Hello! A few years ago, I posted the thread I internally transferred to CS - ask me anything. Since that thread is quite old now, I did want to open up a new one for any questions about CS at UMD. For background, I am an out-of-state student originally from Pennsylvania, and I enrolled as a math major in Fall 2019. I was also admitted to the ACES LLP and have since completed my honors citation. After enrolling as a freshman, I decided that I would like to double major in CS, so I completed my gateway requirements and applied to add CS as a double major. I was automatically accepted as is true for everyone who first completes the gateway requirements and then applies.
First of all, I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who has been admitted to the class of 2027!! It has not been an easy application cycle, and this is truly an accomplishment. Definitely take some time to celebrate and come visit the campus! Soon, you’ll be making your decision on whether you will enroll. I want to help you have the knowledge you need to make the best decision for you and your family.
CS at UMD truly has been one of the best experiences of my life. I made lifelong friends and learned so so much. I even went on to intern at Facebook, one of my goals since I took my first college CS class. The school provided me funding to attend Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing each year I’ve asked to, and I’m so grateful for those networking and learning opportunities. I taught my own discussion section for Discrete Structures and had a lot of fun finding interesting ways to approach proofs and combinatorial problems. There are so many more memories that I will always cherish, such as attending basketball games, starting a competitive Smite team, and more that would take up many pages.
Feel free to leave any questions below, and take good care of this school I love. Go terps!!!
Yes, ACES does appear on my transcript, and so do the other honors citations. This was something that some, but not all, employers valued. They were made aware of it via my resume, and my ACES Capstone project was one of the best features of my resume.
Finding internships will be tough at any school, especially in this economy. Freshman year is the hardest, but I was able to find one through Women in Cybersecurity. However, in ACES, it is easier, with more than 50% of freshmen securing an internship. The key is to apply early and often. Start applying in August, and you’re not giving yourself a good shot without applying to at least 100 positions. My numbers were 100+ freshman year, 200+ sophomore year, 50 junior year, and 50 senior year. My lower numbers later were due to me being pickier, as I had more experience and was more valued as a candidate. Every year, I received multiple offers.
I will say that nearly all my friends had internships sophomore year and on, and all received fantastic new grad offers. One of my close friends is my former recruiter at an internship I did, and he said that UMD is viewed highly. This is especially high praise since he was recruiting for a unicorn startup and from his words, startups are the pickiest when it comes to school caliber.
Hi, My son got accepted in business school at UMD. He didn’t apply for Computer science but now he wants to change his major. Can he change his major from business to computer science? If so what is the path to do it? Can he request the change now?
He can change his major from business to computer science. He first has to complete the gateway requirements: Limited Enrollment Program : University of Maryland. He absolutely should not request a change of major unless he finished the gateway requirements. Admission to CS is guaranteed when you complete the requirements, but if you apply and you haven’t, you will be denied, and you only have one chance to apply for CS. He also should not change his major unless he is sure he does not want to do business. Since business is also limited enrollment, if you leave the major, you cannot come back. Same with CS. If he switches out of CS, he cannot switch back in. Best wishes to your son!
Thanks so much for starting the thread! For the gateway courses, if you take the exam and pass, will it be considered meeting the Gateway requirement? Or you have to take the classes? Also, any other Honors program you’d recommend for a CS student other than ACES? Do students usually find internships on their own or through school career office services? Thank you!!
Thanks for answering questions. My DD got into the immersive media program which is what she wants to do- she is on the track for the BS so with the CS focus and not the BA with the arts. She loves CS too but she really has a desire to go in a career path that integrates media/film with technology. She is also thinking of possibly doing a full dual degree and doing a major in CS- is that doable with the immersive media major?
@tanjiping Actually, you can take an exemption test if you already know the content. A pass on those exams does count as credit for the class. I know people who met the Gateway requirement by passing those exemption exams. I do recommend at least not testing out of CMSC132 since you will miss some of the nuances from the lectures, and the projects are good practice for coding interviews. I really do recommend ACES for CS students, but if I had to pick a second, I would say DCC. Although the content is not necessarily applicable to being a software engineer, it would be helpful if a student wants to pivot into product instead of engineering. It is also very good for overall well-roundedness in college. Students usually find internships on their own, but many do receive interviews through companies that come specifically to recruit at UMD. They should keep an eye out for the CS newsletter that gives information on how to meet with recruiters on campus. That is how I’ve received offers before.
I don’t know too much about the immersive media major as it is fairly new. That would be a question for that advising department. I did TA for the creator of the major, Dr. Roger Eastman, and he is incredibly kind and helpful - always looking to aid students. A dual degree does require 150 credits, so it would take 5 years if your daughter does not come with at least 30 AP credits (or unless she takes summer/winter classes).
Thank you! She will come to school with a lot of AP credits but we will see. She may not be interested in dual once she goes there since her main interest is really integrating technology with media. Great to know the founder is kind.
Good luck to your daughter! Yeah, I really have just so many good things to say about Eastman; I’m sure she will feel very welcomed in the immersive media major.
My DS was accepted into the Letters and Sciences major program. Although, it doesn’t appear on the list of majors. Could you assist in verifying this information? Additionally, for a student wishing to transfer to Computer Science through the LEP program, they need to complete a series of mandatory gateway courses. Are these gateway courses in high demand, and is there a possibility they may not be able to enroll in them?