Nashita Bhuiyan's Freshman Time Capsule Reflection Essay

ENES210 was a great revelation for me. Prior to taking the course much of my course taking experience revolved around studying and preparing for examinations. Besides being one of the first college courses I have ever taken. ENES210 was my first project based course. The ultimate goal of the course is to create a proposal for a technology based company. The course was completely online which meant that I had to complete all my work independently with little outside help. Although it was initially difficult to adjust to the structure of the course, I eventually found it to be quite rewarding. Through this course I learned how to effectively conduct my own research and how to utilize tools provided by the University of Maryland that I would be otherwise unaware of. The project based nature of the course also taught me how to manage my time wisely. My favorite part of the course was how I could insert my own creativity into the final project. I originally discovered this course when I was browsing for General Education courses in the UMD course catalog. For anyone interested in pursuing a similar experience, I would suggest looking for courses that are unrelated to your major but align with your own personal interests. Taking courses outside of your major can greatly expand your overall outlook and can at times enhance your understanding of your own major.

Although I did not have many opportunities to develop very strong relationships with faculty, I was most successful in developing a relationship with my CMSC132 lecturer, Larry Herman. Given the large class size of CMSC132, it is very difficult to develop a very personal relationship with the lecturer. However, by regularly attending office hours and engaging in in-class discussions, I was able to make myself at least recognizable out of a pool of over one hundred students. For incoming students seeking to develop relationships with faculty, I suggest showing enthusiasm in what you are learning in class by being attentive and participating in or initiating discussions during class. I also suggest seeking out opportunities to speak with faculty outside of class either by attending office hours regularly or by arranging your own meetings with faculty members.

Freshman year of college is a major adjustment. From moving to dorms to adapting to a new form of teaching, many of the obstacles faced in freshman year are completely new. Developing relationships with fellow students can make this major adjustment to college life much more smooth. By developing relationships with other students I found that others are facing many of the same struggles I was facing. One of the greatest benefits of developing relationships with other students is having a group of friends that you can relate to. One of the greatest obstacles in developing relationships with other students is finding people to engage with. For anyone seeking to make friends with other students, I suggest attending smaller community events in areas you are interested in. For example, attending a club meeting and networking with the students there. For incoming freshmen, the best way to make use of connections with peers is to meet with your peers. By attending social events with your peers and conversing with your peers you can learn a lot about what is going on in campus and what UMD has to offer.

One aspect of university academic life I was least prepared for is self-studying. Prior to entering college I relied mostly on in class material to do well in a class. However, now I learn very little material in class. I have to learn most of the class material by doing homework or reading the textbook myself. I was initially unprepared for how much work I would have to spend outside of class studying since I had to spend much less time studying outside of class in high school. In order to be better prepared for classes I advise incoming freshmen to read material that will be covered in class beforehand, and to come to class with a list of questions on material that you did not understand while studying on your own.

Last modified: 14 April 2022