Information for Freshmen
The first days on campus may be both exciting and uncertain. As you search through your notes from Orientation, take a deep breath. Everyone gets lost. If you've found the Dairy and rubbed Testudo's nose, you're already ahead. Be sure to download your Gen Ed folder and pick up your copy of the First Year Book.
On Campus:
- Create and agree on room rules and considerations!
- Know all housing deadlines (e.g. room change, roommate change, and opting out for spring).
Off Campus:
- Know and verify where you can park. Learn to use the shuttle.
- Do a test run of your schedule. Know how long it takes to get from the parking lot to your first class.
- Do most of your classwork (e.g. homework, studying, etc.) on campus so that when you get home, you are HOME!
Learn how to navigate the UMD financial aid portal.
- Accepting loans requires multiple steps (e.g. entrance counseling and promissory note).
- Make sure all verification forms are completed (hyperlink turns green) and submitted (green check mark by the required doc).
Make sure you know how to read your bill and when payments are due.
FAFSA must be done EVERY year.
- The application usually opens Oct. 1. Priority deadline is Jan 1.
- The earlier you submit it, the more funding will be available for the grants/scholarships for which you are eligible.
Grants and scholarship award amounts decrease as early as sophomore year, so use Thanksgiving and winter breaks to research and apply for scholarships.
Additional resources for non-citizens:
Classes may be harder than expected. Have you sought out tutoring help? Ask yourself these questions before changing your major:
- Are you having difficulty with all major requirements, or is it just one class?
- Is the difficulty content-related or an issue with the teaching style?
- Have you been consistent in studying?
- Have you gone to the office hours of the Teaching Assistant (TA) or instructor?
If you are having problems, make an appointment with your academic advisor. They can assist you with registration issues like dropping a class and important deadlines and finding the right resources for your situation.
If you still want to change your major:
- Are you trying to change to a Limited Enrollment Program (LEP)?
- Research the courses you need to complete to apply (e.g. GPA minimum and minimum grade in course).
- Know the deadline to apply.
- Consider when you will have the prerequisites done.
- If no,
- Know which of your current courses have satisfied general education requirements.
- Rework your 4-year plan.
- Speak with an advisor in the major you’re interested in and share your 4-year plan.
Identify which activities and extracurriculars you want to try.
Have a conversation with your family to discuss your expectations for each other.
- Consistently reassess and discuss.
If your initial agreement with your family is not providing you with enough time to do your work, COMMUNICATE.
- Sometimes, family members have no idea what it means to take on a full course load. Talk to them, share your work and SHOW THEM how difficult it actually is.
If you have to work, try to start with as few hours as possible in order to get a sense of how much time you need for school.
- Increase your hours as you become more comfortable with your school workload.
- Don’t reserve homework, studying and projects for the weekends, especially if you plan to work.
- Set a schedule for when you plan to work on school and for when you plan to go into work.
If you don’t have to work, to support yourself, buy books, etc.:
- Work on your resume.
- Look into internships and research opportunities; hands-on experience provides additional skills.
- Attend career fairs and networking events to improve upon your presentation and elevator pitch.
How is college different from High school?
| High School | College |
|---|---|
| You need permission to participate in extracurricular activities | You must decide whether to participate in co-curricular activities. |
| High school is mandatory and usually free. | College is voluntary and expensive. |
| You are expected to read short assignments that are then discussed, and often re-taught, in class. | You are assigned substantial amounts of reading and writing which may not be directly addressed in class. |
| The school year is 36 weeks long; some classes extend over both semesters and some don't. | The academic year is divided into two separate 15-week semesters, plus a week after each semester for exams. |
| Teachers provide you with information you missed when you were absent. | Professors expect you to get from classmates any notes from classes you missed. |
| Teachers have been trained in teaching methods to assist in imparting knowledge to students. | Professors have been trained as experts in their particular areas of research. |
| Grades are given for most assigned work. | Grades may not be provided for all assigned work. |
Adapted from Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center, Southern Methodist University
| High School | College |
|---|---|
| Guiding principle: You will usually be told what to do and corrected if your behavior is out of line. | Guiding principle: You are expected to take responsibility for what you do and don't do, as well as for the consequences of your decisions. |
| You are not responsible for knowing what it takes to graduate. | Graduation requirements are complex, and differ from year to year. You are expected to know those that apply to you. |
| Most of your classes are arranged for you. | You arrange your own schedule in consultation with your adviser. Schedules tend to look lighter than they really are. |
| Your time is structured by others. | You manage your own time. |
| You can count on parents and teachers to remind you of your responsibilities and to guide you in setting priorities. | You must balance your responsibilities and set priorities. You will face moral and ethical decisions you have never faced before. |
| Each day you proceed from one class directly to another, spending 6 hours each day--30 hours a week--in class. | You often have hours between classes; class times vary throughout the day and evening and you spend only 12 to 16 hours each week in class. |
| High School | College |
|---|---|
| You may study outside class as little as 0 to 2 hours a week, and this may be mostly last-minute test preparation. | You need to study at least 2 to 3 hours outside of class for each hour in class. |
| Guiding principle: You will usually be told in class what you need to learn from assigned readings. | Guiding principle: It's up to you to read and understand the assigned material; lectures and assignments proceed from the assumption that you've already done so. |
| You seldom need to read anything more than once, and sometimes listening in class is enough. | You need to review class notes and text material regularly. |
| Classes generally have no more than 35 students. | Classes may number 100 students or more. |
| You are expected to read short assignments that are then discussed, and often re-taught, in class. | You are assigned substantial amounts of reading and writing which may not be directly addressed in class. |
| The school year is 36 weeks long; some classes extend over both semesters and some don't. | The academic year is divided into two separate 15-week semesters, plus a week after each semester for exams. |
| High School | College |
|---|---|
| Guiding principle: High school is a teaching environment in which you acquire facts and skills. | Guiding principle: College is a learning environment in which you take responsibility for thinking through and applying what you have learned. |
| Teachers present material to help you understand the material in the textbook. | Professors may not follow the textbook. Instead, to amplify the text, they may give illustrations, provide background information, or discuss research about the topic you are studying. Or they may expect you to relate the classes to the textbook readings. |
| Teachers often take time to remind you of assignments and due dates. | Professors expect you to read, save, and consult the course syllabus (outline); the syllabus spells out exactly what is expected of you, when it is due, and how you will be graded. |
| Teachers check your completed homework. | Professors may not always check completed homework, but they will assume you can perform the same tasks on tests |
| Teachers remind you of your incomplete work. | Professors may not remind you of incomplete work. |
| Teachers impart knowledge and facts, sometimes drawing direct connections and leading you through the thinking process. | Professors expect you to think about and synthesize seemingly unrelated topics. |
| Teachers often write information on the board to be copied in your notes. | Professors may lecture nonstop, expecting you to identify the important points in your notes. When professors write on the board, it may be to amplify the lecture, not to summarize it. Good notes are a must. |
| Teachers provide you with information you missed when you were absent. | Professors expect you to get from classmates any notes from classes you missed. |
| Teachers have been trained in teaching methods to assist in imparting knowledge to students. | Professors have been trained as experts in their particular areas of research. |
| High School | College |
|---|---|
| Makeup tests are often available. | Makeup tests are seldom an option; if they are, you need to request them. |
| Teachers frequently rearrange test dates to avoid conflict with school events. | Professors in different courses usually schedule tests without regard to the demands of other courses or outside activities. |
| Teachers often take time to remind you of assignments and due dates. | Professors expect you to read, save, and consult the course syllabus (outline); the syllabus spells out exactly what is expected of you, when it is due, and how you will be graded. |
| Testing is frequent and covers small amounts of material. | Testing is usually infrequent and may be cumulative, covering large amounts of material. You, not the professor, need to organize the material to prepare for the test. A particular course may have only 2 or 3 tests in a semester. |
| Guiding principle: Mastery is usually seen as the ability to reproduce what you were taught in the form in which it was presented to you, or to solve the kinds of problems you were shown how to solve. | Guiding principle: Mastery is often seen as the ability to apply what you've learned to new situations or to solve new kinds of problems. |
| Teachers frequently conduct review sessions, pointing out the most important concepts. | Professors rarely offer review sessions, and when they do, they expect you to be an active participant, one who comes prepared with questions. |
| High School | College |
|---|---|
| Initial test grades, especially when they are low, may not have an adverse effect on your final grade. | Watch out for your first tests. These are usually "wake-up calls" to let you know what is expected--but they also may account for a substantial part of your course grade. You may be shocked when you get your grades. |
| Consistently good homework grades may raise your overall grade when test grades are low. | Grades on tests and major papers usually provide most of the course grade. |
| Guiding principle: Effort counts. Courses are usually structured to reward a "good-faith effort." | Guiding principle: Results count. Alhough "good-faith effort" is important in regard to the professor's willingness to help you achieve good results, it will not substitute for results in the grading process. |
| You may graduate as long as you have passed all required courses with a grade of D or higher. | You may graduate only if your average in classes meets the departmental standard--typically a 2.0 or C. |
| Extra credit projects are often available to help you raise your grade. | Extra credit projects cannot, generally speaking, be used to raise a grade in a college course. |
| Grades are given for most assigned work. | Grades may not be provided for all assigned work. |