For my first semester of university, I took CMNS100 (an introductory to university course specific for CMNS), COMM107 (Communications course), GEOG140 (Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, Floods, and Fires), MATH141 (Calculus 2), CHEM177 (Intro Chemistry Lab Course), and CPSG100 (Science and Global Change Colloquium). In terms of expectations, I was expecting certain courses, specifically MATH141 and CHEM177, to be tough with challenging assignments and assessments. Of course, the course was not easy, but I think that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. For MATH141, I found the structure to be simple and easy to adapt to. We had lectures for 3 days of the week for 50 minutes. Then we had a discussion for 2 days a week where we would do a graded worksheet. When I first heard about the worksheet, I was a little worried because it would contain content learned the day before. However, the TA was very helpful and helped us understand the concepts. We were also able to discuss with each other. For CHEM177, I found the structure to be a little difficult to adapt to. Depending on your section, you will have a different lab day and time. I had Monday as a lab from 3:00 to 5:50 pm and lectures on Fridays from 3:00-4:00 pm. The difficult part was that the lab reports were due before your lab started. However, during lectures, you would get advice and suggestions for the lab report. Since I had a lab on Monday, after I got the advice from the lecture, I have 2 days to make changes before I submit. I found this to be a bit challenging at the beginning, but I got used to it as the course progressed. But, from this, I learned that an optimal time for lab and lecture is to have 1-3 days apart instead of more than 3. Of course, I expected this course to be tough, and it was with the lab reports. However, I learned a lot of things about scientific literature like how to read a paper or how they are written.
For CPSG100, I didn’t expect to be learning about paleontology and historical climate changes. I think that usually when we hear climate change, we think about it being something that is caused by humans and has never happened before with the same consequences. However, it was interesting to learn about the past and how the knowledge of the past can help us predict what our future would look like if no action is taken towards combating climate change. I also wasn't expecting to learn how to use HTML code and make our own website from scratch. I found this really fun and a valuable skill for the future. I was expecting to learn more about what exactly the world will look like in the future if climate change is not taken seriously and methods that can be effective in combating it. The outside class activities were interesting. On service day, cleaning the ponds was tiring and a lot of work, but in the end, I found it really rewarding and cool that I got the opportunity to contribute this way. As my excursion project, I went to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). We learned about their mission and learned about how the natural ecosystems play a vital role in managing the climate. I really enjoyed this experience.
As a commuter student, I think my vision for college a few years ago was much different than what it is now. Originally, I imagined living in a dorm with a roommate, doing my laundry, and having long study nights. Now, I wake up at 7 am to get to university and attend class. While I don’t experience that dorm life, I definitely catch myself walking down McKeldin Mall feeling really happy to be at UMD. I still study late nights and spend hours in the library. Sometimes, it is a little hard to meet other freshmen and connect since I can’t really relate to them, as most freshmen are living in dorms. But, it is nice to see how everyone's experience is different and how everyone is enjoying different parts of university. Overall, I don’t think that I am missing out that much and enjoy being a terp.
For future SGC students, my advice would be to try to formulate a routine early on in the semester so that it will be easy to adapt. Especially for commuter students, part of your day will go by due to travel. But, your assignments and studying still need to get done. Whenever you get time between your classes, try to work on your assignments. If you are traveling on public transportation, use that time to take a nap, work on assignments, study, or just rest. I personally use public transportation to get to UMD and it will take 40 mins to an hour (depending on traffic). So managing time becomes really important. At the same time, try to give yourself some rest during the weekend by doing something you like to do. I know that at the beginning of the semester, I tried to be productive all 7 days a week. While I was getting my work done, I also found myself getting tired earlier in the week more easily. So I advocated at least half a day on my weekend to rest. By doing this, you will feel refreshed to tackle the next week.
There will also be many moments where you feel overwhelmed or lose confidence but always keep in mind that your hard work will pay off. Know that there will always be people ready to help you, you just need to approach them.