Kellie Boehlert's "Freshman Time Capsule" Reflection Essay
In high school, I was unable to ever explore some of my interests, either because the courses weren’t offered or because they simply never worked for my schedule. One of these interests that didn’t have the ability to explore as deeply was coding. While I took a few computer science and java classes in high school, I wouldn’t say I was that “fluent” in the programming languages. However, in college, I found that I was able to explore these interests a little deeper. As a bioengineering major, one of the required courses was ENES100, where the task is to create and program a vehicle that could perform a certain task. In ENES100, I was able to learn about programming an Arduino, which I had always been curious about, as well as learning how to generate 3D engineering images with CAD and learning to 3D print. I hadn’t expected to learn so much so quickly as a freshman in college, but I’m thrilled that these are now skills I can say I have obtained. Additionally, another required course for my major was BIOE241, where I was required to learn MATLAB, another programming language that I was interested in learning. While these courses were required for my major, my advice to incoming students would be just to keep an open mind. Some of the classes that you will have to take will seem boring and uninteresting, but even if you don’t enjoy the class, you can learn valuable skills that are both fascinating and will help you in the long run.
I have actually found that developing strong relationships with faculty members has been very difficult for me. There aren’t very many faculty members that I would say I was close with, so I’m certainly still working on developing better relationships and connections with professors. However, one professor that I would say I developed a good relationship with was my communications professor. Since COMM107 was a small class focused on speaking your mind, I found it very easy to connect with the professor and talk with her not only about the class but about more personal matters. It was challenging at first, especially since she was unable to attend class for the first few weeks so we had a substitute, but once she started regularly attending class I was able to talk with her and develop a relationship. Additionally, since it was an 8 AM class, both me, my classmates, and the professor were all very tired in the morning, which made it difficult to talk. However, this may have been a benefit rather than a detriment, since our entire class was able to bond over how early it was and how tired we were. I would recommend incoming students to build connections with their professors by attending office hours and sitting in the front of class. I sat in the front of the class in COMM107, so before class I was able to engage in conversation with the professor. By going to office hours, you will be able to have one-on-one time with the professor, which will allow you to build a connection.
Coming into the University of Maryland as an in-state student, I was very lucky to have most of my high school friends coming here at the same time as me. Adjusting to college life was exciting, but definitely not easy. Simply hanging out with my friends from high school was a very easy way to unwind, and talking with each other about our lives made it easier to cope with the adjustment. Additionally, meeting my roommate’s friends from her high school made it easier to meet new people and connect with my peers. Lastly, making friends in classes and forming a new friend group made it easier to cope with the adjustment, since coming to college allows you a completely fresh start, and with friends from classes, you could study together and stress about upcoming exams together. Additionally, you can relax on weekends together, and oftentimes I would go into DC to just have fun. At first, it was a bit difficult to make new friends in classes, where oftentimes friendships seemed to just stay within classes, never reaching outside of the classroom. However, eventually we were able to start small and eat lunch together, or go study in Mckeldin Library together. Then, friendships started blossoming, and I feel that I have made friends that will last a lifetime. I would recommend incoming freshmen to not be afraid to reach out. Everyone is trying to make friends at the beginning of the year, so don’t be afraid to ask to hang out or to just talk to people. Additionally, I would recommend asking almost everyone for their social media handles. Sometimes it can feel awkward to ask for a phone number, but asking for their Instagram username or Snapchat can feel a lot more natural.
I was least prepared for the drastic difference in how university academics are structured versus high school academics. In high school classes are a lot more structured, where you are told what to do and when to do them. However, in college, it’s a lot less busywork, but you have to make sure to study and discipline yourself to learn on your own. Additionally, I was not prepared for a system mostly reliant on exam grades rather than an accumulation of work. While there definitely are other grades other than just the exams, the university grading system definitely prioritizes exam grades over anything, especially final exam grades. In high school I was used to studying the night before for exams, but in college I definitely have had to change this habit and start studying in advance. I would advise incoming students to budget their time wisely and break it up so you only do a little bit of studying every day rather than doing it all at once. This is definitely a skill that I have learned this year, where I have started using a planner to manage my time. By reviewing a little bit every day you are able to retain a bit more everyday, and you will not have to cram for exams in the end.
Last modified: 6 May 2024