One class that has very much surprised me is ARTH261, which is titled Monuments, Monumentality, and the Art of Memorial. This class knocks out 3 General Education Requirements in one (SCIS, DVUP, and DSHU). Putting aside its usefulness in terms of degree requirements, the class has been a well needed breath of fresh air from my computer science classes, especially as they have gotten harder. This class has given me a good excuse to go to Washington D.C. multiple times to visit monuments. DC may be my favorite city in this country, so having a class that pushes me to go and explore it is always a treat. I found this class on the UMD schedule of classes and used PlanetTerp to determine if the professor was well liked. She and her TAs have been great this semester, and I think doing some adequate research before hand and not picking a class randomly is definitely a good idea for incoming students.
CMSC216 is known to be one of the most difficult pre-400 level courses in the UMD CS curriculum. I have absolutely no background knowledge on the subject, so I knew I had to develop a strong relationship with my professor, Dr. Christopher Kauffman. Professor Kauffman has been one of the kindest and most helpful professors I have had. I have made it a point to visit his office hours frequently, whether for project help or content help, and I have always learned something interesting from him no matter the circumstance. He is so passionate about the Computer Systems, and I am so thankful that he has helped me as much as he has in learning the content in class. One difficulty I have worried about is that I visit his office hours a lot, so I worry if will ever get tired of seeing me, as he teaches 500 other students. However, I believe professor Kauffman, and any professor for that matter, will always help the people who show up and take the time to see him. That has certainly been my experience. Incoming students should 100% visit a professor during his/her office hours, even if there is not a project ongoing. Just talking a reinforcing the learned material with a caring professor is worthwhile.
I still have some work to do on maintaining good relationships outside of the classroom. I am good friends with my roommate, who selected me to be on a hike at Sky Meadows State Park as part of the Terrapin Trail Club. Having that strong relationship with my roommate is important, because a bad roommate can make an already difficult transition that much worse. I have gotten to meet new students in clubs and classes, but I feel as though I could indeed do better in putting myself out there and getting to know more people. I really believe students should not be afraid to just say hi and talk to fellow students. Having good friends can be so crucial in the future, and they are not just going to fall in your lap. Incoming freshman should make a pointed effort to get to know more people. Also, making friends with your TAs, especially if they are Undergrad TAs, can be very helpful, as they can provide key insight for the future, like they have for me.
One aspect of college that has been new for me is just the shear amount of responsibility that is now placed on me. Nobody is going to wake me up and tell me to go to class, and I have the ability to do whatever I want. I still have to maintain the work ethic that got me here, meaning I need to go to class, stay up to date on assignments, and go to office hours. Freedom can be overwhelming, and I was not the most prepared for knowing how to deal with that. I do believe incoming students should make a better effort than I did to participate in extracurriculars, while maintaining key study habits for their core classes.