Former Freshman Connection student here... ask me anything!

@MomfromPenn - I’ll try to answer some of you questions based on what I’ve read on here over the past several years and the experience of my D’s best friend, who was in FC

  1. Do you feel accepted by the other students?
    Other students don’t care

  2. Do you choose your own roommates?
    There is a mechanism for students to request (note - request, not choose) each other as roommates. It used to be via emails to ResLife, but it may be different now. Most requests were honored

  3. Do you get freshman housing or whatever is available?
    Freshmen do not get to pick their Dorms. Most dorms are assigned based on LLCs. The Freshman dorms are on North Campus. AFAIK, all students (including FC students) who fill out the housing form in a timely manner get a dorm on North Campus. My D’s friend was assigned to Denton Hall.

  4. Is it difficult to gain acceptance into your chosen major later?
    My D’s friend graduated on time with her desired major. Many others have reportd doing so in the past.

  5. Is it difficult to register for Spring classes since you are last to register?
    I am not aware of any particular problems

  6. Are there enough available classes in Fall semester to stay on track with your major?
    There seems to be,

Hopefully those with more direct experience with FC will also reply

Is Freshman Connection tuition different from the regular tuition rate? My son got spring admission with the FC option. Maryland is his first choice school – but when we looked at the tuition section on the FC web page, it says that 2020 FC tuition is TBD. We are OOS (but former Marylanders!) and son has been offered significant merit aid from other schools so if FC tuition is higher than regular tuition, that would be something for us to think twice about.

@CTmom2020 - In previous years, I recall people saying that FC tuition was lower but I don’t recall how much.

Perhaps you could call the FC office and ask. Keep in mind that FC tuition is only for 1 semester. In January 2021, you will be paying the regular OOS tuition

Only for one semester – that’s a good point. Thanks!

Still a little confused about committing to FC. Seems like it’s advantageous to get in as soon as possible, namely March 1. We were expecting to have to make our decision about which college in the May 1 time frame - now it’s being moved up by a full two months. What am I missing? If we need to send in the ~$400 non-refundable payment - so be it, we’ll do it. Just don’t know if we’re missing some aspect of the FC in general. Is FC really first-come first-served? Is there a risk in waiting until, say, early April to register for it? Those kind of questions… Thanks.

I’m curious what the stats are for Freshman Connection students…grades, test scores, etc.

@flipper15 - That specific information is not reported by UMD

My son got spring admit/FC.
SAT 1400
GPA 10.6 (school uses 12-pt scale, no idea why)
APs & honors courses, three dual-enrollment courses at Uconn as a junior.

I go to a public high school, I’m in-state, 1380 SAT, 3.4 unweighted, and decent extracurriculars. I got rejected hard and it killed me inside.

I am a mother of a current Freshman Connection student. The tuition is about $4,400 less the first semester because of Freshman Connection. My daughter was in the last group to pick her classes for Spring semester but had no problem getting classes. She was put in the honors dorm and no one cares she is in FC. She loved having classes in the afternoon which let her sleep in and have the dorm room to herself. The only drawback to the first semester is joining clubs. They meet when she is in class so she didn’t participate in any her first semester. She made her decision on May 1st and sent in her deposit at that point. The student needs to take a math placement test before they are allowed to sign up for classes. I highly recommend this is done ASAP. The classes fill up real quickly. My daughter was so grateful this program was offered. She was accepted into her LED major in the beginning which sold her on UMD. She got straight A’s in her first semester and loves the college. GO TERPS!

ctmom2020 Did you also apply to Uconn? My son did - still waiting on that.
He’s been accepted to UMD FC. SAT 700M/610V. A little low freshman and sophomore year, but about 3.9 GPA in junior/senior year. He strongly desires UMD over Uconn - last he told me.

Hi @suzythereadhead , sorry for the late response. Truthfully yes, I would say this is one of the hardest parts of FC. A large majority of clubs, specifically club sports meet at night. However I did join a club that met during a gap I had in between my classes at night. I also joined a club that met on Sundays.

Hello @MomfromPenn sorry for the late response.

  1. is a tricky question for me. FC was highly stigmatized at my high school so I refrained from telling people during my first semester. However, 1 in 5 freshman here are in FC. Given that fact, FC isn’t necessarily a taboo topic. I have heard people talk down on it, but if you read through other threads on the forum most students feel like others don’t care.

  2. As far as the housing process, you are treated the same when it comes to roommate requests, etc.

  3. So many students here are admitted into LLCs (Honors, Scholars, etc.) that have specific dorms. They then fill in the regular admits/FC admits where they can. Honestly, when it comes to housing, everything is about the same for freshmen. We almost all live on North campus in one of three communities.

  4. Maryland advertises their LEP’s as being difficult to transfer into, which is one of the biggest misconceptions I’ve encounteted here. I was admitted FCU but I was also admitted directly into my major. However, I decided to change my major to an LEP. All I had to do was get a signature from an advisor. The only majors that require overcoming some obstacles (gateway classes, high GPA) are engineering and business.

  5. Me and my friends from FC made it work. Registration is kind of fluid here: there are often people dropping classes or extra spaces opening up. I had one of the last registration times and actually have my ideal schedule, I’m in my major requirements for this semester and some very popular gen Eds. As long as the student prepares themself for registration and keeps an open mind, they’ll be fine. You can add/drop up to 10 days into the semester.

  6. Yes, refer to number 5. Talk to an advisor, look at your four year plan, keep your options open and do your research and you’ll be fine.

@huchord I committed in the middle of April with no issues. I’m sure it’s dependent on the applicant pool, but I really have never heard of FC filling up. I think Maryland stresses it as a money grab. However the sooner you commit, the better is correct. You get housing and scheduling advantages.

@huchord No, he didn’t apply to UConn. We moved to CT from the DC area so he wants to move back.

My son was in FC this past Fall – and there was NO reduced rate for tuition. His in state tuition for 16 credits was identical between Fall and Spring.

My daughter is out of state and was in FC this past Fall. Tuition was $4,400 reduced for Fall. For spring it is regular price.

I definitely recommend reaching out to the FC staff for the more specific questions. They are soooo helpful!

For graduation, will FC students graduate with all other students in the spring? Is the only difference class restriction, and is there anyway to see what classes will be available for them? Thanks!

@lzm5622 - Freshman Connection only applies to your first semester. After that, you are a regular full-time UMD student.

There is nothing that will prevent you from graduating in the Spring of your Senior year.

The following link has info regarding FC course selection

https://oes.umd.edu/incoming-current-visiting-students/freshmen-connection/freshmen-connection-program-details