As a student at the University of Maryland (UMD), I will never not be impressed by the amount of knowledge and resources here. In my first semester, I took Introduction to the Aerospace Profession. In this course, my group and I were assigned a semester-long project with a researcher. Our objective was to C.A.D honeycomb structures with buckling initiators and determine which one had the best stress to strain ratio using a hydraulic press. After we compiled our findings into a poster, we presented at a poster fair with the rest of our classmates. When I first found out about this project, I was more than intimidated. The idea of interacting with a researcher and using machinery created a lot of stress. My advice to those pursuing aerospace engineering, is to remember that you are not expected to know everything going into it. You are here to learn and learning comes with making mistakes. Just try your best and you will get through it. Another class that really surprised me was the Introduction to Engineering Design. As I am finishing up this course, I look back and cannot believe all of the skills I learned. My team and I were tasked with creating an over terrain vehicle that could collect a duty cycle, determine magnetism, and navigate past obstacles. The class consisted of about 40 students divided into five teams, each with their own challenge. Every few weeks my team had to meet certain objectives, create presentations, and write reports. I think the most surprising thing about this course is the amount of teaching assistants that are there to help you and the $300 budget we received. Once again, this course was very overwhelming, but a good learning experience. I would recommend future students taking this course to voice their opinion even if they think it might be wrong and not shy away from learning a new skill.
When I was in high school I pictured school at a large university as an enormous lecture with no interaction with faculty. I always thought, if I wanted one on one attention I would have to go to a small private college. So when I came to UMD, I was shocked by how they managed to create a smaller classroom setting in every course. Whether that be through discussions or limiting the amount of students in a lecture. This allowed me to interact with my professors and teaching assistants, ask questions, and work with others more easily. Since my engineering science classes were on the smaller side, I had a chance to talk to my professor more. It also helped that I had the same professor both semesters. This was pretty difficult for me since I am quite shy, but I made an effort to be more vocal this semester, especially since the class was group project based. I would tell incoming students to not be afraid to ask questions and tell them that faculty members prefer students who put in extra effort.
My first semester, I made sure to make a friend in every class I had. This allowed me to keep up my attendance and I always had someone to do work with. It also gave me someone who I could vent to about the course and showed me I was not the only one who struggled on things. Since these friends are also in engineering, we have a lot of the same classes every semester. Again, I would say my biggest obstacle in pursuing these relationships is how shy and introverted I am. I would tell incoming students to go up to someone who is not talking to anyone and just introduce yourself. You never know if you’ll have a lot in common with them. Also, do not be afraid of saying the wrong thing. Everyone is meeting so many people the first couple of weeks, that they most likely will not remember it. When you do make those relationships, keep each other accountable and try to schedule classes together. I would say that I was least prepared for the lack of free time. Everyone I knew was telling me that I will have so much free time in college that I would not be able to fill it all. This was not the case for me. My first semester I was working around the clock to stay caught up on assignments. This semester was a lot better at first, but as it went on my classes got a lot harder and more demanding. I would recommend that incoming freshmen create a structured schedule, especially since you are the only one keeping yourself accountable. They should also make time to eat with friends and go to events. Otherwise they will lose those connections. Lastly, I would tell them sometimes it's okay to take a break and refresh your mind. It is easy to get caught up in the work, but sometimes it's best to step away for a little bit.