SGC Freshman Time Capsule Alice Zheng's Freshman Time Capsule Over the first year, I went through many struggles throughout my days. The most impact to me came from the change in setting and teaching style more than the actual academics. Back in high school, I was well adjusted to everything after being there for the past years. I learned where everything was and settled down in a regular routine. Jumping to freshman year of college, everything was different. There was so much more independence and time without being told what to do. I also didn’t have to worry about taking care of anyone as I had to in the previous years with my sisters. I also found it hard to live with other people I am not close with in the same building even though my roommate was an elementary friend. Just being in a place with people not well known to me all the time felt strange and awkward. I was tense all the time and didn’t feel like I could relax as well as I could at home. This aspect impacted me mentally more than anything so I looked into it and am deciding to commute next year(fall 2026). This may be more of a personal experience and choice different than what my friends experience. Other choices for stress and mental difficulties can be found at the counseling center with options for group therapy, individual counseling, and such services. In a more academic view, the courses were not too bad for most classes. I do say chemistry is my achilles heel, but it reflected my experiences in highschool. The only major difference between high school and college courses I would say is the greater independence and bigger lecture halls. The independence of learning yourself and teachers not there to help you directly and to guide you is a change. There are office hours that I have heard do help, but I haven’t been to many as they usually conflict with my classes which is an issue I have found. However, there are many other ways like emailing them, asking the teaching assistants(TAs), or many tutoring programs/options on campus. These are some of the ways to get professional help academically, but there are many other places like friends or reaching out to peers. For advice for incoming students on academic or mental health struggles, I would definitely advise talking to someone. It does not need to be a professional, but just getting outside input will help with deciding on the next steps forward. However, there is not one answer that fits all, and any solution or attempt will be something each individual needs to figure out. But for the first year or at least the first semester, I would definitely advise against too many credits just to allow yourself to adjust. And try to push yourself to not go home too much if you live nearby to better adjust to the college environment faster if possible. Like all new starts, there is always a period of time where you don’t know anyone or how to find help. This will pass as time goes on but it does help to reach out. To find more of a mentor relationship with faculty like professors, you must reach out first. The courses have hundreds of people on average and professors will not be able to get to know everyone. One way would be to sit at the front of the class, but you should still speak to them to build a connection. Going to office hours is a popular and effective way to build relationships as it shows you care and allows professors to get to know you one-on-one. With other faculty, the process is similar. You have to reach out or connect with them first as they do not know you even if you know them. You cannot build a real relationship or get mentoring advice from just asking for the first time as they do not know you at all or even well enough from the first conversation to give you tailored advice. So incoming students should definitely reach out and connect with faculty to build connections. In my personal experience, the first semester was the hardest in building relationships. You don’t know anyone and no one around you can help as they are in the same situation. I first got to know my professors by going to class every day and sitting in the front of the room. This helped me pay attention, but also allowed my professors to see my face at least as I could not make it to most of their office hours. I also knew that if I started sitting in the back, I would never sit in the front ever again so I decided I would just take the front-most seat if possible. This helped me get to know my professors and allowed me to talk to them a bit even if not much. I would also ask them questions after class if possible which helped start a conversation and build a relationship. My biggest obstacle in connecting with professors and faculty is having conflictions with office hours and not knowing where their office is. It is hard when the office is in a different location than the lecture hall, especially when you don’t know the campus well. However, you can always look this up or ask the professor or friends which can guide you or explain it a bit. If not, there are campus maps and websites that can help with finding the building and room number. In addition, google can also work sometimes, at least for UMD. As I mentioned, I struggled and still struggling with adjusting to campus. I decided to commute starting next semester as a method for me and my anxiousness. However, I do want to say that I have started to settle a bit to life in dorms and on campus. Figuring out classes and how to navigate started out very difficult and almost impossible, but it gets easier as time passes. You explore and find different paths to get to places which makes things easier and you get a better sense of how far somewhere is from a location so you can better time yourself. I would say that friends or peers help with the adjustment as you know there are people in the same situations as you. However comforting that may be, most classes I experienced were by myself which pushed me to figure it out on my own. But exploring the campus and finding shortcuts helped me adjust faster. Sometimes, I would bump into friends and they guided me to shortcuts they knew which would also help. In the dorms, I was lucky enough to room with my elementary friend and have close friends on campus. I know this may not be the case for many people, but getting to know your peers, roomate(s), floormates, and people around you can help you feel more comfortable and in the community. UMD has a very open community so adjusting to the people and the campus was not a big issue for me. It was just the living space. I do know people with different struggles like social ones too, but having someone to talk to and connect with should be less burdensome than to deal with it alone. In the sense of getting friends, I came with a good bunch from my high school so I first hung out with them. I do know this is not a common case as many people come from different schools or out of state. No matter if you know people or not, I suggest making more friends or getting to know people. There are many events during the beginning of fall semester that bring people together and allow connections to form. For me, most of my relationships whether friends, acquaintances, or peers can form a simple greeting and continued conversation. This happened in my classes at first, but then at student organizations and sports. So definitely attend some activities in the beginning to get to know people and connect with them. I did have less time as the semester went on, so that was one of the bigger obstacles. With this, I would say to prioritize your time, or get to know people early in the semester and keep in contact. In the academic aspect, I was least prepared for the style differences between teachers. In high school, classes generally taught the same way more or less, but college professors each have different ways of teaching. They get you to pretty much the same thing, but each has a different style so choosing the right professor also plays a role in your learning. In this aspect, I would definitely look up professors and understand how well they teach, how they teach, and what they give out as each professor is different and some might work for one student but not another. Another aspect is the impact of sickness on academics. You will get sick on campus at least once and it will impact your academics. College is not as forgiving as high school, so be prepared to catch up or do your best. No one will wait for you or help you catch up before the next topic starts in the next lecture or the following lecture. To counter this, either push through and keep working while being sick or do your best to catch up. But make sure to take care of yourself as there are always different ways to achieve your goals. Last modified: 08 May 2026
Over the first year, I went through many struggles throughout my days. The most impact to me came from the change in setting and teaching style more than the actual academics. Back in high school, I was well adjusted to everything after being there for the past years. I learned where everything was and settled down in a regular routine. Jumping to freshman year of college, everything was different. There was so much more independence and time without being told what to do. I also didn’t have to worry about taking care of anyone as I had to in the previous years with my sisters. I also found it hard to live with other people I am not close with in the same building even though my roommate was an elementary friend. Just being in a place with people not well known to me all the time felt strange and awkward. I was tense all the time and didn’t feel like I could relax as well as I could at home. This aspect impacted me mentally more than anything so I looked into it and am deciding to commute next year(fall 2026). This may be more of a personal experience and choice different than what my friends experience. Other choices for stress and mental difficulties can be found at the counseling center with options for group therapy, individual counseling, and such services.
In a more academic view, the courses were not too bad for most classes. I do say chemistry is my achilles heel, but it reflected my experiences in highschool. The only major difference between high school and college courses I would say is the greater independence and bigger lecture halls. The independence of learning yourself and teachers not there to help you directly and to guide you is a change. There are office hours that I have heard do help, but I haven’t been to many as they usually conflict with my classes which is an issue I have found. However, there are many other ways like emailing them, asking the teaching assistants(TAs), or many tutoring programs/options on campus. These are some of the ways to get professional help academically, but there are many other places like friends or reaching out to peers.
For advice for incoming students on academic or mental health struggles, I would definitely advise talking to someone. It does not need to be a professional, but just getting outside input will help with deciding on the next steps forward. However, there is not one answer that fits all, and any solution or attempt will be something each individual needs to figure out. But for the first year or at least the first semester, I would definitely advise against too many credits just to allow yourself to adjust. And try to push yourself to not go home too much if you live nearby to better adjust to the college environment faster if possible.
Like all new starts, there is always a period of time where you don’t know anyone or how to find help. This will pass as time goes on but it does help to reach out. To find more of a mentor relationship with faculty like professors, you must reach out first. The courses have hundreds of people on average and professors will not be able to get to know everyone. One way would be to sit at the front of the class, but you should still speak to them to build a connection. Going to office hours is a popular and effective way to build relationships as it shows you care and allows professors to get to know you one-on-one. With other faculty, the process is similar. You have to reach out or connect with them first as they do not know you even if you know them. You cannot build a real relationship or get mentoring advice from just asking for the first time as they do not know you at all or even well enough from the first conversation to give you tailored advice. So incoming students should definitely reach out and connect with faculty to build connections.
In my personal experience, the first semester was the hardest in building relationships. You don’t know anyone and no one around you can help as they are in the same situation. I first got to know my professors by going to class every day and sitting in the front of the room. This helped me pay attention, but also allowed my professors to see my face at least as I could not make it to most of their office hours. I also knew that if I started sitting in the back, I would never sit in the front ever again so I decided I would just take the front-most seat if possible. This helped me get to know my professors and allowed me to talk to them a bit even if not much. I would also ask them questions after class if possible which helped start a conversation and build a relationship. My biggest obstacle in connecting with professors and faculty is having conflictions with office hours and not knowing where their office is. It is hard when the office is in a different location than the lecture hall, especially when you don’t know the campus well. However, you can always look this up or ask the professor or friends which can guide you or explain it a bit. If not, there are campus maps and websites that can help with finding the building and room number. In addition, google can also work sometimes, at least for UMD.
As I mentioned, I struggled and still struggling with adjusting to campus. I decided to commute starting next semester as a method for me and my anxiousness. However, I do want to say that I have started to settle a bit to life in dorms and on campus. Figuring out classes and how to navigate started out very difficult and almost impossible, but it gets easier as time passes. You explore and find different paths to get to places which makes things easier and you get a better sense of how far somewhere is from a location so you can better time yourself. I would say that friends or peers help with the adjustment as you know there are people in the same situations as you. However comforting that may be, most classes I experienced were by myself which pushed me to figure it out on my own. But exploring the campus and finding shortcuts helped me adjust faster. Sometimes, I would bump into friends and they guided me to shortcuts they knew which would also help.
In the dorms, I was lucky enough to room with my elementary friend and have close friends on campus. I know this may not be the case for many people, but getting to know your peers, roomate(s), floormates, and people around you can help you feel more comfortable and in the community. UMD has a very open community so adjusting to the people and the campus was not a big issue for me. It was just the living space. I do know people with different struggles like social ones too, but having someone to talk to and connect with should be less burdensome than to deal with it alone.
In the sense of getting friends, I came with a good bunch from my high school so I first hung out with them. I do know this is not a common case as many people come from different schools or out of state. No matter if you know people or not, I suggest making more friends or getting to know people. There are many events during the beginning of fall semester that bring people together and allow connections to form. For me, most of my relationships whether friends, acquaintances, or peers can form a simple greeting and continued conversation. This happened in my classes at first, but then at student organizations and sports. So definitely attend some activities in the beginning to get to know people and connect with them. I did have less time as the semester went on, so that was one of the bigger obstacles. With this, I would say to prioritize your time, or get to know people early in the semester and keep in contact.
In the academic aspect, I was least prepared for the style differences between teachers. In high school, classes generally taught the same way more or less, but college professors each have different ways of teaching. They get you to pretty much the same thing, but each has a different style so choosing the right professor also plays a role in your learning. In this aspect, I would definitely look up professors and understand how well they teach, how they teach, and what they give out as each professor is different and some might work for one student but not another.
Another aspect is the impact of sickness on academics. You will get sick on campus at least once and it will impact your academics. College is not as forgiving as high school, so be prepared to catch up or do your best. No one will wait for you or help you catch up before the next topic starts in the next lecture or the following lecture. To counter this, either push through and keep working while being sick or do your best to catch up. But make sure to take care of yourself as there are always different ways to achieve your goals.