My Freshman Three-Semester Time Capsule Essay
The thought of approaching my instructor while in class, or even attending office hours, as a daunting task — at least what I had thought before my first semester. These individuals are among the most reputable in their respective departments, and so I found their cumulation of rich knowledge intimidating. I knew I had to overcome it if I wished to be successful in college: both regarding academics and outside activities. They could become my mentors. They’d also be in the position to write recommendation letters for me. I lit the match of a strong relationship last semester in my CMSC 131 class taught by Nelson.
I’d say that there were two courses that I enrolled in that were outliers: enjoyable and filled with surprises. The first course that I’d put in this section is COMM 107, specifically taught by Professor Jin Choi. I thought that I would dislike the class — heavily! I’m okay at public speaking, but my stutter is virtually the bane of my existence. I tend to when I’m in speaking to a large crowd, which sucks! I’m not necessarily nervous, more so afraid of stuttering, which only makes the act more likely. I enjoyed presenting in front of my class though, and I improved my speech significantly. I was wonderful at speaking, and I just needed practice! Another course that came to my surprise was MATH 141 (Calculus II) taught by Professor Jonathan Fernandes! I took MATH 140 (Calculus I) with Professor Steven Chadwick, and that was already pain-inducing and time-consuming — this was different! I found myself having to teach myself concepts previously covered in lectures more often to do well on homework assignments and exams. Moreover, I resorted to the provided book, Calculus with Concepts in Calculus, more often than I imagined. Albeit filled with tons of jargon and indecipherable theory, it helped! Both of these courses were degree requirements, and so I almost forced myself to get out of my comfort zone and learn to adapt — that’s the key. I strongly recommend others to do the same.
I made it my initiative to sit in the very front of the class for all of my courses. I’d have a greater chance of being noticed, and I’d also be less terrified of raising my hand; I wouldn’t have a million eyes looking at me — just my instructor’s! I was in Nelson’s class in the fall semester when I raised my hand to ask a question. He then paused his instruction, acknowledged me, and answered. Just before the end of our exchange, he asked for my name — that was a first. I later went to his office hours to inquire about an assigned project. He made several hilarious comments while I was in his office — he was friendly! But, he also answered my questions. I spoke with Nelson more, both in class and out. I felt honored knowing that in a lecture hall of nearly three hundred undergraduate students, he knew my name! And the gist of my experience is that I was proactive, not reactive. It is our job as students to approach faculty, not theirs.
I had never felt this way before. It was a rush of terror, anxiety, and confusion: how was I possibly going to make it alive after one school year, let alone one semester? Contrary to portrayals of the college lifestyle on television, it is something entirely different — something filled with anguish. I needed friends. So, I became more friendly and welcoming — I definitely felt as if I was becoming more approachable through this change too. I truly believe that every student needs to have at least one person with whom they can strongly relate. The common phrase, “it’s okay, you’ll be fine”, by someone who hasn’t been in my shoes doesn’t help! A major obstacle in pursuing these friendships is probably the first step. One has to recognize the importance of friendships — one must not expect another to come to them, but rather themselves to another. A major plus of the establishment of friendships is the networking opportunities that may come with it; meeting friends of friends has helped me in my search for like-minded individuals, and I found success with such on LinkedIn. One may also be able to work alongside relatable peers on research projects, business ventures, and hackathons! There’s a lot of value to friendships — they may bring both mental and emotional support, and also success.
The lone aspect of the university academic life I was least prepared for was the workload. I came to the University of Maryland, College Park thinking I’d be able to achieve high marks while staying relatively fit and happy. I lived in Centreville, a dormitory hall only three minutes away from the Eppley Recreation Center. There were zero excuses for not going every day; except, I was wrong. My computer science and math classes kept me either in my dorm sweating my eyes off for several hours at a time or at McKeldin Library getting through the assignments one at a time. I hated it. But, it was necessary. I love exercising: it lifts my spirits. I began my second semester with my day-to-day panned out, and I had more enjoyable experiences as a result — I left some time out of the week for myself! I would strongly recommend prospective students to not slack off, and use this incredible app called Notion! It’s free for students, and it helped me organize just about every aspect of my life — homework, class schedules, projects, notes, and extracurricular activities. A friend I met from a club I’m a part of introduced it to me (cc. The importance of friendship) and I feel like I’m now able to tackle any problems I may face — especially those that’ll arrive in future semesters.