Into U. Honors Program--should i do Gem or HH??

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Maryland - College Park
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<p>ahh im trying to determine whether i ought to do gemstone of honors humanities if I choose to attend UMD this fall. Any help appreciated!</p>

<p>i think im more interested in engineering, and i applied to the clark school, but i have heard bad things about gemstone.. that it's boring, time-consuming, not worth it. also, it is four years, whereas honors humanities is only 2, so i am tempted towards humanities. I would still pursue an engineering degree, but I fear that I'd end up dropping or simply despising gemstone if I elect to do it.</p>

<p>is it possible to do gemstone and graduate early (ie can you condense the extra credits the program requires and take more than one at once rather than split it up as suggested online?)</p>

<p>does anyone have any experience with what gemstone projects typically consist of/ is it difficult if you choose not to stay at ellicot four years, do you get to work with all other gemstone students or are you stuck with the same for all four years?</p>

<p>what is the dropout rate like?</p>

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<p>Our s is in the HH program and really loves it. He started out as a math and CS major but seems more interested in Econ at the moment. It seems that the kids in HH are very bright and love the arts. The program is relatively small, so you have the feeling of being in a small LAC while a part of the big campus. BTW, I personally don't find UMCP huge. It seem like a large school but nothing like Michigan, UCLA, UT or other mega universities. </p>

<p>If you're feeling that a big group project that last 3-4 years is not your cup of tea, avoid Gemstone. Some of the kids in HH are, however, putting in tons of time into their keystone project. One kid is writing a novel, a couple of others are writing plays. I think our s plans on writing some original music and putting together a video. Both programs will require a lot of extra time and both will challange you.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Max...correct me if I am wrong, but isn't your son a BK recipient? Our DS was only Presdients and many kids are asking about it...I thought you might be a great resource for them.</p>

<p>Glad to hear your S loves it. Ours does too. I also agree I think the campus is not large at all. I actually think for the size of the school, it actually feels more like a smaller college. I love visiting to see what the new M flowers are. It is also great that a metro is right there now, back in his day you had to go to New Carrolton. </p>

<p>Back on topic now</p>

<p>GO TERPS BEAT DUKE</p>

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<p>I'll be happy to help in any way I can. Both levels of the B/K are wonderful and students don't seem to know which level any individual kid was awarded.</p>

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<p>My son was in HH but he dropped it after the first semester (he remains in Honors, however). He felt that the extra HH classes required and the time to do the 2-year project wasn't worth it. I understand, but wish he had stuck with it. It's his decision, though. Anyway, my point is whatever you decide, you can always choose to drop if you feel that it's too much.</p>

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<p>thanks for the information.. honors humanities is appealing because it is slightly less of a commtment, i just dont want to miss out on the one that's more my field..</p>

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<p>hey, im an engineering major currently in gemstone. im a sophomore, so im about half way through. i'll try to answer your questions the best i can.</p>

<p>many people hear bad things about gemstone. some of them are true and some of them are not. gemstone is NOT boring. i don't think i've met anyone in the program regardless of whether they liked it who thought it was boring. there are boring parts, but you get to pick your project, so hopefully you pick something you're interested in.</p>

<p>yes, gemstone is time consuming. we have two 1 hour meetings every week and a bunch of outside work that we do to prepare for the meetings. some teams put in lab hours every semester. my team has had outside teleconferences and meetings with contacts. some people think it isn't worth it. i do. so far, i really like the kids on my team, our topic is really interesting and if we accomplish our goal we'll have made a contribution to our field. if nothing else, so far ive learned about about my topic and about doing research in general.</p>

<p>it is possible to do gemstone and graduate early, but not the way that you're thinking. you can't really condense gemstone credits into fewer semesters. you have to take the classes when they say you're supposed to take them. if you want to graduate early, you'll get credit for the classes early, but in order to keep the gemstone citation you have to participate in the meeting after you graduate, significantly contribute to the research, help write the thesis and be there for the final presentation. so basically, it can be done, but you still have to do things when every one else does.</p>

<p>gemstone projects can consist of about any sort of topic. my team is studying firefighting technology another team in my cohort is studying teaching peace to prisoners. basically the only restraints that gemstone has is that you have to study something (vs. advocacy), it can't be done exactly the same as something before and it has to benefit society in some way (ie: people have to care).</p>

<p>you actually can't live in ellicott all 4 years. most people just live there their 1st year and then move out. if you do any living and learning program i would suggest living in that dorm at least for the first year.</p>

<p>you are basically with the same team for 3 of the 4 years. the first year you mix around and have mini research teams.</p>

<p>most people if they drop, drop after the first semester before they really do anything. some people drop after the second semester, but not nearly as many. once people get to sophomore year and are placed on a team, most people don't drop.</p>

<p>if you have any more questions, feel free to ask. i don't know much about honors humanities or you, so i don't know which one is right for you. i will say that i really like gemstone and we really do have our own little community.</p>