As my first semester at UMD comes to an end, I would like to reflect on my expectations coming into this strange semester, and the realities that came with it. With everything being online, I had no idea what to expect from college classes. I knew that no matter what, I could not compare the AP classes I took in high school to these classes, because of many obvious differences, and I had to go in with a "clean-slate" mindset and had to do my best despite being at home. Regarding my classes, taking 16 credits is something that was very challenging, and I really had to push myself in order to make sure I finished strong. However, there was nothing really out of the ordinary for any of these classes that I wouldn't expect out of college classes. The two things I will say that got to me are how much projects mattered, and how some professors can assign so much work for it to not mean much in your final grade. I know that projects usually have more weight than classwork and assignments, but for one of my classes, I can do well on all the projects and still get a B, despite doing average or poorly on quizzes, which I found surprising. All of my classes were online this semester, and I do appreciate the time and effort that my professors put in to make sure that it still went as smoothly as a normal semester would. I had a mix of both synchronous and asynchronous classes and classes in either of these categories were very easy to navigate and do the work that was expected. Since my last semester of high school was disrupted by the pandemic, I do not think it would be fair to compare it to this semester, since my county made sure that it would be as easy as possible for seniors to finish up their classes. I can say though that the rigor and work that I did this semester was what I expected, and a little more for university courses. In CPSG100, we covered a variety of topics that I had little-to-no knowledge about, and this course taught me more about climate change and the earth than I thought I could ever learn. One topic in class that surprised me that we covered is science fiction, and the other speculative works of fiction. I thought it was really interesting how even science fiction has the power to mislead and cause mass hysteria, and I compared it in my head to misinformation on social media, and how gullible some users are on these sites. One thing that I was expecting at the beginning that has not been covered yet is politics and science, and how the two clash very often. I want to learn more about why some political figures will write off science as "fiction" all for the sake of saving face when there are problems that need to be addressed for the good of not only the nation but the world. Although difficult to squeeze into an already busy schedule, I enjoyed doing my #ScholarsServes activity, as well as being able to watch a presentation about hair and race for my excursion. I was surprised at the amount of out of classroom activities that we had to do, but overall I loved having the opportunity to explore beyond Canvas and learn more about other topics. At the beginning of my senior year, I and my friends were raving and planning for university life. Making Pinterest boards filled with furniture and bedding we'd use, and dreaming about the internships and opportunities we'd have as we got to college. With our fantasies crushed by the pandemic, we sit miserably in our bedrooms (or dorm rooms for those who decided to go to their campuses). We all knew that the workload would be a lot while talking about college, but we thought back then that it would come with being able to have a bit of freedom from our hometown. Instead, we have the work, but the freedom that we dreamed about is gone with the realities of still being at home under our parents. This semester was nothing like I could predict a year ago, and even though it's almost over, I'm still sad over the lost opportunities that the first semester brings. I can only hope that the rest of my time at UMD is a little bit better despite the circumstances. Some advice that I can give to future SGC students is to make sure that you prioritize all of your classes at the same time. It'll be tough depending on the number of credits you are attempting, but remember that every class matters as you move on to professional endeavors. I would also suggest that they invest in an agenda or some sort of planner. I personally think it's motivating to check/cross off each item as I complete it. But the best advice I think I could give is that although it is normal to come into college with expectations, make sure that the realities of it don't discourage you from trying your best to make the most of it.