First Year Experience & Students in Transition

Achieve Academically!
As you were admitted to UMD we made the statement that we believe in your ability to handle the academic rigor and to be an alumnus in whom we're proud. Yet achieving your potential is primarily up to you. Identify your strengths and weaknesses and then use the resources to improve yourself. Academic success may be achieved by developing time management, test taking and effective study skills. Another integral part to experiencing academic success is to meet with your advisor to plan appropriate quarterly schedules and develop an academic plan.


Plan Ahead!
Freshmen aren't expected to have their lives planned out yet, but thinking about the direction of your college career and sharing it with others will provide a sense of purpose for you and help to ensure that necessary steps are taken now. You can't afford to wait until you are a senior to start planning because by then too many important opportunities will have passed by. To help you with this planning process, you should make a four-year graduation plan in Graduation Planner, begin the career planning process , and start developing a leadership transcript.

While it's not crucial that you know your intended post-college career during your freshman year, engaging in the career exploration process is a worthwhile activity. Researching possible careers can help you determine a major, plan for student leadership activities, and start thinking about how to prepare for volunteer opportunities and internships. Contrary to popular belief, the Career Services office isn't just for students about to graduate. Career Services offers assessments that can help you explore which majors and careers might be the best fit for you. They have an extensive library for researching majors, careers and internships. Visit them in 22 Solon Campus Center.

And for those of you who are undecided majors, you're in good company. Montgomery, et. al, report that more than 20% of all first-year college students do not know what their majors will be. It's the same at UMD; each year, more than 1/3 of new freshman students enter the university without a declared major.

It's never too early to begin career exploration. In your career research process, you can visit a career counselor, talk with professionals within certain careers and discuss career selection with professors and your advisor.

Explore!
The diversity of people and the wide range of opportunities accessible to you at UMD are incredible. Look at the different majors and careers that are available. Meet new people and learn to appreciate the differences within them. Attend events that you've never been involved in before and learn from that new experience.

Disboro reminds us that you will have a variety of ages, races, backgounds, beliefs, experiences, interests, and especially abilities sitting next to you in class. A large part of your education will be the conversations and experiences you engage in oustside of the classroom environment. So appreciate that and make the most of these opportunities.

Locate an Advocate or Resource
Find someone (faculty or staff member) on campus who knows you by name. This person may not have all the answers you are looking for, but he/she will be an available resource. This person can help you through those rough times and share your excitement during times of accomplishment. You may have to take the initiative to find such a person, but the effort will be worth it. Once you have explored all the resources around campus, you'll most likely find a person you're comfortable confiding in.

Relationships: Friends and More-than-Friends
Find more than one confidant whom you trust and enjoy being with. Choose your friends for their own merits, not for what they have or what they can do for you. In college, your personality and actions tend to mirror those of your friends. Be patient; solid friendships take time and persistence. Our relationships page has more about this topic.

Final Thoughts...
In closing, the sophomore year holds another set of exciting objectives and opportunities as students progress through degree requirements and begin concentrating on the finer points of their academic career. Students become more confident in their choice of major and possibly discover a second area of interest (a minor). Students can also be more interested in academic clubs and participate actively in numerous campus events. Take advantage of leadership development opportunities through the Kirby Leadership program, leadership in student organizations or jobs that help sharpen these skills.