Going into college I didn’t really know what to expect. Although I had older sisters I still didn’t really know what college would be like and how I would handle school and my social life. One of the biggest differences going into college is when you're in class it really does rely on you to learn. There’s no teacher walking you through step by step what you need to learn, it moves a lot faster and requires a lot more focus from you. In addition I’ve noticed that they require bigger projects more often. This requires a lot more time spent on homework that I was not used to. One benefit of classes though is the flexibility. Not doing school for six hours every day is really helpful for keeping me from burning out and I felt I had a lot more energy by the end of the week then I did in high school.
One of the things I didn’t expect going into SGC is how they teach you to analyze and understand the world better. Over the course of the semester I was taught many different ways people can spread misinformation as well as ways to identify false claims and make my own scientifically sound conclusions. This is very helpful not just for the class but for the real world. These skills help me decipher the media I consume and identify the truth within it. Another very useful skill that this class has taught me is how to understand and read scientific papers. By teaching me this skill I am now able to understand what research papers say and further my own knowledge. While it seems like a basic skill it opens up doors for what I am able to learn. It also allows me to analyze the validity of studies when used to back up a point. While it has taught me a lot so far one thing I expected from this class but did not really have too many classes on was actual global warming. It took around a month to start talking about global warming somewhat in depth. I had gone in expecting it to be more of a main point of the class then it was. One last thing I enjoyed about the class is the excursions they take us on. I did not know so many options would be provided going into this program and it is really cool to see what they offer. I personally went on the trip to the Chesapeake Bay foundation. The trip overall was really amazing. It was so fascinating learning more about the bay as well as seeing the building as a whole. Being able to learn about how they were able to make the building sustainable was really interesting and set a new standard for sustainability.
I have found University life very enjoyable. While living in a dorm is a big change I quickly felt at home and comfortable in the dorm. One of the best things about it is becoming friends with my floormates and being able to hang out with them all the time and so conveniently, just take a short walk down the hall. In addition, having everything all there on campus makes it very convenient to do anything. I didn’t realize how convenient everything would be as well as almost isolating. When you’re on campus it's almost like you’re in a bubble away from the outside world. While at times this can be daunting and strange, the freedom offered by college helps offset this feeling. You definitely do feel the freedom every highschool student wishes for and that really has been enjoyable.
For future SGC students my first piece of advice is to not worry about having trouble with friends in the first few months. It will absolutely take a while to find a group of friends you enjoy and feel comfortable with. While it may be hard and an isolating experience at first you will eventually find your stride in this new place. Another piece of advice I have is to always go to discussions. A lot of times people skip discussions because they’re not required, but they are extremely helpful. The TA’s can help you with your work and fill in any gaps of knowledge you’re missing. Another piece of advice is to try and schedule your classes later in the day. I made all my classes at 9/9:30 thinking it would be easier than an 8 am and wouldn’ be too hard to get to. That was wrong, you stay up a lot later in college so times that seemed easier in high school are a lot harder to go to in college. Any extra sleep is definitely worth it. My biggest piece of advice though is just to always find a reason to laugh, whether its friends or just something you do being able to find some joy really helps when going through change and made everything a lot easier to handle