First Year Experience

Home: Germantown, Maryland
Major: Business

What do you like most about MC? 
What I like most about MC is the class sizes. The small class sizes provide students with the opportunity to connect with their professors, this allows them to feel comfortable asking for help. I like to make use of my professors office hours to ask questions.

What you found most beneficial from STSU 100: First Year Seminar or Summer bridge:
STSU 100 has helped me learn more about how college works. I learned about all the resources offered at MC through STSU 100, as well as important components of college like an academic plan, class registration, financial aid etc.

Advice for new students:
Creating an academic plan is so important. An academic plan will help make clear what your goals are for attending MC and keep you on track to achieving those goals. Curating an academic plan with a counselor will make sure that you're registering for the right classes at the right campus, which saves you money and time.

Your best/favorite MC experience:
My favorite MC experience so far has to be Student Senate. Being a part of Student Senate has been such a beneficial experience, it taught me professionalism, networking skills, and how to manage my self-image.

Campus resource you find most valuable or made the most use of:
Student life has been the most valuable resource to me. I've found great opportunities through the office of student life, Student Senate and being a First-Year Experience Ambassador. I've been able to make a lot of really great friends by getting involved in student life events. I've met some strong-minded people who motivate me to keep doing bigger and better things.

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Hometown: Montgomery Village, Maryland
Major: General Studies- Social Sciences (SSAH) 

What do you like most about MC?  
I love how MC provides students with many opportunities to grow and expand themselves. With many clubs and leadership programs, Montgomery College students can participate in, and lead organizations meant to build and develop their character. The college also has many programs, like Student Life, that help students know the different ways that they can be involved on campus. The college also provides a Mobile Food Market, which provides nutritious food for all students. Montgomery College also provides students with the flexibility of choosing classes on all three of its campuses. Counselors help with understanding majors, course selection and the transfer process. The college has an articulation system (ARTSYS), that allows students to know the transferability of courses to any institution in Maryland.  ARTSYS, along with various transfer agreements with many schools, provides students with a well-planned path to transfer successfully to a four-year university.    

What you found most beneficial from STSU 100: First Year Seminar of Summer Bridge: 
I took STSU 100 during the fall semester of my freshman year. I was able to use the time management and studying techniques I learned in STSU in all my other courses. I enjoyed the course because I firmly believe that it helped me transition from high school to college. I learned more in-depth about the resources found on the Germantown campus, many of which I continue to use. My STSU class allowed me to practice the new skills I learned directly in my daily life and on campus It was through STSU that I became interested in becoming a Student Ambassador. I was intrigued by how the Student Ambassador in my class worked so well with our teacher and helped us with our assignments. 

Advice for new students: 
I would advise new students to have a plan from the beginning. New students should ask themselves questions such as: What do I hope to gain from this school year? 
What do I intend to achieve this school year?  What will I do to make sure this year is more successful than the last? 

New students should stay organized and introduce themselves to their professor after the first class and ask how to be successful in that class. Giving a good impression allows professors to know your dedication to succeed in their class. I would also advise them to have a schedule or a planner and to write down every assignment and homework, as well as anything the teacher says that is important. Finally, students should utilize the campus resources such as the library, the M.A.P.E.L center, the Science Learning Center, and the Writing, Reading, and Language center, early on to build the habit of going there for help on assignments. Remember to make friends in class in case you miss important information and need a study buddy.  Visit a counselor, and most importantly, come into the college confident, and ready to succeed! 

Your best/favorite MC experience: 
I like how the school brings in performers during the months where heritages become celebrated. During Black History month during my first year, Ivorian drummers and dancers came and performed in the cafeteria. The performers invited students to join in and taught them some dances. It was nice seeing students enjoying and celebrating a different heritage they might not have seen before. The school also brought in Native American performers, at the cafeteria, and I remember a man chose different students, including me, to stand in a circle while they were performing. It was a fun experience because it was my first time seeing the fun dances up close. 

Campus resource you find most valuable or made the most use of:  
The Writing, Reading, and Language Center (WRLC) helped me tremendously during my first year of college. The tutors provided there are friendly and very helpful. I enjoyed my experiences there and made sure that I always went there to have an essay reviewed before I turned it into the professor. The WRLC provides students, with not only efficient tutoring, but it also has computers to work on papers and a WEPA printer to print out assignments. I utilized their computer to skype with a tutor from the Academic Success Center at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus to review for an Economics exam. The Writing, Reading and Language Center overall provided me with a great experience, and I am confident that I will continue using their services this upcoming year! 

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Hometown: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Major: General Studies STEM

What do you like most about MC?
There is so much to love about Montgomery College, but I especially appreciate the incredible amount of opportunity the students have, the overall feeling of inclusion and friendliness at the college, and the diversity of the student body.

What you found most beneficial from STSU 100 (First-Year Seminar or Summer Bridge):
In my Summer Bridge class I found the Student Life presentation very helpful as I became aware of the extracurricular activities on campus such as The Globe newspaper, the Student Senate, clubs, and other Student Life events. Since learning about the extracurricular activities, I have become very involved at the Germantown campus which has enriched my educational experience immensely.

Advice for new students:
I would advise that new students always think about the future and plan in advance. For example, think about transfer as soon as possible to make sure you can meet the requirements by the time you graduate. This is also important when registering for classes at Montgomery College. I would also recommend that new students get involved in many extracurriculars like clubs, student groups like the Student Senate, and honors societies. These extracurriculars will give you experience in what you're interested in, will introduce you to new people, and can be a lot of fun!

Your best/favorite MC experience:
My favorite experience at MC was attending a legislative reception as a Student Ambassador to meet new Montgomery County Legislators and discuss the importance of funding for community colleges.

Campus resource you find most valuable or made the most use of:
The most valuable resource for me is the counseling department and the wonderful counselors at the Germantown campus. The counselors helped me to plan my classes based on my top-choice transfer institutions, helped me with general concerns about the semester, connected me to student leaders on campus, and explained other college resources and opportunities.

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Hometown: Montgomery Village, Maryland
Major: Computer Science 

What you like most about MC:
What I love most about MC is how much the staff and faculty want the students to succeed. I couldn’t ask for a better environment to be in.

What you found most beneficial from STSU 100: First-Year Seminar or Summer Bridge:
The information about scholarships and how to access and apply for them. Also the information about student internships.

Advice for new students: 
Don’t be afraid to prioritize yourself more than others. Make strong connections with your professors and get involved with whatever you can. If you work hard and are focused, it will pay off in the end!

Your best/favorite MC experience:
My favorite experience so far was getting to know my English 101 professor. He changed my life by getting me to start thinking critically. If it was not for him, I would not have been as focused and would not have been involved on campus. 

Campus resource you find most valuable or made the most use of:
Definitely the MAPEL center. The tutors there are extremely smart and kind. Math is hard for a lot of people, but thanks to the MAPEL center I don’t have trouble with math.