My freshman year has been full of interesting experiences. As cliche as it sounds, one of the most surprising classes for me was organic chemistry. Often portrayed as the devil of every STEM major’s college career, it has actually been surprisingly enjoyable for me. This is mostly a credit to my professor, who my other friends have described as “unfairly reasonable”, who not only teaches extremely well but manages to maintain an atmosphere of wonder. Many STEM majors, and definitely myself, pursue the subjects with a passion for the beauty of science and how our entire world can be defined by it. Organic chemistry caters to my passion for both biology and chemistry, and my professor managed to constantly remind me of my wonder for nature. It is still more difficult than any other class I have ever taken, and has probably redefined what studying even means to me. My approach to the class has changed over the semester, where I was studying just a few days before my exams at the beginning, and now where I begin two weeks before the exam.
One of my closest connections at the university is with my internship professor and the other members of his lab. I reached out to him in 2024, and have been interning at his lab for quite a while. He provides me with lots of opportunities in the lab, but has also been instrumental in guiding me in deciding my future. I intend to pursue graduate school in a field similar to my lab’s research, and having completed a degree in this field himself, my professor makes sure to dedicate time to mentoring me and providing me the correct opportunities in the lab to succeed while applying and during my career afterwards. Outside of just the professor, the graduate students and post-doctoral fellow are extremely kind and friendly, teaching and helping me through both improving my hands-on and theoretical knowledge. I got this experience through tenacity and persistence; I reached out to over 90 people that summer, and I grew from fully shadowing to having my own project by constantly looking for any room for growth and opportunities. It is my most valued technical experience and it is the product more of my perseverance than my technical skills.
It is easy to feel alone when coming to college. First and foremost you are probably going from living with more than one person, to only one person who may or may not want to associate with you. My friends are my way of maintaining that feeling of “family”. It is difficult to forge those initial connections, with lots of extremely awkward name and major introductions, but the result is entirely worth it. My advice is to set aside the awkwardness and put yourself out there, as stressful as it is, because that is the only good way to make friends. Your peers can help you with your academics, and in general help you feel that UMD is home away from home.
I was probably least prepared for the food at UMD. I will admit that I am extremely picky, so I struggle a lot to eat at the Y. Furthermore, I am vegetarian, so between my pickiness and that, there are many days where I have no desire to eat anything. To be fair, my meals at home are also not tailored to my likes and dislikes, but at least with a kitchen you have options. I unfortunately do not have easy access to a kitchen either, so I am forced to eat at the Y. My method of coping with this is to use food as a reward. After my exams I like to spend my dining dollars at STAMP or on rare occasions, go completely off campus. I find that the thought of eating better food than the Y helps me get through my exams with a more upbeat attitude.