As the semester comes to an end, I find that there is so much to look back on. Though it has been four whole months, it feels more like nearly four weeks. I have been given the wonderful opportunity to pack as much as I possibly could into this seemingly short period of time, and now that this time is ending, it is time to unpack these opportunities in the form of this reflection essay.
Like many of my peers, I have been taking college level courses through AP and Dual Enrollment since highschool. Due to this, I felt that most of my experiences with my classes met my expectations going into the semester. If anything, I think that I was expecting much harsher experiences than I actually ended up with. Going into the semester I expected professors with a cold demeanor that do not care if you pass or fail, as it is your responsibility to succeed and not theirs. Though I think I will definitely run into professors like this eventually, I think I have been extremely lucky to have small classes in which the professors are able to provide lots of support to students if need be. At the start of the semester there was only one class that I had issues with, though I will expand on that later. Additionally, I thought that I would encounter more difficult assignments like long essays or tests. However since I’m only taking my general classes at the moment, my assignments have been pretty tame. I start my core classes for my major next semester, and I hope that this trend will continue and that all goes well.
As for CPSG 100, I felt that a lot of what we covered in class was not what I expected we would be going over. I initially signed up for Science and Global Change thinking that it would talk about current events, the impacts of anthropogenic climate change, and sustainability. While I think these are subjects we will expand on more later, I felt that a majority of this semester was dedicated to learning about the concept of science itself as well as human thinking and behavior. Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Thomas Kida and The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan provided an interesting insight into how our perception of the world is not always factually accurate. Though this is not what I expected to learn about, I still found it very interesting. I did not expect there to be so many readings, however I am proud of myself for getting through them, as even if I had to force myself to read it I did genuinely enjoy the content of the books we read. My favorite of the three books we were assigned was Elizabeth Kolbert’s, The Sixth Extinction, as this book touched on the topics I was most interested in when I selected Science and Global Change as my scholar’s program. I loved reading about Kolbert’s field experiences and I loved how each chapter showcased different aspects of our understanding of climate change in the past, present and future. I look forward to learning more about these topics in the upcoming semesters, especially when it comes to Earth’s history in relation to climate change and what we can do to stop it.
One part of this semester that subverted my expectations was the technicalities surrounding living on campus away from my family. Going into the semester I expected living on my own to be much harder than it has turned out to be. I had anticipated missing home a lot more, and while I do find myself getting homesick from time to time, overall I think that I have adjusted well to living away from home very well. I maintain a well balanced routine of taking care of my domestic responsibilities as well as my academic ones. The only thing that I have really struggled with on campus has been finding a part time job to help fund my education. Initially, I had assumed that most jobs on campus would have rolling admissions, but much to my disappointment a lot of the positions on campus only accept applications before each semester, and I had already missed the fall deadline. Despite this I was recently hired for a position with the Department of Transportation Services, which I will likely start in the spring.
Speaking of finances, one of the biggest challenges I faced this semester involved issues with my financial aid. This summer during registration I signed up for a journalism class to satisfy a general education credit. However when classes began I found myself struggling with the workload and getting burnt out within the first week. So, I dropped the class, and unknowingly dropped to part time status, as I was left with only being enrolled in eleven credits. By the time I had realized this mistake I was halfway through the semester and scrambling to find a solution, as my scholarships were retracted and I was looking at a nearly four thousand dollar bill. With help from the AGNR department and my academic advisor, we were able to retroactively add a one credit, half semester course that dropped my bill significantly. This experience showed me the importance of paying attention to details, but also that the staff here at UMD are often willing to help students in need. I feel extremely fortunate that I received the help I did from the AGNR and ENST departments, because without them I may not have been able to continue my education here at Maryland until next year.
With that being said, to any incoming SGC freshman, I would like to emphasize the importance of being active about overcoming the challenges you face, but with a clear distinction that you do not have to face them alone. Additionally, I would highly encourage anyone who is new to campus to talk to as many people as possible- professors, peers, people on your floor if you live in a dorm- and try to make as many connections as possible. The transition between high school and college can be so challenging, but it feels less scary when you have others there to support you.