transfer student hell

Colleges & Universities University of Maryland - College Park
1

<p>I just transfered to UMD college park, the first 2 weeks were great, but now I really feel like I f’ed up by coming to such a big school. It’s the snow ball effect… failed one test, then another homework and another… its just been BAD and I’m a good student most of the time. I moved here with my boyfriend who is not a UMD student and I hate every class I’m taking, making it really hard to even read or care about my grades when I don’t even know why the hell I’m taking these classes! and I’m extremely homesick so all I’ve been doing is sitting in my apartment alone, waiting for my boyfriend to get home from his 9-5 job and It’s just been Transfer Student HELL! What if I fail every class? What if withdraw from all classes and just start over next semester? Can you even do that? I really wish I wasn’t rushed to pick a major and wasn’t just a number in my huge classes. Even the help on campus has been crap! (mean math tutors) </p>

<p>Has anyone felt like this?? Help</p>

2

<p>There is no reason for you to feel like a number in ANY of your classes.</p>

<p>First of all, you need to spend study time on campus. Just sitting and waiting for your bf to get home is not going to be productive for anything. </p>

<p>Think about what study habits you had before that you are not doing now. Be totally honest with yourself. Make an appointment or go to the office hours of every professor and/or TA you have. Explain that you’re feeling overwhelmed and see if you can get their help in trying to turn things around. I assume that you have a TA for your math class. They are required to have office hours, and usually for most of the semester, no one ever shows up. Go, and get help with your homework. Or go over the past test and see what you missed. </p>

<p>Work to get current and/or ahead in the homework of all your classes. If you haven’t already done so, consider dropping to 12 hours, but dropping everything altogether isn’t really necessary.</p>

<p>In your classes, pick out the people who seem to understand what’s going on and ask them for help. </p>

<p>At UMD you can choose to be anonymous if you want to be, but by showing a concerted effort, going to all your classes, going for help to the prof and/or TA, they will know your name and will know that you haven’t just “given up”. For a couple of classes that D1 was a TA, there were people at the end of the semester who may have been borderline on grades. Those that attended class AND the discussion sections, those who had proven that they were trying to turn things around were the ones that sometimes got the benefit of the doubt. People that had rarely showed up to discussion sections and had made no point to meet with the teacher and/or TA were just a name. </p>

<p>Good luck. You can turn things around, but you’re going to have to change several things to do so. Scheduling your time so that you get most of your work done during the day will likely result in more fun time when your bf is off work.</p>

3

<p>Astro’s advice is spot-on.</p>

<p>Biggest advice I can give is to not let it snowball. Don’t let a bad test or two put you down. Acknowledge that even the greatest sometimes do badly on something, and that you can put in an effort to improve things.</p>

<p>What classes are you taking?</p>

4

<p>Oh wow, does this post sure strike close to home. </p>

<p>I came here as a freshman against my will (really wanted a smaller school), and I know what you mean. I know what you mean about feeling like a number, about the snowball effect of getting behind, about feeling lost socially, too.</p>

<p>The thing is, this is just your first couple months at Maryland. Your snowball is tiny…even if you don’t do as great as you would have hoped this semester, there’s always next, and the one after that. So take a deep breath and remind yourself that it’s just the beginning.</p>

<p>Now, if you don’t start to improve this semester, though, you’ll really start to have some problems. So, go to office hours with your professors ASAP. They are really nice if you come to them, say you are a transfer student and feel behind, ask them to help you chart out a plan for catching up. They WILL help you. They will. You may feel like a number, but in my experience here, professors will not treat you like one. If the tutors are mean, go to your TA, go to your professor. That’s what you pay them for!</p>

<p>Second, move your studying to somewher social on campus. You don’t have to actually talk to anyone…in fact, while you’re catching up, you won’t have much time to talk to anyone. But trust me, it feels a lot less lonely in the library, in the Starbucks, in the Student Union, etc. than it does in your dark apartment. GEt used to coming home after 5…and start experiencing the campus, even if just from an observer standpoint at first.</p>

<p>Once you’re caught up - and you WILL get caught up! - then you can start to get involved with some clubs and activities around campus and really start to get your groove. But focus first on catching up. It won’t be easy but your professors will help you. Devote some hours each day to it. Good luck. This is the real world right here - no coddling. It’s good practice for later in life :)</p>