<p>I figure I might as well just post my impressions/experiences during my first three months here at UMD (give or take a few days). Dunno, might help incoming freshman!</p>
<p>The first few days (basically the first week) were great days to get to know people. Me and my roommate get along pretty well, since we had talked about ourselves via Facebook/email. Met some great people on my floor (like Cheapseats), and I can say I get along with almost everyone on my floor. (Video Games were a decent icebreaker haha, and so was talking about football). I was also fortunate to have two people from my HS on my floor, so I met their new friends, they met my roommate and other friends, and now if you walk around Cambridge, everyone knows each other, kinda like a big family.</p>
<p>Classes are a mixed bag. My Computer Programming class is something I look forward to. The class is difficult, but the professor makes it entertaining. Not to mention Professors really do want to help you, hence why they have office hours (It has helped me a lot!) </p>
<p>Calculus I isn't too bad. This is the only class where many of my friends are in it, so it's pretty social. Also the discussion groups were a new way to make friends, since we work in groups. This is my worst class because I naturally suck at Math, but like Programming, the professor really are helpful when you come visit him in Office Hours. Right now my grade sits at a Mid C, compared to a really low F a month and a half ago when I did not get help. </p>
<p>English 101 is where I begin to despise classes. I get a dose of "weed-out" and learn about how getting an A in this class is next to impossible (harsh reality). Granted, that does sound horrible, but it still encourages me to at least try. That seems to be paying off, as I got an A- on my last paper, the highest grade in the class! However, it is still a lot of hard work, and also, my professor isn't exactly a professor, but more of a grad student! She seems to teach less and focus more on just giving us papers to write while spending barely a day on how to write them properly. But fortunately, AP English helps here!</p>
<p>Government 100 is perhaps the class I regret taking. I always wanted to learn about political science. However, this class is all about scrambling to take notes as quickly as possible. While I do prefer slides and such, I seem to be wasting my hour and a half listening to what a slide says then rather what the professor wants to say (most of the time). Please don't get me wrong, I am still learning, just sometimes if the professor really cannot present the material in an interesting way, I can't digest it. The TA (Teaching Assistant) makes it intresting though, with asking excellent discussion questions. I have a C in that class, due to missing a few days of notes...</p>
<p>For the curious my exam/paper grades are as follows:</p>
<p>Comp Prog: 1st: B 2nd: C
Math: 1st: F 2nd: C 3rd: B
Govt: 1st: C
English: 1st Paper: C 2nd Paper: A-</p>
<p>So to sum all that up about classes:</p>
<p>1). Some classes will be interesting, others will not be Try and get good professors (I recommend Fawzi Emad for CMSC 131, and Laskowski for Math 140).
2). Attendence is important, especially if the exams are based on lectures (Government and Programming)
3). Weed Out courses are hard, but not impossible. (English)
4). Take Advantage of office hours! (All)</p>
<p>In case you all are wondering, I am a Computer Science Major. Now, I know the first thing I will be asked is "Is it really THAT hard at UMD?". Answer: Yes, especially if you do not put in effort. What makes CS hard here is not the material, but more of the projects you will be doing. Example, CMSC 131 (Intro to Object Oriented Programming), the projects are time consuming and require a lot of thinking, but the material itself isn't incredibily difficult (this is why coming to class and getting a good professor helps!). Many other CS Majors agree with the project statement (or so the ones I have talked to).</p>
<p>Also, I am planning to minor in Astronomy, because I simply love astronomy in general! I would double major, but an important aspect to college is simply knowing your limit. I personally could not handle two majors, so I stuck with a minor to keep my workload reasonable.</p>
<p>Food here at UMD isn't too bad, it just gets old REAL fast. Being here for three months, pizza, Cluckers chicken and chicken burgers have all become dull. And of course it's not "healthy food" haha. Try and get some home cooked food, or every once in a while eat out somewhere (when I say every once in a while, I mean that because it does cost money! Every so often I go to a nearby Indian/Pakistani place for a change, or order something different). Also, do try and budget your diner points! They seem to overcharge you sometimes, haha.</p>
<p>Social Life is perfect. I rarely drink, but I still get to enjoy weekends and weeknights here at UMD. The Football Games and Basketball Games are so much fun. Do try and actually go out, but take safety precautions obviously. College Park isn't exactly safe, but I take precautions and nothing has happened to me. Also, join a club or two. I am currently in a group called GSO, Gamers Sympothy Orchestra (we play video game music). I say joining clubs with a grain of salt. If you join too many, you'll just wear yourself out quickly, so stick to a few clubs instead of joining all those jobs to make your resume look good. If you don't drink, don't worry! Just be social and inviting, don't keep your door closed 25/8. Oh, and to anyone who is curious, video games doesn't = anti-social. Heck with the Wii out, people have friends over every night now! Just don't sit in your room 24/7 and play video games when you could be joining your friends for a movie or something.</p>
<p>And last, but not least, something you must learn is how to deal with conflict. On our floor, we've had holes in the lounge walls, dorm rooms flooded, windows getting smashed, etc. If someone is being an a***hole, try to resolve the conflict, Your in college now, your an adult. You'll run into someone who drinks and destroys, learn how to deal with it properly so that you can enjoy your 4 years here!</p>
<p>That's basically my little uh...impressions. Hope it actually means something to anyone curious in becoming a Terp!</p>