Going into my first semester in college, I honestly had a lot of expectations about what my next semester would look like. I was excited to join clubs, to meet new people and make new friends, to have some independence, and to take classes that I was genuinely excited about. Surprisingly, I did not feel nervous at all up until the day before I planned to move in. I felt ready for the change, especially considering I’d been on UMD’s campus plenty of times and only lived 45 minutes away. However, a day before move-in, it all hit me at once and I realized how different my life would soon be. Although I have enjoyed my first semester immensely, it definitely did not meet every expectation and there have been numerous highs and lows.
This semester, outside of CPSG100, I took ENSP101, ENES102, MATH241, ENGL101, and University band. Several upperclassmen advised me to take an easier courseload my first semester since the adjustment to college would be difficult enough, so I tried to heed their advice. Excluding my easy-A band class and our one-credit scholars class, I only took four more substantial courses, so I did not expect my workload to be too bad.
In reality, this semester has been more stressful than I thought, primarily because of MATH241. I felt major imposter syndrome in this class, especially because I did not have a great Calc BC teacher in high school so I felt a bit unprepared. I expected this class to be super difficult because I’d convinced myself that college math classes are a lot harder than high school. Thus, I had a major mental block that took me a while to overcome. This class had no quizzes, no assigned homework, and my professor’s lecture style did not make much sense to me. So, for the first time, it was completely up to me to learn the material. As the semester progressed, I began to develop a good strategy, but by then I had already fallen super behind and had a difficult time fully catching up. To incoming freshmen who may be struggling in a similar way, I advise them to ask for help and find a support system as early as possible. UMD has so many resources to help you and I wish I took advantage of that earlier rather than trying to power through by myself.
Besides MATH241, my other classes have been more or less as expected. ENES1o2 is slightly more difficult than I thought, but consistently going to office hours has made it much more manageable. ENSP1o1 is probably my favorite class because I find the content super interesting and the class is low-stress. ENGL101 is more work than expected, but I’ve loved being able to research a topic of my choice and I have definitely become a much better writer. My ENGL101 professor is also very kind, honest, and approachable, which helped me realize professors are not as intimidating as I thought.
University life has generally exceeded my expectations. I was not looking forward to living in the dorms because I like to have my own space and value my alone time. However, it has not been nearly as bad as I thought and I honestly love my dorm. I have a great roommate, I love my floormates, and I now even miss my dorm a bit when I go back home. Surprisingly, I have not been very homesick, but I think it helps that I call my parents often and live close to home.
I think my favorite part about campus life is that there is always something to do. Living on campus makes it incredibly easy to be involved in student life which I absolutely love. It still feels crazy to me that I can hang out with my friends, share meals with them, go on fun side quests, and just be with them anytime I want. However, as much as I love this aspect of college, I’ve had to learn how to set boundaries. College life never really turns “off,” and I didn’t anticipate how draining it can be to constantly be “on” all the time. It's been important for me to learn how to balance my school, social life, clubs, and personal life effectively.
Overall, I am so happy that I chose to attend UMD and I’ve absolutely loved my first semester. There have been so many moments when I’m walking on campus, or spending time with my friends, or attending a club meeting, or eating some Maryland Dairy ice cream when I’ve taken a second to reflect on how grateful I am to be here. Although there have been some difficult moments, I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process and I know that I will continue to do so throughout my four years.
To future SGC students, I would advise you to meet as many new people as possible, especially during the first few weeks of school. Attend social gatherings and activities that you enjoy because you will likely meet people who share the same interests as you. You will likely be outside of your comfort zone at many times during the semester, but don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try new things! Also, as I briefly mentioned before, take advantage of all the academic resources UMD offers. Go to office hours, look into academic tutoring programs, and reach out to your TAs or professors for help. Make sure to plan your time and have a system to keep all your due dates and assignments organized. Visit the club fair and join any club that looks interesting; you can then pick and choose which ones you want to stick with! Make sure to keep in touch with your family and friends from home. Work hard and have fun!