I also thought that I could handle 8 AM classes since my classes started at the same time in high school, which was an incorrect assumption. Unfortunately, I also did not expect that course scheduling would prioritize upperclassmen, leaving me with more 8 AM’s for the second semester. I was warned about the outright size of UMD and how large my classes would be, which I’ve been able to adapt to. Additionally, my grades in my classes are dictated by exams and quizzes, which was not completely the case for high school, which placed a more sizable weight on worksheets and homework assignments. Downplaying this caused me to change my study habits and prioritize more of my time studying for crucial tests. Moving on, I went into college expecting that college was more centered on making connections with others instead of solely learning (and cramming) content. In the beginning of the school year, I created an intramural soccer team which I was pretty satisfied with as it allowed me to assemble my friends and to be active once a week. I also went to one Hindu Student Association meeting, which helped expand my social circle and learn about on-campus religious events. Although the season for intramural soccer ended, I made it a habit to work out at Eppley at least once a week in order to stay active and bond with my friends. The expectation that college was more about making deep connections was not unfounded and turned out to mostly align with reality. Despite the excitement of college life, I still felt fatigued by the academics. I said I would come home once a month, but I found myself coming home every other weekend in order to break my routine and see my family. Nonetheless, I still introduced myself to new people, being able to introduce myself through mutual friends of my friend group from high school. Being close to home, I found it easy to make connections with friends and still see my family often.
Next, I expected that finding groups with similar interests and goals in the form of clubs required being proactive, which is unlike high school where you can naturally assimilate into groups of like-minded people. The need for being proactive also applied to careers and internships opportunities, which is why I attended the career fair in order to explore and introduce myself to different companies. I did not expect the event to be as "serious" as it turned out to be; I didn’t present my resumé, wear formal clothing, or plan ahead for the fair. I visited several booths: the FDA Veterinary Department, US Forest Service, and DEVCOM, the US Army’s chemical defense initiative. Now acquainted with the reality of career fairs, I’m looking forward to attending another one in the future. In CPSG100, I did not expect to cover the concept of science as a whole and logical fallacies; I thought the class delved mostly into on climate change, but I was pleasantly surprised by the topics presented, since they were a breath of fresh air from the more mundane and memorization-centered classes. Furthermore, I found it interesting how the out-of-classroom activities this semester were more about self-improvement, whether it was doing community service at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens or learning how to navigate DC on the metro scavenger hunt. University life has been more comfortable than I expected: I switched to my brother’s dorm in Chestertown, and apart from having no air conditioning, I’ve felt nearly at home in my dorm. Some advice that I would give future SGC students would be to be open to meeting people with different experiences and perspectives from your own, to take advantage of study sessions and resources, and that you will have to be a better teacher for yourself by knowing your learning style and best study methods. I’d also say that CPSG is full of people in your community that you will be seeing often, so it's best to get to know fellow scholars.