Hello, I am an incoming freshman this year at UMD. I’m in ENGR at UMD and I will be majoring in Aerospace Engineering. ENGL101 is a required class for me and my course plan says I should take it first semester my freshman year. I did not pass my AP Lang exam in high school, which means I did not get the ENGL101 credit. I was pondering whether I should take ENGL101 at UMD or not considering I am not strong in English and if I do not do well at UMD, I might start off with a bad GPA, and I don’t know if I should take that risk. Currently I am registered to take the class my first semester with David Brookshire in like some online/classroom setting mix. Should I take ENGL101 at Montgomery College (my local community college) this summer and get it over with or should I take it next summer (or am I not allowed to) or should I suck it up and take it during the school year?
Also, what’s the best advice you have for commuters? I will be commuting 45-55 minutes every morning. Should I be doing all my homework at school, or should I just try to get home as early as possible? Is a parking pass worth it or should I be taking the UMD shuttle bus to school (from Gaithersburg)?
My D is a rising sophomore at the Clark school (ECE). My D did not take the ENGL 101 due to the AP credits so I am unable to answer your question about the level of difficulty of this course at UMD. I’d suggest you reach out to Engineering advisor to see if you can take it at MCC or when to take it. We are local (Howard County) but my D lives on campus. therefore, unable to provide input on commuting. She did spend a significant amount of time studying as these are hard courses. She also shared that having study groups sure helped.
@adimuyeen - I cannot answer your question regarding ENGL 101, but as for commuting, I recommend using google maps or some other apps to check the traffic to and from your location and UMD during the times you plan to be driving. 270 and the Beltway can have terrible and unpredictable traffic jams. If you don’t have one. get an EZPass transponder, so that you can use the ICC.
I feel for you; that’s a terrible commute. Unless you’re used to driving in that sort of traffic, I’d say take the shuttle, and study onboard. The English course scheduling should be sorted out with your assigned academic advisor.