Letters and Sciences instead of First Choice of School /Major for Bio?

Pleasantly surprised that my son got his acceptance for Fall 2019, Maryland was his reach school.

He is planning on studying Bio and medical sciences. He was offered an invitation to the BioFire program. Based on what I’ve read so far, sounds like a great living learning program for concentrating students with common interests in a dorm - and additional programs, classes, support, etc. Seems like a good chance for a student looking for that type of a supporting experience in a big school.

However I’m concerned a bit about making the Letters and Sciences school instead of being directly admitted into the Bio major program. Based on some quick reading of online materials and the forums here, my impressions are:

-Maryland has limited spots for some majors, especially Business and in his case Bio, so they admit students to the general school of Letters and Sciences, with the opportunity down the road to get into your desired major/school.

-The L&S school is for students who may not have selected a major or the catch all for students who didn’t place directly into their choice of schools due to availability which I assume is tied to grades/admission metrics.

-Students in the L&S school are fully supported to help get into their desired major schools, but it will be based on grades in the target classes with some support in case you can’t get in to pick another major

Is that a fair summary of the situation based on what others have read, or better yet, anyone who has already gone through a similar experience in the past?

My specific concerns are:

  • will he be shut out of classes initially perhaps if priority is given for example to a Bio major, rather than a L and S student for Intro Bio?
  • do students who get a good GPA in the base classes for a major transfer successfully or is there a really limited opportunity to cross over?
  • how does the BioFire factor into this? Would BioFire students generally already be admitted to Bio or science majors making him the odd man out in some sense?

My plan is to contact L&S directly as I understand from other forums that they have been very helpful however it would be great to get actual experiences from real people who have been through it if possible. I get the sense that the Business school in particular is highly competitive to get into but don’t know whether Bio is different.

We will also be attending the admitted student day to get more info but any help or guidance would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Based on the following info from the BioFIRE website ( https://hhmi.umd.edu/biofire/ ) the 3rd bullet statement seems to ensure that he will get the classes he needs for Biology as a Major

Commitment
BioFIRE students
•Reside together in Easton Hall (required for first-year students; optional for second-year students).
•Enroll in one-credit seminars (one in the fall, one in the spring) that promote career exploration and strategies for a successful transition to college.

•Enroll together in a cluster of first-year foundational science courses, including introductory biology, general chemistry, and calculus.

•Participate in the First-year Innovation and Research Experience (FIRE), a three-semester sequence of courses that prepare them for and immerse them in a faculty-led research program.
•Are strongly encouraged to participate in community activities and events, such as study groups, tutoring, field trips, scientific lectures, and social activities.
•Are eligible for summer research fellowship awards for continuing their FIRE research

This is a link for Internal Transfers to the Biology Major

https://lep.umd.edu/cmns-lep.pdf

It is also my understanding that Business is the ONLY competitive LEP for Internal Transfers

My daughter transferred to UMD for Biology in 2017 but was placed in Letters and Sciences. Upon completing her Chem and Bio classes she applied for Biology major and was approved.

awesome to hear and great feedback. really appreciate the positive info and support this forum provides. great to get good help. thanks again.