As I finish up my first semester here at UMD, this assignment has caused me to reflect on the differences between my expectations of college life and the realities I've experienced. So far, I feel like my expectations in terms of the workload have been mostly correct. However, my expectations for other facets of university life have sometimes been wrong.
My expectations about the nature of most of my classes were mostly correct. My high school focused heavily on college prep and prepared me for the college course experience. The structure of my classes as either lectures, where you learn new concepts, or seminars, where you practice applying the concepts was similar to how my high school operated. My high school counselor as well as relatives that have recently gone to college told me how grading was often structured, so I anticipated the lower number of graded items and heavy emphasis on exams as the majority of your grade. In terms of the delivery of classes, I actually expected to have to walk farther to get to my classes, but luckily, all of my classes have been clustered near each other and near my dorm. This has made going to class very convenient, although it causes me to see less of campus. Overall, my expectations around my classes were mainly correct.
In CPSG100, my expectations were subverted. I expected a lot more field work, but this past semester was mainly spent learning (and relearning!) the basics of scientific thinking. I didn't expect to spend essentially the whole semester on the basics, but I do think spending that time is ultimately a good thing, because diving head-first into a subject without knowing the basics is a terrible idea. I expected the focus on climate change, but I didn't expect the geological perspective and learning about mass extinctions through the ages in order to predict the impacts of anthropogenic climate change. Something that hasn't been explored yet that I was expecting was possible solutions to the ongoing mass extinction that humans are causing, although we'll probably get to that next semester or the semester after. In terms of outside-the-classroom activities, I honestly expected more excursions than what was required. I enjoyed the service day, I found the work very satisfying and fulfilling. I also enjoyed the (forced) opportunity to visit the museums in DC. I expected more excursions similar to the service day, with more hands-on learning than museum visits.
The reality of college life that I've experienced has been a lot different than my high school expectations. For example, my dorm room is a lot smaller than I expected it to be! This year, I've been living in Centreville hall. At first, it was a little weird, but over time it's become a home to me. I didn't expect myself to think of my dorm as home as much as I do, but honestly, it feels more like home than my actual house. In high school, I expected to be a lot more social at college, having tons of friends, going out every weekend, etc,. This hasn't happened, but I think I enjoy having a quieter life more than I would an extremely active social life. Besides being more peaceful and with less drama to worry about, it makes the times when I do go out even more special. I also didn't expect to make friends as good as the ones I have now, which was a pleasant surprise. My high school vision of college life was skewed by popular culture and media, and the reality, in my opinion, is much better.
To future SGC students: Try not to worry too much about your classes. If you have good study skills and willpower, you should be fine as long as you put the effort in. Go to office hours if you need to (duh). Also, try to not worry about your social life too much. Obviously don't be a shut in, but don't give into the pressure of trying to be popular. Try to get along with your roommate, roommate drama can make your life miserable. But most importantly, live your life the way you want to. Don't be afraid of persuing your interests and passions.