<p>I'm probably coming to UMD next fall because it makes the most financial sense by far. I'm pretty happy with my choice, especially since I want to get into politics and it's so close to DC, but I still have a few concerns about the school and I would really appreciate if someone could address them. [ul]</p>
<p>[<em>]Does anyone know the reputation of its Arabic program? I'm guessing it's pretty good since it has the flagship program but I really want to be fluent. If I really commit to the language, working hard and studying abroad, will UMD's Arabic program get me where I want to be?
[</em>]Will it be possible to get good internships in the city? I'm concerned that most places will want interns from more prestigious universities like Georgetown or GW (either of which I could go to if I wanted to pay a lot more money), so would students from UMD still look good enough to potential employers?
[<em>]I'm concerned it won't be challenging enough. A lot of kids from my school say college isn't much harder for them, and this is coming from students who go to top ranked schools. Since people from my school get into UMD with GPAs that are at least .6 below mine, I'm concerned about the level of classes that I'd be in. I'm in the honors college (and I'm a B/K scholar which could hopefully get me into higher level classes) but that would be only 1-2 honors classes a semester. I really hated school until I could take higher level classes, and I'm afraid of going back to that.
[</em>]I really want a quirky, semi-nerdy intellectual community, which is why I would prefer to go to a smaller school (the main other college i'm considering right now is Swarthmore). I know UMD has a reputation as a bit of a party school, so I'm concerned about that and the huge size. Do you think I'll be able to find a community that's right for me at UMD? [/ul]
Thanks so much to anyone who can help address any of these concerns! :)</p>
<p>Arabic is excellent, and the course offerings are endless. Maryland offers more Arabic than anybody else in the area, really.</p>
<p>And you should not be handicapped in getting internships because you go to UMCP instead of GW. In 2010, 85% of American University’s graduates had completed at least one internship–most of them, more than one–and AU pretty comparable to UMCP in terms of selectivity.</p>
<p>I have opinions about the rest, but they’re not particularly well informed opinions. (I know that doesn’t really stop a lot of people, but I think I’ll hold back.)</p>
<p>You will be as challenged as you want to be. There are certainly classes that are much easier than others, but if really expanding your knowledge is your goal, you WILL be challenged…especially if you are going for as high of a GPA as you can get. </p>
<p>You will find a community of like-minded people (going for the semi-quirky intellectual kinds)…it may take some looking and waiting for the “new” to wear off for all the people who think they need to party nonstop just because they no longer live at home. D1 found such a community immediately on her honors dorm floor her freshman year, and then expanded her friends, etc. via classes (astro and physics classes tend to have a magnetic draw to the quirky nerdy type!) and activities. D2 was in Scholars, but her floor was the 2nd floor of people from her program, and the remaining rooms were filled with miscellaneous freshmen who fit into 2 groups…one group were non-stop partying, and the remainder (she realized later) just went home for the first few weekends. After a while, the people who went home to escape the partying started to stay, and via classes and outside activities she met lots of people who shared her same (nerdy) interests. It was a slower start for her, and it was great that her sister was also on campus for the first few weeks (home is 7 hrs away, so it wasn’t an option).</p>
<p>Assuming you are interested in living in the Language House, there are an endless number of activities/clubs you can get involved with there, with people who share your passion for foreign languages, experiencing other cultures, etc.</p>
<p>I’m in literally the exact same position. (B/K scholar, interested in Arabic Flagship, etc.) I visited campus last friday, I spoke to someone(a student) in the Arabic program. She’s had internships, including one at the library of congress However, she also told me that umd recently cut a lot of its faculty from the arabic dept because of budget cuts. I haven’t yet done any research into that, but its something to consider…</p>
<p>I know nothing about budget cuts (because my kid elected not to go to College Park). It is absolutely worth investigating, but it may also be worth keeping in mind that the proper comparison is between what remains at Maryland and what other institutions offer, and not between what remains at Maryland and what it used to offer.</p>
<p>Unrelated to that, I think Maryland’s Language House offers a phenomenal experience for upperclassmen who are interested in modern languages–even more so for students who are interested in more than one modern language. Have you all visited? (They had an overnight program for prospective students last April. Don’t know whether they will this spring.)</p>
<p>I went to that overnight program. I was less than impressed. I stayed in the french cluster, and they told me that they rarely even speak french. however, that might just be that cluster. When I spoke to a girl in the arabic cluster, she said they speak arabic about 60% of the time.</p>
<p>Hey, just my 2cents. I’ve visited a few times and must admit that “quirky/nerdy” scene your looking for is certainly a minority. Especially compared to GW or Georgetown. (Also both schools i can go to.) That’s why i liked UMD. Good academics w/o that “what are sports?” / “My bedtime is 10pm” attitude! And i think the internships are there. Umd for oos like me is more selective than AU and GW is NOT much more selective. Its just a different kind of school. Only Georgetown stands out! If your a good interviewer, you can beat them out for top spots.</p>
<p>Kiwi, I’m sorry you had that experience with the French cluster. Very frustrating, but I assure you that is not the norm for the Language House living experience. </p>
<p>Agree with 12Arleye that the quirky/nerdy is certainly a minority, but assure you that it’s there!</p>
<p>The quirky/nerdy group is in the minority; however, a minority at a large school like Maryland is still a sizable population! How many close friends do you really need to feel at home? If it helps, my extremely quirky/nerdy twins (son is a B/K scholar & daughter is in a LEP) will be freshmen at Maryland in the fall, so there you go. And I know they already have a large q/n group of friends who are freshmen at Maryland this year. :D</p>
And I know they already have a large q/n group of friends who are freshmen at Maryland this year. :D</p>