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Name: Arbab Khan
Major: Chemical Engineering (B.S.)
Transferred from: Howard Community College
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If I look back at my past, I have changed a lot as a student and as a person. I came to the United
States of America from Pakistan years ago and started off with studying in a
community college. The transition from one country to another followed by a
transition from Howard Community College (HCC) to University of Maryland
Baltimore County (UMBC) was not as smooth as I expected.
To learn a new educational system and a new way of studying, I decided to take classes at HCC to familiarize myself on how everything worked in the US. I studied two semesters at HCC and enjoyed my time as a high achieving student. When I transferred to UMBC, I took difficult classes, and struggled in my first semester due to various reasons. I had to improve my study strategies. In order to understand what was going on in the lecture, the most important thing was to read the book before coming to class. I had to figure out how to prepare my own study notes for exams. The professors did not give me notes in class to make it easier to study the night before, memorize, and ace the exams. I had to find out about new resources, like the tutoring centers where I could seek help in my homework and assignments. I had to adjust to a huge class size in which the students went to faculty office hours to start a relationship with the professor and to ask questions. I had to learn how to work in groups. I never worked in groups with anyone in the classes which threw me off.
I could have been easily unmotivated and frustrated, and I could have changed my major. Instead, I started to build connections, and to network and socialize with various clubs on campus. This helped me to meet new people who actually knew more resources at UMBC. I made friends in class and started to study with them in groups, and I made a habit of going to my professor’s office hours. I figured out how to utilize my time in a productive way rather than procrastinating with my work. As I got to know about tutoring, group studying, meeting with the professors, and networking, I instantly applied these techniques and got the result that I deserved.
After that, I haven’t looked back and have been doing great in all my classes. Being a commuter and working part-time, I learned how to manage my time wisely, which is the key to success. In short, I became efficient and started giving enough time to my classes and myself in order to succeed. Although I also had personal problems, had all the excuses to be unmotivated, frustrated, and to drop my major, I still did not give up. I handled this personal stress and the stress of the studying rigor effectively with determination and kept moving towards my goal.
To transfer successfully, I would suggest never giving up. Take time to learn about the new environment and the way of teaching at UMBC by taking more balanced classes in the first semester. Four- year institutions are way different than community colleges. Network as much as you can, socialize, study in groups, study ahead of time, and utilize all the resources. Follow these suggestions and take me as an example of a person who had so many personal and academic problems, and yet succeeded without giving up. You can succeed and excel in your field as well, because nothing is impossible.
To learn a new educational system and a new way of studying, I decided to take classes at HCC to familiarize myself on how everything worked in the US. I studied two semesters at HCC and enjoyed my time as a high achieving student. When I transferred to UMBC, I took difficult classes, and struggled in my first semester due to various reasons. I had to improve my study strategies. In order to understand what was going on in the lecture, the most important thing was to read the book before coming to class. I had to figure out how to prepare my own study notes for exams. The professors did not give me notes in class to make it easier to study the night before, memorize, and ace the exams. I had to find out about new resources, like the tutoring centers where I could seek help in my homework and assignments. I had to adjust to a huge class size in which the students went to faculty office hours to start a relationship with the professor and to ask questions. I had to learn how to work in groups. I never worked in groups with anyone in the classes which threw me off.
I could have been easily unmotivated and frustrated, and I could have changed my major. Instead, I started to build connections, and to network and socialize with various clubs on campus. This helped me to meet new people who actually knew more resources at UMBC. I made friends in class and started to study with them in groups, and I made a habit of going to my professor’s office hours. I figured out how to utilize my time in a productive way rather than procrastinating with my work. As I got to know about tutoring, group studying, meeting with the professors, and networking, I instantly applied these techniques and got the result that I deserved.
To transfer successfully, I would suggest never giving up. Take time to learn about the new environment and the way of teaching at UMBC by taking more balanced classes in the first semester. Four- year institutions are way different than community colleges. Network as much as you can, socialize, study in groups, study ahead of time, and utilize all the resources. Follow these suggestions and take me as an example of a person who had so many personal and academic problems, and yet succeeded without giving up. You can succeed and excel in your field as well, because nothing is impossible.
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