Hana's "Expectations vs. Reality" Reflection Essay

My time here at the University of Maryland has been all that I expected it to be. Honestly, it has even been a little better than I expected it to be. I feel as if I have found a good group of friends, and I have a really good relationship with my roommate. I was very nervous coming in and being from out of state I was worried I wouldn't find my place and would struggle making friends because everyone already had their friends. But almost immediately, to my surprise, I found my place and my people. While sometimes the workload can be overbearing and overwhelming, in the end it is worth it when I am able to get good grades in all of my classes.

Speaking more on my classes, I love how much the structure varies from high school classes. I expected that they would be structured similarly to high school classes, with daily graded assignments, in-class assignments and guided lectures where I'd get to know my teacher well. However, classes here do differ quite a bit. There are fewer graded homework assignments, typically just one per class period. We are also given more time to complete these assignments, which has taught me really good time management. There are no in class assignments in big lecture classes and few in discussion sessions. Lectures are giant, with over a hundred kids which is very different from the 25 kids in each of my classes back in high school. And, I barely know any of my teachers super well, and have to work to form relationships by visiting their office hours. However, I have found that I enjoy the college structure of classes much better. I like not having every class every day, and having to work out my time to get everything done in a timely manner. I enjoy the independence of the structure of the classes because it truly is up to me as to what I get out of the class. Overall, I enjoy learning a lot more here, because I get to choose what and how I learn.

In terms of CPSG100, I have really enjoyed this class. I did not expect that we would go into such deep detail about some of the specifics of certain effects of climate change. I also did not expect to cover other topics like logical fallacies. It was really interesting to learn about those. I enjoy when we do random group assignments in class, because it is fun to meet new people in the random groups. I really love that our scholars program is so big, because I am able to meet new people I'm every class which is exciting and refreshing. Personally, my favorite part of scholars is the out-of-class events and trips. I have loved seeing the Chesapeake Bay, Washington DC and local environments because of scholars. Taking advantage of the opportunities they offer has allowed me to meet new people and to experience things that I never would have originally.

University life is honestly the best part of the college experience for me. I love living in Centreville, I feel like the location is one of the best ones on campus. It is pretty much equidistant from everything - from the diner, classes I have and Route 1 outside of campus. I love being able to hang out with whoever I want whenever I want. I feel like living in the dorm has given me some of my best friends, not only with just my roommate but with other people on my floor and with people on different floors. I also really enjoy the diner food because they have a great variety of choices to choose from. I have been able to join multiple clubs, like the Club Swim team and the Environmental Club. These have also been awesome opportunities to try new things and meet new people. Overall I love the independence and freedom that comes from college campus life.

To any future SGC students: my biggest piece of advice is to surround yourself with people you enjoy being around and to keep a solid balance between school and fun. For the first part, you need to make sure you have good friends, because these are the people who are going to get you through all the ups and downs that come with starting new classes and working hard. Having people to go to when you need a break is very important, and will also just make you experience that much more enjoyable. Adding onto that, a school and social life balance is incredibly important. While getting good grades and doing well in school is extremely important, you are also in college, so having fun is also equally important! It is okay to take breaks and have fun, because there is more to college and life than just studying all the time. You should take advantage of these next four years, because they are going to go by incredibly fast.

Overall, I have loved my time here at the University of Maryland! I love all of my classes and have loved being able to make friends and take advantage of clubs and random events that take place on campus. Furthermore, I have loved scholars because SGC has given me a smaller community, one that I find really valuable at this giant school.

Last modified: 11 December 2021