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<p>A lot of my friends were made either through FC or from high school. It was harder to hang out with the high school friends mainly because they were out having fun or studying and doing things together around the same time I had classes, so there was a clear strain to the relationship. Weekends and holidays were a little worse, especially cause I was commuting, as it’s annoying to get up there, and a lot of the events happen on weekends. However, you can still get tickets for games and stuff for free (mind you a lot of games are during classes, so it might be hard to go to them). </p>
<p>Right now I’m in a dorm, Harford Hall, with two FC students, a spring admit, a junior and a current freshman from Fall 09. I’ll tell you that all the spring admits, including us FC people, students, talk to each other more and hang out more than the Fall people. My roommate is the Fall freshmen and we never talk, and he’s always out. I don’t mind that though cause I have the room to myself a lot. The Junior doesnt really talk to us either, so we’re pretty much left with people of our own kind. A great part of FC though is that theres a good chance you’ll get a great dorm if you request it. I requested an apartment or suite, and this dorm is way better than any of my Fall 09 friend’s dorms. We have carpets, real AC, heating, drywall, a common room with couches, and it’s downright wonderful. However, I have a friend who got into an apartment as well and he says the people there are loud and rude, and he gets sexiled too much. I guess its because I’m with a lot of spring admits that it worked out? </p>
<p>FC was good in the end however. The classes were a lot easier, not because it’s made for stupid people or something, but because the class sizes are smaller. My MATH140 class was only 30 people, my BSOS228T (a very good class, take it) class was 60 and my biggest. Now in Spring, my smallest class is 200 people, and biggest is 300+. Of course discussions are smaller, but the lectures are always huge now. The class sizes and the personalness is something I miss a lot. Also, because the class sizes were small, I got to meet more people and stuff. Now in these huge lecture classes, I don’t meet anyone not in my discussion class. It’s entirely too different. </p>
<p>We also had one of the best advisors I have ever seen. Anne Baum genuinely cared about us and worked with us to give us the easiest time in FC. You’ll love her. </p>
<p>A few things though, at times FC felt cheap. The orientation is a joke compared to Fall 09 orientations. And we register as one of the last people- this is really bad if you’re looking to get into a good teacher’s section. I ended up on the waitlist for half my courses (but I still got in!)</p>
<p>If you’re not too social and stuff, FC may not be for you, because with not living on campus and not having time to hang out with other friends due to class times, you’ll need to make friends in class or you’ll go crazy. </p>
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<p>I’ve heard mixed things about the View. I had a friend who lived there, and two friends who live there now as Juniors and Seniors. It’s an amazing place to live, provided you have a good roommate. A lot of parties go down at the View because it’s a separate entity from UMD. It’s not regulated by the campus. It’s also pretty far from classes, you’ll need to invest in a bike or something. Compared to North Campus dorms, it’s a hotel. But depending on your roommate, it might not be the best place to study (and McKeldin is always open for that). However, you’d get the same, if not worse, experience in any other dorm. The View is a good choice for living arrangements in my opinion because it’s so nice and stuff. Breaking the lease may be hard if you want to move on campus though. You’ll have to ask other people on that. </p>
<p>I mainly commuted from Germantown MD 30 minutes away. Sometimes I stayed over at my brother’s in his single. FC gets tiring, especially when you have classes until 9, and have a commute back. I think staying on campus, in the View, would be a wonderful idea. The Towers however, have a different story on that. The bus is always late, and one might not want that if they have to get to class. </p>
<p>For getting into your intended major, I did fine. You can still declare an LEP until sometime in November. I declared Psychology in September and I’ll be finished with all the reqs by the end of this semester. Youll be fine, majorwise. Of course for Journalism or Business, you’ll have to transfer in, but this is true for all admits that didn’t get into the major when they first applied. </p>
<p>Transitionwise, it was easy for me. There was no hype or anything, they kinda just threw you in orientation and wished you luck. As soon as FC was over, they cut the cord with us. But this isn’t saying they won’t help you if you need it. Anne Baum will answer any questions and talk about adjusting with anyone who needs help with it. But the thing I saw the most was that everyone was ready to transition and transitioned well from FC to now. The only problem is those huge lectures from the little classrooms. And sleeping in cause you have a dorm now :P.</p>
<p>In the end, I would do it again I guess. It’s hard, but the classes are easier and better, and I feel that you can really succeed if you try in FC. Going to a community college nearby and transferring credits is also an option, but you don’t get to be in the University and thats where it’s harder to adjust. I guess FC was a bridge, College in high school form. I know most kids won’t like to hear that, but it helps a lot with the transition between HS and University, and will save you a lot of stress. Getting a bad grade in a lecture is a lot harder to deal with than getting a bad grade in a 20 person classroom and asking the professor that knows your name for some help.</p>
<p>Hope this all helped. That was a long response, sorry :)</p>