Due Date: December 11, 2023
It would be an undeniable statement to say that “university is different from high school.” When it comes to classes, other than gen eds in some cases, your professors will not know your name. I think only my English teacher remembered my name and my math teacher recognized my face but not my name or the fact that I struggled in her class. It’s a very impersonal experience, which again is to be expected but still interesting to live through that switch. The delivery of classes is very, very fast-paced. Even the classes where attendance isn’t necessarily mandatory. It feels like it is and in each class, you go over something new and even at that, you will not understand the topic through just the notes. That’s another thing if you’re in a STEM class. Particularly the “weed out” classes. You will need to review those same topics you learned in class, not just to study them but to relearn or fully understand what was being shown in the slides/board. With graded items, it’s actually surprising how understanding professors will be about deadlines, I say this for classes outside the STEM field. Especially if the class is a gen-ed, an email could explain why I have to turn in a paper the morning after. As long as they don’t state that their deadlines are strict in the syllabus, then it is probably flexible. Another thing is how many classes can clash, I will often have exams in my harder classes on the same day, which is very stressful. When it came to CPSG, I thought it would be very research-heavy, but it wasn’t. I did enjoy the class, interesting and interactive delivery. The professors made it interesting to listen to that hour-long lecture. While I did enjoy the class, I have scheduling conflicts, which is also something I learned. I have to prioritize classes when it comes to making future schedules. I thought service day connects to what we learn, yes as a class we are concerned about the environment so it’s obvious that we should do something that helps the environment like service day. I didn’t have big expectations for the class, it’s a 100 class. I expected introductory-level lessons to prepare us for the future classes we would take in the program which was the class. Although I can no longer take the class, I feel like I am now better versed in climate change issues and could out-debate any non-believer if I ever have to encounter one (lol). As a commuter, it can be stressful, and personally wish I could live on campus. I have an intensive family so in combination, it can be very stressful and for that same reason, I cannot live on campus. Outside of that, you require having a routine to get here on time for parking and leaving late some days for help outside the classroom but also to not drive home tired. Overall university life is way more stressful than I imagined. I expected that yea it can be stressful but it is honestly worse than I imagined. But also so many people feel like that so it’s so important that I have a support system. And I’m thankful that my friend since middle school goes to this school and not only that, that we also took CPSG together. As commuters, UMD students, and being friends, we grew as friends even more. Tying this to my life outside. I got engaged, I know very young. This was after familiar pressure but I nor did my partner mind doing it. I do feel supported now relationships-wise, which is something I know can be an issue for people. I had one fight with him this semester but could be solved through communication which is also something that I feel is very important, also in my academics. And when I eventually get married I can financially benefit, him and I. The advice I would give to others is, that it’s okay to “fail”, change your mind, or not be doing the best. Just be positive and focus that energy on improving rather than. Another is to not worry if you can’t make a big group of friends at first, have a few that you can trust. Also, don’t let the small things affect you. People don’t smile/wave back or on first look fair, people don’t really ask you or pay attention to you. It’s not a big deal, the campus is huge and you probably won’t see them again. Also, take advantage of the fact that you are a student, use student Amazon Prime for Christmas/birthday gifts, or student discounts. So to any future SGC student, enjoy that class and pay attention. Pay attention for that hour won’t make you fall behind (at least during the first few months) it can be nice to be in a class where you learn and don’t have to forcibly take notes because the lecture slides are posted.