My first semester at UMD has been spectacular. Going into my freshman year of college I expected the worst. I expected to be locked in my room all day stressing out over impending deadlines and impossible course material. These anxieties were worsened by the bad reputation of mechanical engineering, as I had heard time and time again that engineering was a painful slog for every year of college. I am happy to report that this has not been the case, or at least not the whole truth of it.
Going into the semester I had pretty uniform expectations as to what my classes would be like. I expected each class to be taught by a leader in their field of study, one who is extremely knowledgeable as well as excited to share their understanding with students. I expected homework to be a large part of our grade, as it was in high school, and I expected it to be simple to discuss further questions with the professor. After my first semester I can say that this was certainly not perfectly accurate. While all my professors are extremely knowledgeable, some of them are more passionate than others. Some of my teachers are clearly in love with their field and are always happy to be able to engage with students. Some other professors, while clearly knowledgeable, lack the charisma possessed by others. This is not to say they care less for their students, but it can take some of the excitement for the class away from you during the course. In terms of grades, I was mistaken to assume homework would be hugely influential. For the most part, homework is to further your understanding, as opposed to being used as a grading tool. This makes it easy to neglect it, since you do not see immediate effects, but you should make sure to keep up with your work. It can also be difficult to raise questions to your professor, as scheduling appointments outside of class can be very difficult and in large classes it can be awkward or difficult to make your questions heard.
For the Science and Global Change Scholars program, my expectations were certainly shaken. I expected the class to dive deeply into pressing environmental concerns and current methods and research for their mitigation. In reference to outside-of-classroom activities, I thought that they would revolve around outdoor excursions such as camping and backpacking. Both of these expectations were generated based on my lifestyle, and as such they were not very accurate, since the class is meant for a large range of individuals, not just me. The class spent a lot of time discussing the basics of logic and environmental systems, which was a decent bit of repeat information if you took AP courses during high school. However, later in the semester we did begin being taught much more specific information about fields such as geology and anthropology, which was very engaging and different from prior education. The outside-of-classroom activities involved much more academia-centric experiences, such as museum tours. While this was not what I expected, it was still very enjoyable, as it gave our professors the opportunity to demonstrate their impressive reserves of knowledge.
For housing, I live on campus in Centreville. I have had a blast on campus this semester. The dorms have been great, although I know other buildings are not as nice as Centreville. My dorm is clean and has nice bathrooms, so I have no complaints in that regard. My neighbors are all extremely kind and easy to get along with, and all of this is made better by my wonderful RA. In terms of activities on campus, there has been plenty to keep me busy. There is a plethora of planned activities in dorms and community centers and plenty of sporting events, so you are never bored if you find yourself with some free time. Coming in I expected to get along great with some people and not so well with others, but have found that nearly everyone on campus is a pleasure to be around. You have to be a smart, courteous person to get into UMD, so nearly everyone attending is easy to befriend.
For future students, my main advice is to be ready to get lost. In your day to day academics, it is likely you will struggle at some times and feel unchallenged at others. It is also very easy to get behind on work, as you have to learn how to operate on a schedule set exclusively by you. This can be tough to adjust to, but it can be a huge positive in other ways. Getting lost throughout the semester can help you grow and learn more about yourself, as you will be pushed out of your comfort zone. This sparks new friendships and interests and ensures that you use all the resources that campus can provide you with.