So I will be going in as a freshman majoring in Computer Science to UMCP after this summer and I know i have to do some course selections/registrations before I go.
I already signed up for the mandatory open house thing and I know there should be guidance counselors to help pick classes but I hear that they don’t actually help much but instead they only look to see if your course selections seem OK.
My questions/confusions are:
- How much do the guidance counselor people actually help? Because I know a lot of students attend it and they might be pressed for time.
- Are the actual class registrations going to be once I go the open house or do I have to do them before that?
- I went to the computer science website and they have a CORE and GEN ED four year plan. Do I need to make something like that before I go to the open house? Does it have to be up to four years or can it be up to one year?
- How many classes are allowed per semester? Whats the maximum amount allowed?
- How do I know which classes are required or mandatory? I know core subjects like english and math are required but is there a list of some sort where I can see all this?
I’ll post more questions as I think of them. Sorry guys this is just so confusing with the course selections 
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT HELPS
My D attended orientation last year, but she is not in CompSci. There is 1 Adviser for every 3 or 4 kids, She did not feel rushed at all and said that the Adviser was very helpful and answered all her questions…
You are under the GEN ED requirements, so look at that 4 year plan for your course selections.
You will only be able to register for Fall classes. You will register for Spring semester classes sometime in December. You only register for one semester at orientation. Remember, lots of students do change majors.
You will probably register for 15 credits. That’s the normal course load. they may let you register for 18, but 15 is what is expected.
The Adviser will have your AP test scores and your Math placement score, and will know what courses you should take and which ones you have placed out of.
Here is a link to all the courses that are offered next fall
https://ntst.umd.edu/soc/
You should look at the UMD CompSci website, for the courses that you need to take.
Good Luck
To the best of my knowledge…
- How much do the guidance counselor people actually help? Because I know a lot of students attend it and they might be pressed for time.
-They are called advisers, not guidance counselors and I think how much help they give depends on the individual…there is a 4 year academic plan, so there is a lot already laid out for you - the first page is a list and the second page is a sample schedule…so , with your major, there is a lot already set up and for the first semester, you only have one class that is an elective. If you AP credit for math (recommended 5 score but they accept 4 also for credit) then you have that slot available to either go to next level math or take something else entirely (personally, I would recommend not taking a break/semester off from math so that you keep your skills up…)
https://cmns.umd.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/docs/4yr-plans/CMSC.pdf
- Are the actual class registrations going to be once I go the open house or do I have to do them before that?
-Actual sign up is at orientation. If you want to make things easier on yourself, you can look at https://ntst.umd.edu/soc/ to get a sense of what you might like and what is open, but understand that some sections will look like they do not have seats “open” until you go to register…they do reserve some for freshman in the required classes.
- I went to the computer science website and they have a CORE and GEN ED four year plan. Do I need to make something like that before I go to the open house? Does it have to be up to four years or can it be up to one year?
-Ignore CORE…it was replaced with GEN ED in 2012. See#1 re prepping for orientation (it’s not open house - that’s something entirely different for prospective students…you are now admitted)
- How many classes are allowed per semester? Whats the maximum amount allowed?20
-Technically, I believe the max is 20 but I believe it may be 18 for freshmen. For your first semester, take no more than 15 (average per semester). Once you get acclimated to college life, you can decide if you want to take an extra class on top of that.
- How do I know which classes are required or mandatory? I know core subjects like english and math are required but is there a list of some sort where I can see all this?
-Again, I refer you to my answer to your first question and here is the summary of the Gen Eds required for the university http://www.gened.umd.edu/documents/GeneralEducationSummaryChart.pdf
Thank you both for your help and correcting my mistakes. It was VERY clear and helpful for me.
@maryversity I understood everything except the PDF for #5. It seemed very confusing but then I saw in the top left corner that it was a summary chart for advisers, so I assume I don’t need to worry about it and that the advisers will tell me what classes I should be taking.
@utsav08 I wouldnt rely on the advisors to help you out. The comp sci ones can be pretty useless, depending on who you see. The gened requirements are also listed on the 1st page of the pdf for number 2 (theyre called fundamental studies, distributive studies, I-series and diversity)
So to get it right… I need to be taking all the courses in the second link @maryversity provided before I’m done with college?
And for this link: https://cmns.umd.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/docs/4yr-plans/CMSC.pdf
This link has has the GEN ED requirements and also all the things highlighted in red are what is required for my major?
Exactly and if u scroll to the second page of that last link u posted it
Oops…sorry, phone died. Anyway, if go to page 2 of the last link you posted it gives you a sample 4 year schedule by semester that includes all your major requirements and gen eds, laying them out by each semester to show you how to get them all done. Understand that you basically can switch the exact category gen ed per semester, but it just shows you how many you need to take per semester.
If you look at specifics of 2 CMSC courses, you will see they also fulfill gen eds (see red print for which gen ed)
https://ntst.umd.edu/soc/201508/CMSC (ie; CMSC122, CMSC289I (note this is a great class that is only offered in the fall semester and is not about programming)
I’m happy to help you with this, if you want. My kid is a comp sci major and it can be a little confusing what you have to take an when. First thing is that you need to deal with your math and your first comp sci class. Everything the first few semesters is very linear. So, what is your math situation? Are you exempt from MATH140 due to a high score on a Calc AP test? If not, did you test into MATH140 on your placement? If so, that’s where you start.
Second, you deal with comp sci. Unless you test out, you must take CMSC131 in the first semester. Then you’re likely taking freshman English and then any standard gen ed requirement…your choice. Let’s start there, and I’m happy to walk you through more of the process.
Generally, the path if you didn’t test out of anything is for your major:
MATH140, CMSC131. You MUST get C-s at least in both or you can’t move on. For example, if you don’t pass MATH140, you CAN’T take CMSC132, even if you did fine in 131. You have to get through MATH140 and then you can move to the next phase. So pay a lot of attention to these classes because like I said, it’s very linear and they hold you up at each phase.