At the end of my first year at the University of Maryland, I have been left with a lot to reflect on. Overall I had a fantastic experience. I got to meet a lot of new people and I got to learn a lot. Something that you learn very quickly when you are in college is that there is a class for basically everything. In my first semester, I got to take a class revolving around volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. My next semester I plan to take a class regarding Greek and Roman myths and legends. You can learn about almost anything you desire when attending the University. If you have an interest, search for it in the school's database or on Testudo and you will likely find a class you can take about it. If there is nothing specific you can think of, simply scrolling through Testudo to see which classes are available will inevitably lead you to a class you will find interesting and engaging. You can also take recommendations from friends, especially those who are in a different major than you if you are seeking a surprise. At the end of the day, there is no shortage of interesting subjects you can engage in when attending the University of Maryland.
A large part of college is building a network of faculty members that you can use in your future pursuits. This can be decently difficult as it is a two-way street. You have to be able to identify which faculty members will be the best at helping you achieve your goals. You need to be able to identify if they like you and if you think their recommendation will be worthwhile in your future endeavors. However, you also have to put in the work to make yourself memorable to said faculty member. If you are just another student and they are not able to put your name to your face then getting meaningful recommendations from these faculty members will be near impossible. In my mind, the best way to do this is to prioritize faculty members who are part of the departments you are interested in. This gives you options in terms of topics you can talk about that they are experienced in and makes a recommendation from them worth more if they are experts in a topic you pursue. Prioritizing taking these professors for multiple classes increases your opportunities to build relationships with them. As a member of Scholars, I have constructed a relationship with my Scholars professors which I will continue to develop over the next two semesters.
Outside of the classroom, there will be ample opportunities to meet people and build relationships with peers. These are the people whom you can study for exams with, who will help you with homework, and whom you can hang out with when you have downtime. Making friends with like-minded individuals is the best way to smooth out your University experience. As someone who did not struggle much with the transition to college, I can say that I definitely helped others get adjusted to University life. This does not mean that building these relationships is easy. It can be relatively difficult, but there is a lot you can do to improve your chances. Joining clubs is probably the best way. If you are able to balance your schoolwork with your clubs then you will find you are able to make friends much easier. Simply putting yourself out there in some of your classes and trying to make study groups is another way to try and meet people. Overall, there is no shortage of people you can meet at the University. If you know where you want to look, you will build a network of people that will help you become better.
Of course, the balance between your personal life and your academics is likely the hardest part of college for most people. This is a personal challenge that many people struggle to overcome. I can say that entering college, I had properly set my expectations for academics. I knew that there would be a lot of work and I knew where my priorities lay. As such, I did not have this issue. I cannot speak from experience on this issue, but there are many resources you can use to alleviate this problem. Your network of peers is a good start as they will likely be struggling with the same problems. The University also provides many resources, both academic and mental health, to assist you in adjusting to University life. Likely the best thing you can do is develop a mindset that allows you to deal with your academics. There will be times when you have a lot of work to do. Sometimes when that happens you will just have to buckle down and get it done. It will not be fun, but it is necessary. At the end of the day you will thank yourself, I promise.