Throughout the end of high school, I would hear many stories from my family and friends about their transition from high school to college and I would sometimes get overwhelmed by it. Some of my friends would come home just to study for their exams since there were many distractions at college. This made me think about the possible distractions I may have and how that would affect my learning. I came into the University of Maryland cautious about the environment I may put myself in so both my education and social life don't have a negative impact. I also had many expectations on how my college experience would play out and by the end of the first semester I feel like my expectations have somewhat matched what the University brought to me. I was fortunate enough to have my positive expectations match up with the reality and the negative expectations to not.
One area I had many assumptions in college was about the classes and their structure. Luckily, my expectations of classes and their workload aligned with that they actually were at the University. I came into the University knowing that I had to put in a lot more effort than I have in high-school and this actually helped me to be prepared for what was coming and lighten the stress, making the classes seem easier. Coming in as a Computer Science major, I knew that I would be facing a lot of competition and need to be on top of my assignments. Before coming into college I was scared of this idea and would worry on how I would do once I did go to University. After spending a semester here I realized that there isn't much to be scared of and everyone around me was on the same boat. As long as I was on top of my assignments and got my work in on time, I was able to create a healthy balance between my work and social life and enjoy both.
During my time at CPSG100, I have learned many things that I didn't expect to be taught. One of the biggest things is learning HTML and CSS to create my own website. I found this to be very useful since I am able to put all my work from SGC in one area that is easily accessible by anyone for them to see. Additionally, when coming into SGC I expected the class to revolve around what humans can do to better the environment we live in by using efficient alternatives to prevent global warming. Instead, we learned about other useful topics such as the effectiveness of research papers and ways of scientific thinking which also really caught my interest. Apart from indoor activities, I really enjoyed participating in the outside of classroom events such as the service day. This gave me a chance to interact more with people with the same interest as me as well as learn new things about myself.
When talking about expectations regarding University life, I believe that there is a big difference when comparing it to my high-school life. We have so much more freedom here which brings along more responsibilities with it. During high school, I had a schedule that I would follow almost every day. I would wake up, go to school, come home, work and spend time with my friends and family after. I feel like at University it is harder to have a strict schedule since you are constantly surrounded by your friends and peers. Additionally, during my high-school life, I would be surrounded by my parents and would have to do things according to their rules. In college, we aren't constantly overlooked by our parents and have the freedom to do what we want when we want.
Coming into college I had the advantage of knowing many other people that have gone through the college process that have helped me prepare for what to look for. Even with this knowledge, I was somewhat scared of how it would actually be for me. One main thing I was worried about, as are most other people, was the workload I would have. During my senior year of high school, I had a half day schedule so I would have a light workload. I was used to this, and expected it to be the same in college. At first, since everything was a new experience, I felt that the workload increased and was stressed due to all the changes, academically and socially, that I was going through. After a few weeks, I was able to get on the right track and balance my school life with my personal life really well and the workload didn't overwhelm me as much. It is important for future students to know that at first University life will be a little difficult, but as long as they find their right balance, it is not as bad as they might have thought it would be. There are definitely times where it may be overwhelming, such as midterms and finals week, but that is unavoidable and students are prepared for this beforehand. Another piece of advice I would give incoming SGC students is to take advantage of the opportunities given to them by the University. The University of Maryland has numerous clubs and organizations that students can be a part of to help them further their education as well as meet people with the same interest as them. One last piece of advice that I believe is really beneficial to first year college students is to have a good relationship with their professors. Students should approach their professors in the beginning of the semester and maintain this interaction throughout the course of the class. It is really important to have a healthy relationship with your professor since they may be someone you ask for a recommendation letter for. Additionally, a good relationship can get you opportunities that other students may not have had since you are showing interest in what you are learning by taking time out of your day to meet with the professor. These meetings don't always have to be educational, they can involve day to day conversations on how each other's day is going. Overall, it is important to come into college with a positive attitude towards it and not be afraid of whatever challenges it may throw at you. Everyone else is going through the same feelings and one is not alone in this process!