Bring an Umbrella. Wait to Decorate. Don’t Go Home (Yet!).

You’re rolling an overstuffed yellow cart down the sidewalk by the high-rises. Wondering if you can grab a banana or brownie on the way out of Yahentamitsi dining hall (yes to one handheld item!). Figuring how to get tickets to your first Terps football game and build up your UMD free T-shirt collection. 

Welcome to the University of Maryland, freshmen! 

It might feel overwhelming right now, but luckily, there are thousands of students all across campus who have been in your Crocs. They’re excited to share their wisdom as you settle into your residence halls, venture out to Fall Welcome events and learn what it means to be a Terp. 

“Don’t go home. Please stay until the first month is over. There’s a lot of events happening on campus and a lot of crucial time you get to spend with people,” said chemical engineering major Ashton Blake ’28. 

Turn to your resident assistants, who are developing “Terp Station” activities for the first six weeks, said electrical engineering major Kaleb Garcia ’26, an RA in Cambridge Hall. That could include a football watch party in the lounge or a trip to the climbing wall at Eppley Recreation Center. And they can connect you with floormates who may share similar interests. 

“Everyone is waiting for someone else to start up the conversation, so be the one to start the conversation,” said government and politics alum Comfort Oshagbemi ’25. Don’t be afraid to sit next to a stranger in class and introduce yourself, especially in those early weeks. 

“Don’t try too hard to fit in. People want to know the real you,” said Isabel Mayorga ’29. She got an early start on the traditional freshman experience, making friends with Ameen Bekere ’29 and Kalicia Bundr ’29 as part of the Academic Achievement Programs’ Summer Transitional Program, which prepares students for college by living and studying on campus for six weeks. 

“Leave your door open in the dorm. Meet people on your floor, be nice to everyone, and give everyone a chance,” said aerospace engineering major Emma Boyle ’27. 

Get outside and join activities while the weather’s nice, said letters and sciences student Jeremiah Cephas ’28. “Don’t hole up in your room.” He recommends La Plata Beach, just outside his freshman year home of Pyon-Chen Hall, where people played pickup soccer, volleyball and more. 

“On TerpLink there’s a list of all the clubs, so you can find what interests you,” said Zay Omer ’24, now starting her master’s in human-computer interaction. “The First Look Fair is great a way to get involved!” 

“Bring fans, because it can get stuffy,” said Emma Boyle ’27 (aerospace engineering). “And don’t forget an umbrella.” 

“Make sure you bring shower shoes,” said Cephas. 

“Bring your own tools” if you have furniture to assemble, said Garcia, and maybe a dolly in case all the yellow carts are occupied. “We only have so many screwdrivers and wrenches available. Last year, everybody was passing around my single screwdriver across like 100 kids.” 

“Wait to decorate until you see your room and talk to your roommate,” said hearing and speech sciences major Hadley Sweeney ’27, an RA in Kent Hall. “Check out the poster sale—I go every year and I love it.” (Visit the Stamp’s TerpZone and Activities Room on Sept. 1 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. to grab some for your own walls). She also recommends bringing lamps to make the space feel cozier, and basic cleaning supplies like Windex and Lysol for mirrors and surfaces. 

“Don’t bring your winter clothes just yet. Trickle them in. Summer lasted a lot longer than I thought it would,” said Oshagbemi.

“Don’t bring laundry mesh bags,” said Ashton Blake ’28 (chemical engineering). In his experience, “nothing gets lost in the dryer.” 

Skip the mattress topper, said Bekere, who said she found the beds in Somerset Hall surprisingly comfortable and was glad she didn’t spend the extra money. 

“Learn how to effectively study,” said public health science major Gabriel Park ’27, who admits to partying a little too hard and not staying on top of his GPA as early as he should have. “My friends just hammer in information, but that doesn’t work for me,” so he had to find a technique that clicked.  

“Go to the advising office,” said Oshagbemi. “Start thinking about it now. It’s not too early to start thinking about things you want to do, like internships. By the time you start thinking about it, it’s time to do it.”

“I thought I didn’t need it, but I should have gone to office hours earlier,” said Blake. 

“Walk through campus before classes start and to figure out what buildings your classes are in,” Sweeney said. “It just really reduces the anxiety of the first day of school. And don’t be embarrassed to walk around with maps open on your phone!” 

If you have a parking permit, “check the DOTS schedule because there’s a lot of events and construction and you’ll have to move your car. You’ll want to know if you’re running late and you have to park on the opposite side of campus!” said Omer. 

“A lot of people underestimate how difficult it is to be a commuter student” without a room to go back to between classes, said biological sciences major Josephine Kim ’26. “I really recommend getting a dining plan. It allows you to be on campus itself for longer periods of time because you have somewhere to go. You can explore a little more.” 

“Use the resources available to you—you’re already paying for it,” said Bekere, such as the gym and the libraries, where she, Mayorga and Bundr were excited to learn they could borrow laptops, cameras and headphones.