The Topic: In what ways was life as a college student different than you expected? Specifically address:
After my first semester at UMD, I came to realize that the nature of my classes was somewhat what I expected of University courses but was still difficult in their respective manners. My math course moved at a fast pace, however, the discussion section helped demonstrate and retain the knowledge from the lecture. With my mechanics course, it was my first time in a flipped-classroom environment. We would have to complete Learn assignments on a website and whenever we came to class, a couple of problems would be posted on the board to solve. Each Friday, we were given two problems to solve within groups and if completed early, we were allowed to leave. When it came to exams, my focus kept shifting from class to class due to the amount of assignments within the week and new content from each class. Preparing for different exams simultaneously was extremely difficult and it led to sacrificing certain day-to-day activities to do well. Overall, I'm glad that I've experienced a lot of things in my first semester and now I know what to expect for the spring semester of my freshman year.
I didn't expect logical fallacies to be covered in class and I didn't expect us to learn how to make our own webpage and design it however we please. I expected us to explore the solutions to combat climate change and what we can do now to help the environment. Outside-of-classroom activities were mostly what I thought it was going to be like besides the trip to New York for a day. I was able to explore New York for the first time since middle school without any parental restrictions. I had fun with my friends and it was one of the better experiences so far in my college life.
Compared to my high-school vision of college life, I think University life exceeded my expectations and was a lot more fun than I had initially thought. I still have yet to attend an official UMD game, but I do plan on going out with friends and experiencing all of what UMD has to offer. Living in Centreville has been a blessing so far as the dining hall is nearby as well as the rec center where I can workout and play sports with friends. Most of my classes are near the north side which is convenient and I couldn't have asked for a better location. If I were to choose between my previous high school life and current college life, I would pick college life ten times out of ten. Living on campus has made me feel more independent and responsible for what choices I make on a day-to-day basis.
For future SGC students, I advise them to pursue their interests in any club/team setting. This will help you create friends outside of academics and keep you motivated throughout the semester. Another piece of advice would be to stay on top of assignments and make sure to keep all test/major assignment dates on a calender with reminders, so that they don't procrastinate and cram everything on the night before the due date. Furthermore, I would advise them to take advantage of office hours and try to create a good relationship between them and their professors/teacher assistants. From my experience, good professors are the key to my academic success so I would take advantage of review websites such as planeterp to assess certain professors for a required course. Lastly, I would advise them to have fun and keep an open mind because UMD has so many resources to offer and people are always happy to help in any way possible.
Also, please feel free to address how the semester worked in relation to your non-academic life: the difficulties, the benefits, the disappointments, and the unexpected highlights (if any!) of the situation you found yourself in this year.
Overall, my first semester at UMD was an extraordinary experience. At first, classes were smooth sailing and I was able to join a few clubs that I had interests in. I joined the Wind Terpines Club and UMD Barbell Club for my workouts. Joining the UMD Barbell Club has been one of the best decisions I've made so far because I became interested in powerlifting and was excited to bring my total up to potentially compete in Collegiate Nationals. To qualify, one would have to meet the required total based on their weight class from 3 different lifts: the bench, squat, and deadlift. Coming into UMD, I was able to bench heavy but my squat and deadlift were severely lacking. Throughout the semester, I've raised my total to about 1100 pounds with all 3 lifts combined. For my respective weight class, a total of 1113 lbs is required to qualify for nationals. I've signed up for a powerlifting meet in February, but I am currently injured in my right rotator cuff and I have recently torn a callous on my right hand as well. These were two big disappointments in my lifting career as I've never been injured from benching before. As I look towards the next semester, I hope to fully recover and reach my goals.