Freshman Time Capsule:
Freshman year has been a rollercoaster. A course that surprised me was my PHYS235 course. This course explores both the science and the history of the Manhattan Project. I took this class per my academic advisor's recommendation. This course surprised me because I didn't expect it to go so in depth into the physics and chemistry behind building a nuclear bomb. It was a very difficult GenEd but also very interesting. Incoming students might want to look into courses that relate to their major but are related to a GenEd. For example, the class I took was a natural science course but also a humanities course. The course combined both disciplines which is what resulted in such a surprising experience.
Personally, I haven't had much luck connecting to faculty members. My teachers have all been very busy and I have not had any relationships past a shallow teacher to class relationship. Even when I go into office hours, my teachers don't care to get to know me. An obstacle is that I only have had my teachers for one semester in large lectures which makes it difficult to develop a mentoring relationship. I would say that the faculty member who I have the strongest relationship with is my academic advisor. This is because physics is a small major and I'm required to meet with my advisor once a semester. This allows for us to connect one on one unlike in my teacher's large lectures and packed office hours. I would recommend that incoming students join a summer program to form these connections. I have met a few people who have done the Bridge Program who have a lot of connections with faculty and students that they formed the summer prior to starting their freshman year at the University of Maryland.
I have found it difficult to connect with my peers and find true friendships. It is also very difficult to talk with people when they are either in large groups surrounded by their friends or on their phone with headphones on. Those are two extremely common circumstances that make it difficult to connect with people. My advice would be to talk to everyone, keep a positive attitude, attend events, and forget thinking that it's weird to talk to strangers. I haven't been able to form any close friendships this year but being outgoing has helped me at least meet people. My relationships with my peers have been what has gotten me through the year. It's important to go to events like football games and eat lunch with friends. It makes college feel less isolating and helps you feel part of the UMD community.
I was least prepared for making friends, connecting with people, keeping up with my hobbies, and studying for finals. It's difficult to prepare for these challenges. However, some things you could do are focusing on going to events when you first come to college. And being yourself and talking to everyone you can when you first come because true connections are very hard to find in college. And the more people you talk to, the more likely you are to find someone you truly connect with.