In high school, when I pictured classes at college, I expected vast lecture halls where professors lectured and students were expected to participate only through listening, rather than active feedback. I was expecting grades to be mostly influenced by group projects, and I was also anticipating that each class would have one midterm and one final. I expected most homework to be pdfs of problem sets.
Although some of those expectations were fulfilled accurately, others have been proven wrong in my time so far at the University of Maryland. There are vast lecture halls – but there are also small classrooms where everyone’s voice is heard. Although I had heard the term “discussion,” I never really knew what it meant. The small classrooms giving everyone a chance to voice their questions was certainly a surprise to me. Even in lecture halls, students are encouraged to participate by calling out answers to questions and giving hand signals. For example, in CHEM135, my professor asks us about our weekends and always surveys the room to gauge everyone’s understanding. Grades are influenced heavily by projects, but they are mostly influenced by exams. All of my classes have only one final, but all of my classes also had more than one midterm. (My math class had four!) Lastly, homework is primarily online problem sets. What surprised me most was my math class. Practice problems are not required. Instead, there are weekly MATLAB assignments. I was not expecting to code in my math class, but I am glad to be exposed to something new and exciting!
In CPSG100, I anticipated discussions about what science is, but I was not expecting it to be the bulk of the discussion. We haven’t explored much on the front of what kinds of global change are taking place today, other than the rising carbon dioxide concentration in Earth’s atmosphere. I was expecting to learn more about types of global change this semester. Although that expectation was not met, my expectations regarding outside-of-classroom activities were exceeded, to say the least. I found our service day activity to be really rewarding and fun. It was a great way to meet SGC students, as we spent the whole day with our groups. Our trip to NYC was really amazing. Not only were we able to visit several sections of the museum with our own professors as tour guides, but we also had a good amount of time to venture into the city on our own.
My high-school vision of college life was mostly what was on the covers of brochures and websites. I was picturing an absurd amount of students sitting outside on blankets all the time, an apocalyptic amount of drones flying as engineering students tested their projects, cramped and uninspiring dorm rooms, horrible dining hall food, and spending a lot of time working on projects for engineering clubs. In the beginning of the year, there were a lot of students outside all the time. However, seeing as we’re in Maryland and it does, in fact, get cold in the winter, there are not students sitting outside all the time anymore. There are not drones everywhere, but if you know where to look, there are often engineering students building or testing their projects. Centreville dorms are pretty small, but they’re clean, air-conditioned, and have elevators. Decorating the dorm to be more personal to myself and my roommate has made our dorm to feel like a second home to me. The dining hall food certainly has rough days, but for the most part, the new Yahentamitsi dining hall is pretty good. Lastly, joining an engineering club has taught me a lot more than I expected so far.
Although I definitely do not have it all figured out, I have five pieces of advice to offer to future SGC students to ease into college life. First, organize your assignments. I use Excel to sort my assignments by due date, along with OneNote to make weekly and monthly plans. Second, decorate your dorm and bring things that will make it feel homey. It’s a lot easier to get through the day when you know that you’re coming back to your cozy dorm where you know you can relax and be comfortable. A big part of this is having a light source besides the giant overhead light that comes in the room. In my room, we hung LED strip lights and my roommate and I each have a desk lamp, making it easy for one of us to work while the other is sleeping. Also, painter’s tape can fix just about any problem you have. Third, find an upperclassman student who shares your major to ask for advice. Some examples for me are my SGC peer mentor, my Women in Engineering peer mentor, and a friend I made in an engineering club. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, and sometimes all you need is a reminder that other people have made it through the same classes you’re taking and that there are always other perspectives to whatever situation you’re in. Fourth, ask for help. It takes courage and effort to ask for help when you need it, but it almost always ends up giving me at least a little peace of mind. This could mean attending office hours, asking your peers for help, or asking older students for advice. Fifth, if routines work best for you, despite classes being at odd times, there are always ways to make your days feel more structured. For example, I try to have dinner at the same time every day. I make my bed every morning and I turn on the same lamp before I go to bed every night. It’s not reasonable to think that every day will be the same: I know that on Wednesday’s I’ll have an awkward gap between classes, but I’ve found that it’s a great time to work on homework. Expanding your vision of a routine from being a cycle repeated daily to instead a cycle repeated weekly can help you to feel more settled because you know what to expect.