University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

Out of my college experience I have learned that you have to do your homework. In high school it was just a nuisance but in college they don’t care if you do it but if you don’t, that test that’s coming up is going to be a little tricky. Attending college also helped me learn how to manage my time so I could get all of my work done. That is a very valuable thing to learn and I’m glad I learned it in the beginning or else I probably wouldn’t have gotten the grade that I wanted. I’m really glad I chose to go to college. It’s such a different experience because here people actually want to learn and I am being pushed to achieve more.

I have always been interested in buildings, ranging from Toronto's CN Tower or New York's Brooklyn Bridge. I wish for the skills to design and build their 21st century equivalents, but not in the form of skyscrapers or bridges, rather irrigation systems and roads. Most third world countries, particularly those in Africa, suffer from primitive to non-existent resources to care properly for their citizens. Civil engineering not only will allow me to study design and structure, but also to improve other people's lives, and I will expect my low-tech, innovative engineering designs for third-world countries to serve an important purpose. I could design simple irrigation and drinking water systems that a primitive village could support and maintain. Because of a severe lack of paving, I could design cheap and convenient public roads to accommodate the many who travel on foot, on carts, and on beasts of burden. Attending college will provide a basis of knowledge, discovering the impacts of engineering designs on a global setting. UMD engineering helps students with their future goals, and offers many chances to strengthen real life skills such as developing professional contacts and working in a multi-disciplinary team.

Out of my college experience thus far the most important thing that I've learned is to be yourself. Many times in college you meet people and things that will attempt to bring you out of character. But I learned that regardless remain true to you. College is not only a time to further your education but it is also a time for you to find out who YOU really are. Not what mama says, not what daddy told you. Its your opportunity to find out your likes and dislikes, to become your own person. It is this reason that has made college such a valuable part in my life. I am so glad I attended because everyday I am becoming a better person than I was the day before and I am truly grateful for such an opportunity. I do not take it lightly or for granted.

My college experience has been life-altering because of the hardships I had to face. When I first started my freshman year of college, I thought I was not going to be able to do it. With a major of biochemistry, all of my classes were extremely difficult, and I just felt lost at a huge campus. My luck was absolutely horrible the first semester, and at times, I realized that I was not the same girl I was a mere 2 months ago. Dr. Peel eached out to me, while I was struggling through this hard time. After every meeting with him, I would become more motivated to strive in my classes, and he literally saved my college career. At first, I thought that I was going to fail my first semester classes, but ended up with a 3.3 ! However, then second semester came around and I was diagnosed with mono, which was another detrimental effect to my grades, but I still pulled my grades up to a 3.1. Through this tough experience I learned that I can overcome anything, and I would like to continue my learning experience at the wonderful UMD.

College has been a great experience for me to really change myself. I've been able to grow as a person and learn new things. I've been able to come out of my shell more and become much more extroverted, meeting new people. It's been an incredible experience. I've also been able to get the satisfaction of being a first-generation college student in my family, and making it this far and doing so well so far has made my family incredibly proud. It's been very valuable to attend because I know that by going, I'm setting myself up for a better future so that I can bring up my future family with a better life than I had. Isn't that what we all want for our kids? To have lives 50 times better than we had?

I truly enjoyed my college experience. I learned so much about myself through meeting new people and taking new and interesting classes. I also learned about myself when things weren't going well, like when I had to learn in my first two years how to be a successful college student. There were ample opportunities to get into some of the more social aspects of college, like the partying and drinking, but these were activities that I chose not to get involved in. I learned to balance my grades and my schedule, since I was working 2 jobs while taking classes full-time. I learned to take responsibility for myself and for my goals. I believe that I gained a great deal of self-respect, and it was earned rather than expected. College was an experience that changed my life, and has allowed me to help others. I am a high school counselor now, and I help students figure out the college process on a daily basis. I feel that I have a lot to pass on to my students. A scholarship will help me complete a program in College Counseling, which will make me a better counselor.

What I have gotten out of my college experience more than anything else is the experience to grow as an individual. More than learning and taking exams I was able to learn from my experiences of being around such differring personalities and people. Being an RA allowed me to understand students needs a long with their problems while they were going through college. Being a captain of a Indian Dance team allowed me to learn to balance school and an extra cirrcular activity. This is why it has been valuable to attend. A long with the tangibles such as a grade point average and a degree I was able to learn from mistakes and experiences and most importnat the people around me which has made my college experience valuable.

College is the period in a person's life that consists of the most change and independence. Prior to entering college, I had become too accustomed to my seemingly perfect false-sense of reality. I was completely ignorant of the real world and its hardships. My parents had sheltered me in a protective shell that is similar to a semi-impermeable membrane; the good was embraced while the bad was filtered out. I was never exposed to any sense of independence or a feeling of vulnerability or being lost in the world. After school, I would go home unaware of all the dangers that lurk in the crevices of the real world. However, once college began, I have never felt so insignificant, vulnerable, or lost in my life. I truly felt like a fish in the ocean. With no friends to turn to for help or parents to cook me dinner when I arrive home after an arduous night of studying, I needed to become independent. I now understand and have experienced some of the hardships of life, but it has allowed me to fully appreciate everything to come my way: every opportunity, experience, friend, and moment in life.

My first year of college to be honest was not what i expected. I have not really found my niche or any people that I feel comfortable with. I think this might be due to the fact that my school is so huge, maybe I should have found a smaller school, but all in all I am trying to make the best of it. I am determined that I will find my place.

My college experience has taught me how to be a man and take full responsibility for my actions. During the process you learn how to take care of yourself as individual. You also discover who you are and who you want to be in the future. The college experience has showed me the steps that I need to take in order to succeed. The journey will be long and rough, but the end result is worthwhile.