<p>I was hoping someone could tell me how big the classes are at Maryland for engineering, science and math classes. How big are they for freshman? Seniors? Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>I know my bioengineering 120 class is huge and most of the entry level engineering, science, and math courses tend to be, like biology 101 (?) and math 140. But if you’re in special programs, you can get some of those classes cut down to significantly. </p>
<p>The higher up you go, the smaller your classes get, essentially.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response. I was wondering what huge means, if you could ballpark it, is it 100 or 150? Also have you ever wished it was smaller or do you like having anonymity in class. Thanks again.</p>
<p>It’s 100. And for me, I think I would be more comfortable in a smaller class because it would just be easier to ask a question if I needed to (fewer people to embarrass myself in front of if I ask a stupid question) but there are office hours so I’m pretty sure I can function. </p>
<p>But I’m gonna be a freshmen this fall so I’ll see what my real preference is. But I’ve met so many upper-classmen and they give me basically that advice, again and again.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that there are not only office hours, but most classes (especially the tough ones) have a discussion section headed by a TA where you can ask all kinds of questions and get additional help. The TA’s are also required to have office hours. Most will tell you that for most of the semester, for both profs and TA’s, very few students ever come in (until the end of the semester when it may almost be too late)… It’s the best way to get one-on-one help before you get to a crisis stage, and it gives you a chance to introduce yourself to the prof if you go to their office hours at least a couple of times with thoughtful questions or specific assistance you need.</p>
<p>I’ve had lower level bio/chem/math classes with more than 200 people in them.
Bio105 I think was closer to 300.</p>
<p>DS said that even the big classes didn’t seem really that big because a lot of ppl skip class. He was often surprised at how many ppl showed up for actual exams and filled the room, when often less than 50% of the room was filled.</p>
<p>with math [starting in calc] you have the big lecture [mine was 150 ppl] for 2 days and then you have 2 discussion days with like 20 people in the class. for stuff like 111, 112, 113 you have just a 20 person class 3 days a week
bio lectures are big. the lab component, however, is only about 20 people. there’s no discussion.
chem’s the same as bio, but there’s also a discussion with 20 people once a week.
and from what i’ve hear engineering tends to be big too.
but i really don’t see the difference because it’s not like the professor has to control 2 or 300 people. college kids are a little more respectful than that. if you want a personal feel, go to office hours and get to know your professor. make friends. for a study group.
good luck!</p>
<p>Hi. I’m going to attend umd in the fall, and I know my question kinda sounds dumb but I was wondering what the classrooms look like, because I know they can’t all be big lecture halls. For example, if one of my classes had 30 people, what would the classroom look like?</p>
<p>With 30 people, it’ll be just like a regular, small classroom you had in high school/middle school. In most cases, anyway. My discussion classes were like that.</p>
<p>You can look up your class on Testudo ([UM</a> Testudo | Schedule Of Classes](<a href=“http://www.sis.umd.edu/bin/soc?term=201001&crs=DEPT]UM”>http://www.sis.umd.edu/bin/soc?term=201001&crs=DEPT)) and see exactly how many people are in your class. It lists each section, which is your discussion class. You need to add up all the sections with the same time and teacher to get the number of people in your lecture. </p>
<p>The big lectures don’t work like high school classes, there is a lot less calling on people. In some classes, you use a clicker to answer questions. Sometimes they’re graded, sometimes they’re used for attendance, and sometimes its just a poll to see how well the class understands something. The big halls look kind of like your high school auditorium but without a stage. They’re about two stories with two aisles. The chairs have little writing boards that fold out. </p>
<p>The discussion rooms are exactly like normal classrooms or smaller. You TA, usually a graduate student, will teach the discussion. In some classes this is just a review of the material and an chance to ask questions. In other classes you will have assignments, homework, projects, etc in discussion. The chairs are like high school chairs with attached desks. </p>
<p>100 and 200 level classes are most likely big lectures with many small discussion sections. As you get into 300 and 400 level classes they are more specialized and may only be one section.</p>