The course that was the greatest revelation to me was CMSC250H. The most important distinction of this course from my other courses was that it was an honors course. This made the course more interactive as it allowed the professor and students to interact more. Overall, a smaller class provided a better learning experience since it was easier to focus on the lecture. Before coming into this course, I was skeptical of choosing honors over the regular course because I thought it would be significantly harder. However, I learned that as long as I put in enough time and dedication, the class became very manageable. Finally, I learned many interesting things about computer science that I would not have learned if I took the regular course instead.
So far, developing mentoring relationships with faculty has been challenging. Due to the nature of large classes, it has been difficult to have a one on one conversation with a professor. However, taking smaller classes with smaller lectures definitely helps the professor and the student to get to know each other better. Additionally, attending office hours can help build relationships between faculty because it allows you to get direct help from the professor or teaching assistant themself. So, you will get to know each other more. Additionally, getting to know your advisor can also be very beneficial. The job of a student's advisor is to help them make decisions on which majors/minors to pursue or which classes to take. Getting to know my advisor certainly made my life a bit easier for myself; if I had any questions regarding class requirements or class prerequisites I could always ask my advisor.
Building relationships between my peers has helped me academically. Specifically, having friends that are taking similar courses with you can help when studying. This is because if there is something that I may not understand, I can ask my friends and see if they can help and vice versa. Even though there are benefits to studying/learning independently, there are also many benefits to working with your peers in a small group. For me, the greatest obstacle with pursuing new relationships between your peers would be the online environment. With asynchronous classes and online lectures, it was hard to make new friends.
One of the main issues with academics that I had in my first semester was procrastination. During the first semester, I would push back essays which I did not want to write. This led to a horrific weekend where I had to write 2 8-page essays both due on Monday. That may have been the most stressful weekend of the entire semester. After that experience, I learned that I should complete my work in a timely manner and finish it as soon as I can. So, in my second semester, I stayed true to my words and finished all of my assignments as soon as I could and everything went well. Another important academic aspect is making sure your schedule is as good as it can be. This could mean making sure you are taking challenging courses but not too challenging. Additionally, the timing of your classes should suit you; taking very early classes when you aren't a morning person is not ideal. Finally, ensure that the professors you choose allow you to be the most successful you can. A difference in professors could affect how much you learn in a course.