I was placed into University Honors, my second choice honors program, over Integrated Life Sciences, a program that I really wanted to be in. I wish that we did not have a limit of 75 points for each program. My AP Bio score was a 3 (ugh I know), but my friend got in the program with a 3 as well. Is there a way to appeal the decision or ask if I can be put in ILS? And would it be an appropriate question to ask at the end of my Banneker/Key interview when they ask if I have any questions?
Personally, I would not do it at B/K interview. Not the time nor place.
The time to do that is at admitted student day for honors students or, if you don’t attend that, orientation. There is certainly potential that some people that were admitted to the ILS will ultimately elect to enroll in another university, creating an opening that you can fill. I would request that of the honors program director and explain why it means so much to you to participate in ILS.
But that’s just my two cents.
@dominoesniall Sorry to jump on your thread, but how did you know which Honors Program you were accepted into? I still have not received anything.
@Ifeanyi1 some of us have received emails stating it.
@Coldsummer123 Thank you!
My S will need to appeal also. A CS major who only wanted ACES and got…humanities. ugh.
We are feeling your pain. My S is also a CS major who only wanted ACES and got University Honors. Knowing how overcrowded the CS program seems to be right now, he may be writing off UMD. I think cyber is just so hot right now that they had a lot more than 75 kids who wanted to get into ACES. My kids is the total opposite of Liberal Arts, so we were really disappointed with the Honors decision.
The letter talking about how carefully they selected those with a great interest in humanities gave us a good laugh though…S would have assigned zero points to everything except ACES given the option.
That had been one of the things that made the offer really appealing, though, and even if S gets a scholarship, not getting ACES detracts a bit for him and evens the playing playing field for other schools.
I could be wrong, but I don’t think you need to be part of the ACES living learning program in order to have a minor in cybersecurity…http://www.cyber.umd.edu/education/specializations
That is true, but if he wants to do an honors program, it looks like humanities is his only option, and he’d probably turn that down.
There is also University Honors, which is the most flexible.
Based on our investigation of University Honors, it is still heavy in Humanities/Liberal Studies. For kids like mine who are all math/science/computers, it isn’t really viewed as an option in comparison to ACES. And I agree with s16s18s21s25, it has really leveled the playing field in regards to offers from other schools. And don’t get me started about the University Honors program living learning dorm not having air conditioning. 
That is a deal breaker for S…a/c is a must. Still waiting to see if $ comes in but with a good offer from Purdue (which includes a brand new honors dorm with a/c) I’m thinking UMD is out. Their CS program seems really neat, but things just aren’t lining up for us…
- RE: University Honors is "heavy in Humanities/Liberal Studies"... The honors citation requires a total of only 5 honors seminars (or h-version classes) and one 1 credit honors colloquium. For STEM students, these options might be of interest - note that every semester has different and unique offerings - some are repeated alternating semesters and some are new for a particular semester (there are others I'm sure, this is not an exhaustive list but just examples to give you a sense): HONR238G Honors Seminar; The Manhattan Project: A Century of Radioactivity, Nuclear Weapons, and Nuclear Power HONR238K Honors Seminar; Infectious Ideas: Health and Disease in Modern America HONR238Q Honors Seminar; Nuclear Waste: The Other Consequence of Nuclear Weapons HONR268N Honors Seminar; Cracking the Secrets of the Universe Using Computers: Re-discovering the Higgs and Searching for Invisible Matter HONR269L Honors Seminar; Cracking the Secrets of the Universe Using Computers: Re-discovering the Higgs & Searching for Invisible Matter-Part II HONR289P Honors Seminar; How Do Innovators Think? H version options have included: CMSC132H Object-Oriented Programming II CMSC250H Discrete Structures CMSC396H Computer Science Honors Seminar ENAE398H Honors Research Project ENEE313H Introduction to Device Physics ENEE324H Engineering Probability ENEE381H Electromagnetic Wave Propagation ENES390H Systems Thinking for Managerial Decision Making MATH141H Calculus II; (4 credits) MATH241H Calculus III; (4 credits) MATH246H Differential Equations for Scientists and Engineers PHYS272H Introductory Physics: Fields PHYS273H Introductory Physics: Waves
And that’s just STEM focus. Don’t forget that you can’t avoid humanities/liberal studies because of general education requirements from the university itself. Some of the most interesting options are the honors seminar. So, you can kill two birds with one stone by taking a “humanities/liberal studies” class that will satisfy both honors citation reqs and gen ed reqs for the university…they do “double count” for those two needs.
- ACES is a new program, so if your student applied just a few years ago, it wouldn't have even been an option. The university's respect for it's STEM majors came from the reputation earned without ACES.
3.If A/C is really a deal-breaker, one option is that you can turn down honors and go into a dorm that has A/C. If there is medical necessity, you can be guaranteed to be put in a dorm with A/C. FWIW, it’s only about 3-4 weeks that it’s an issue, and if you are in a dorm where the rooms don’t have A/C, the lounges do have it…
Thanks for this info and the time you always take to make sure people have info. I think you go above and beyond. 
S’s AP credits will get him out of most non-stem class requirements. Regardless, if he gets a scholarship from UMD we will definitely look closely at the honors program again.
You can apply for ILS later, just don’t take bsci207 or 222 before applying or it will be too late.
@s16s18s21s25 I’m really glad to help - I was really happy there as a student some xx years ago, and am even happier with my son’s experiences as a student currently. There are soooo many unique opportunities that there is just no way to hear about all of them while you are still in the throes of school comparison stage. The University Honors really does offer unique classes - one example that I am not sure is going to be offered again is so cool I want to share so you can see why the honors seminars are really unique… a entire seminar on Breaking Bad! http://www.universityhonors.umd.edu/Term1401/348F.php They really make an effort to create classes with current issues/topics and turn them into educational opportunities. The I-series classes are also usually really interesting options.
Sorry to jump into this thread, but I have a couple of questions/concerns I’m hoping someone can provide me w/ info on as Honors/Living-learning communities wasn’t really covered in the UMD info sessions we attended! My D was accepted to UMD-CP into the Merrill LEP, but wasn’t invited into Honors, CPS or a living-learning program. She’s very happy to get into Merrill, but as she decides on a college, I’m wondering:
(1) Are there many UMD students not in Honors, CPS or living-learning programs?
(2) If you aren’t in one of these programs are there any negatives to consider - like it being harder to
get into desired classes (looks like Honors & CPS have exclusive & priority orientation dates
so may have priority status in class registration?), housing assignments/locations and/or is
freshman adjustment a little harder if you’re not in one of these programs?
Also, if a student wanted to, is there a “waitlist” to get into a living-learning community or can the student somehow “join” later in freshman year? Thanks for any info!!
@ahopefulparent - I suspect there are a lot of students that are NOT in honors. CPS, or LLCs, but I can’t give you any numbers.
My D is a sophomore and of her 6 closest friends, only 2 are in honors, none of the other 4 are in CPS or LLCs. Your D will meet others in her dorm, her major, elective classes and social events.
The only real advantage to the programs you mentioned is that you know what dorm your D will be in, but not the floor or room. Those seem to be random assignments, although there may be a specific set of floors for a given program.
Np matter where they are, ALL freshman are adjusting to their new life. My D had some struggles first semester even with being in honors and an LLC
In the case of my D and her friends, they all moved to different different dorms sophomore year and are moving to apartments next year.
As far as registration goes, honors and CPS do have exclusive sessions, but you could register for the June 2/3 or 6/7 sessions ahead of all honors and CPS sessions. In addition, UMD holds back class sessions and only opens them up for the later orientation sessions. At orientation, freshman can only register for fall classes.
After that, each semester registration is scheduled on a credit based priority system. That means that the students with the most credits (usually seniors) register first and then others in decreasing order. Each student is given a specific date and time when they begin signing up for classes.