My Initial Thoughts, and The Realities, of My First Semester in College
I can confidently say that my first semester at the University of Maryland, College Park — one of several dream colleges of mine — has been an actual roller coaster! I recall those many days back at home when I’d watch television shows and movies featuring the idolization of college. There were minimal depictions of stressed students. The idea of going to a frat party late at night, or parties in general, was heavily emphasized. That I’d have time to have fun and be free. In retrospect, it was all wrong. University life is strenuous, and that may be perceived as an understatement. I had no 8AMs, so I wasn’t, essentially, suffering. But, I really was.
Not even a month into the semester, I got ill. Initially, I thought it was ‘frat flu’, the ‘freshman flu’, or even the coronavirus! It inhibited tons of what I’d grown accustomed to — being lively at LaPlata Beach, binging shows with friends, participating in group study sessions with friends, and being active. It was terrible, and I tried every medicine possible to get over it: Benadryl, DayQuil, Neo-synephrine, and cough drops — didn’t work. Natural remedies? All to no avail. I waited a week to speak with my doctor, and he advised me to take Claritin. I went to the University Health Center, but they didn’t have the name-brand version, so I got a knockoff instead — it worked! A week later, the illness said, “I’m back!” In the end, it was neither of the ‘sicknesses’ I thought, but rather allergies, but it was petrifying — my first two months were a nightmare.
I love math — that’s one thing you should probably know about me. If I could describe my love for mathematics even further, I wish to double major in computer science (an already math-heavy major) and mathematics. The exhilaration felt once a lengthy derivative is solved, or a complex integral, that takes up an entire 8.5 x 11-inch college-ruled paper, brings a long-lasting smile to my face.
I decided to take MATH 140, Calculus I, and to be honest, I had mixed feelings. I loved it when I got ‘wins’ and disliked it when I took several losses. Dr. Chadwick, my professor, was friendly and easy to speak with. Through various topics though, he tended to skip processes, expecting us the students to understand what he did, which wasn’t pleasant. Life’s biggest question is “why?”, because you can reply to any question with such, and I follow this ‘philosophy’, per se. Nonetheless, he’d occasionally move swiftly with topics, which I disliked, and ever so often we’d run out of class time to explore a topic that’d be on the homework due the next day. The worksheets given in our discussions irked me the most though: its contents were ten times more difficult than what we had actually learned! I could never finish on time too; it was why, though discouraged, I resorted to using a calculator as an aid, up until mid-October though. A classmate invited me to sit in the back with his other peers; they all worked together, so they could always complete the work: simply divide and conquer. I didn’t expect a University course to be such a nuisance, perhaps more thorough and ‘fun’, but I got just that.
Aside from math, I love the field of computer science. As a required course for my major, I took CMSC 131, or Object-Oriented Programming I, which was basically an introduction to Java. I enjoyed the contents. The professor, Nelson, was lovely — and funny! On the first day of class, Nelson told us that we shouldn’t fear asking any questions, and he’d condemn those who’d laugh at one’s question. This mere statement changed my initial thoughts on a university course. It made me understand that some professors do care for their students! It also made me understand that even in lectures filled to the brim, your voice may still be heard. The projects were strenuous at times, but I majored in computer science knowing the path wouldn’t be easy — and this was just one of many computer science courses I’d take. I learned tons of invaluable information, and just after this one semester, I can see my goal of becoming a software engineer crawl closer and closer to me.
Speaking of computer science, I took INST 204, which serves as an introduction to the prevalent algorithmic bias issue that affects real people and communities constantly.I wish to pursue a machine learning specialization in computer science, so it was a great start. There were weekly quizzes on the assigned readings we’d discuss in class, so you’d think you couldn’t fail, but man did those quizzes get exponentially onerous. Dr. Greene is honestly a caring professor, and his lectures were captivating. One is given a myriad of courses to register for, so I’m glad I loved it as much as I thought I would.
Learning about the beginnings of America to the Civil War while in my HIST 200 was splendid. The curriculum in high school definitely hid tons of information from us students, so I’m grateful I had the opportunity to take the course with Dr. Chiles. His delivery of the contents was extravagant, filled with energy and enthusiasm: just what I expected from a University lecturer. The structure of the class was like gold too: a discussion post and reply per lecture, followed by readings to be read prior to our discussion on Friday. Simple. It felt professional, and it modeled class discussions I’d have in high school.
I enjoy several portions of science, though I dislike learning about biology and chemistry. Thus, I was partially excited to learn about environmental science and global change with CPSG100. I’m semi-passionate now about environmental sustainability, but I had my stage, and it was exciting. The out-of-classroom experiences that we’d had thus far were expected. For my first excursion, I had the opportunity to go to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland. I went alongside my peers and professors, and I got to do a myriad of things: take samples of fish, clean the outer shell of oysters, and take a hike! I definitely didn’t expect this class to cover the anatomy of a scientific paper, and how to create a scientific paper — so that’s pretty cool! As for topics that we haven’t covered but I expected, I was looking forward to us delving into environmental sustainability research papers. It’s imperative that students (who are of the younger, upcoming generation), as well as every other inhabitant of the Earth, knows that the protection of our environment should be of our greatest concern. I recall reading portions of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report, and it influenced me heavily. But, it’s not just me that needs to be influenced — it’s everybody else too.
Now that this first semester is in the books, I reminisce of those days when I wanted to speak with nobody but myself, a mirror of my days as a senior in high school. The hurt, sorrow, and hopelessness in my heart. The questions that rested on my mind. Do I really have the potential to be great? Should I quit? How can I stand out with tons of talent around campus? Do I even deserve to be at UMD? There were many highlights throughout the semester: meeting lovely friends, enjoying football and basketball games, and the late nights with friends! It was incredible — certainly unforgettable. My best advice to future SGC students would be to become accustomed to the life of a college student early. I’d say that they should know there will be extreme lows, times when one wishes to give up — yes, it’s cliche to say, albeit certainly true. I’d say to students to find their motivation. What drives one to continue being great? Lastly, I’d remind them that out of the thousands of applicants, Maryland chose them.