<p>hey what do we do at orientation exactly? like a rough schedule of the two days? and what do parents do on parent orientation?</p>
<p>anddd where do we live?? like which dorms?</p>
<p>The orientation website is <a href="http://www.orientation.umd.edu%5B/url%5D">www.orientation.umd.edu</a> - look at the page of sample schedules. GGT</p>
<p>oh cool thanks!</p>
<p>is it that easy to pick classes? I would think I would need time to pick my classes.</p>
<p>My major is Biology and when I go to the department's webpage, it has a few sample alternate "typical" 4 year plans - I used that and Testudo online to look at some ideas for schedules. Don't know if business department has something similar - but if you surf around on the UMD website - you might be able to find something.</p>
<p>^^^ thanks, that is a good idea. Here it is for me <a href="http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/undergrad/pdfs_docs/OperMgmt4yrPlan2005.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/undergrad/pdfs_docs/OperMgmt4yrPlan2005.pdf</a>, though i am double majoring, but the problem is AP tests. I won't have my test grades back but the 3 classes they say all are AP tests I took this year. That stinks. I guess I could change if I do well enough on the tests? </p>
<p>Whats the best or most fun class at UMD?</p>
<p>cheapseats (and all)-- the "typical" 4-year plan is rarely ever followed. many people start taking bmgt230 or 220, for example, right away as soon as they have enough credits (which could be 1st or 2nd semester depending on APs). plus, there's a lot of core built in there that almost any AP credit will get you out of. so in the places where it says core, you'd be taking other stuff. a lot of people can take extra college electives, or double-major, or minor, etc.</p>
<p>at orientation they'll probably try to get you to stick with the first section of the 4-year plan. but if you're waiting on, let's say, english and econ AP tests, just save those for the next semester. take a lab science core or something like that, and comm107.</p>
<p>widely accepted, musc205, history of rock & roll, with dr. king, is the best class at UMD. it's an HA core class. used to be impossible for freshmen to get into, but now the university is actually going by its "complete core by jr year" policies and holding sections for freshmen to try and get people to finish their core classes earlier. i've never taken the class (got my HA from music theory and don't really like history all that much) but everyone says it's great and it always fills up really quick.
that's the only class i can think of that EVERYONE regardless of major knows about and says/hears good things about, so i'd say that's the best.</p>
<p>Lindz - this can all get a little confusing. Based on what my Alg III teacher is telling me,I should be able to test into Math 220 freshman year. We had a meeting with one of the college counselors who suggested that even if I could place into 220 - that I may want to kick back 1st semester to take Math 113 - which is the prep class for 220. The premise is that I can finish my credits for a bio major/art minor and have all the classes I need to sit for the Dental Admissions Test (ugh ANOTHER standardized test) by the end of my Junior year without absolutely strangling myself first semester. So I'll have a:</p>
<pre><code> Math class that is a bit of review,
Bio&Lab (even if I test out with AP BIO-I have to take 2 bio
classes freshman year to meet the DAT requirements)
Chem&Lab
Intro art class
Civicus classes
</code></pre>
<p>Is there anyplace to get the kind of background info on other profs/classes like the info you shared on the history of rock and roll? BTW - I have now slid that in to replace my History of Science - cant wait!</p>
<p>I am a little freaked out because we pulled together what I need for a General Bio Major, Art Minor and the DAT test recommendations - and of course, the CORE (much of which I meet with my major and minor classes) - and if I'm really gonna stick with pre-dent, and sit for the exam between my Junior and Senior years, I have to get on track and stay on track! I'll know better after this summer when I intern for my second year with a dentist if thats what I really want to do. So many of my older friends at Maryland are finding that they won't be able to finish in 4 years!</p>
<p>P.S. Please tell me its not "THE KING" who teaches the history of rock and roll - I mean who would have thought to look for him at College Park! Just a little r&r joke</p>
<p>there's a class called Dinosaurs which fills some kind of core and I will wait as long as necessary to take it.</p>
<p>*GGT -- hahaha sorry to disappoint, but THE KING is not in college park, although we do have a turtle statue resembling him up on north campus.</p>
<p>finishing in 4 years is a lot harder than most people (parents especially!!) think it is. and if you want to minor or participate in a special program which requires you to take other classes, it's especially hard. you can pretty much forget about all those great electives you've heard of.</p>
<p>if you're taking bio AND chem with labs, you definitely want to kick back on the rest of your classes!! honestly, if it's been a couple years since you've taken calc, 220 will be a little tougher than it really should be the second time. if you haven't yet taken calc, it's probably a good idea to take 113 here at UMD so that you get the right TYPE of precalc for the calc classes here. do you even need calc for a bio major? you probably could just take 113 and be done with it.</p>
<p>congrats on civicus, my boyfriend was in that and he loved it...talks about it all the time, is still friends with people, etc. and he's a senior now.</p>
<p>there really isn't a great background info place...used to be but not anymore. if you're on livejournal, we have a pretty active LJ community where you could probably get some good recommendations. i'd say post there (make up a username if you aren't an LJ member already). also check pickaprof.com ($5/semester but very well spent) for professor reviews and grading and all that.</p>
<p>good luck with everything!! it's really good that you're starting your plan now. i've been doing that and it makes everything a LOT easier once you get further into your major.</p>
<p>*eckie -- if it's an honors seminar you're thinking of, i've heard it's pretty hard! :)</p>
<p>thanks lindz for all the help. </p>
<p>Flipping through the college P.rowler book for UDM i saw two classes that are said to be fun, death education and human sexuality. Have any of you heard of either of these classes being popular\?</p>
<p>Cheapseats,</p>
<p>Human Sexuality is an awesome class at almost every university you go to, including UMD. I've heard nothing but good things about it from friends.</p>
<p>Haven't heard anything about Death Education though.</p>
<p>On an unrelated note...2 more weeks until Summer Classes!</p>
<p>I might need to look at some ideas of classes to take before I go to orientation but I have about a month.</p>
<p>Also on an unrelated note... I have 3 more days of high school! Thursday is our last day and Friday is our prom at this awesome place. <a href="http://www.mellonauditorium.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.mellonauditorium.com/</a> Nafta was signed there. Pretty cool and pictures make it look good. </p>
<p>How many of you guys are done already?</p>
<p>Lindz - you are a great resource - thanks so much for all your help! Yeah - I've never taken Calc - so taking the pre-calc at MD sounds good to me - why kill myself for calc! In fact, I will probably test out of Bio 105 and 106 with my AP - but plan to take them at MD anyway. If I have to go 5 years - then so be it! As of now I can make it in 4 - I have planned to take a class every winter term - usually art classes for my minor - but I enjoy art tremendously - its my release - so spending a few weeks in the winter being creative is something I'll look forward to. </p>
<p>I am especially looking forward to Civicus - I have a friend who completed the program and she says it was the best part of her college experience and is still very tight with her friends from the program as she continued to room with them in South Commons for jr and sr years. Somerset is in a great location next to McKeldin (I'm thinkin Starbucks - woohoo!) and not too far from Stamp and closer to my freshie classrooms than the freshman dorms on north campus - two of my classes are actually in Somerset - plus it has AC! I've heard wonderful things about Sue Briggs - the lady who runs the program too. I think we stay on that side of campus for orientation. </p>
<p>I'm really getting pumped! Gonna check out the pickaprof thing for info. And LJ is livejournal? How do I get there? Thanks GGT</p>
<p>Sorry gang - I was logged in on my Mom's screen name!</p>
<p>Lindz- I'm concerned about it being difficult to graduate in 4 years. This is the biggest complaint I have heard about UMCP. Do you think this is true for all colleges or worse at CP. As the parent paying for this education, it really scares me. I have heared this complaint so many times that I am trying to steer my next one away from CP. What do you think?</p>
<p>When we were on my college search tours we asked this question everywhere - and everywhere we were hearing that it was taking longer. Colleges are apparently more frequently requiring CORE type courses and this stretches things out. The other thing is that many kids enter college without knowing their major - we often heard our student tour guides say - "Well I switched majors so I have to go an extra semester." In contrast, one of my close friends - who did switch majors - and was in a special program requiring extra courses - just graduated from College Park in January - a semester early - Phi Beta Kappa. But she took classs every winter session and she didn't study abroad at all. I hate to think of 5 years in undergrad - with another several years on top of that for dental school. I know that College Park has a special 3 year program where you complete your basic requirements for a bachelors in 3 years at CP and then move to the dental school where your first year in dental school overlaps your final year of a bachelors. I looked at that and it scrwed my head up - no way any average human can make that happen - and I don't have superpowers - so I guess I'll stick to those winter terms and leave the foreign travel for summer sessions if I can afford it.</p>
<p>A four year graduation rate is one of the things that U.S. News lists when it does its school rankings each year. Davidson, Princeton, Georgetown, Amherst, Dartmouth, Duke, Notre Dame, Yale, BC, Washingont & Lee, Holy Cross, Harvard, ..... and the list of expensive, private, highly selective schools top the list with 4 year completion in the 80%+ category. But if you look at the overall cost of degrees at these schools for a 4 year degree versus the cost of perhaps a 5 year degree at a sound public school like Maryland, College Park still brings you out ahead of the game. At $45k per year, Hopkins will run you $180+ for a four year grad rate of 84%. Assuming instate College Park costs of $16 a year, I could take ove 11 years to finish my degree and still be ahead of an expensive private school. Of course this is an extreme comparison - and I'd never get into Hopkins - nor would I want to go there anyway!</p>
<p>I agree with BigJ that human sexuality is supposed to be a good class. There's one prof who's really good (check on testudo and his section is probably the fullest/the one with the biggest waitlist). Death is interesting but not an easy-A class by any means.</p>
<p>*GGT -- Thanks for the compliment!! :) To get to the livejournal community go to <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/umd%5B/url%5D">http://community.livejournal.com/umd</a> But in order to make a new post you'll have to sign up for a (free) account and then join the community (which you can do by going to the community's userinfo and clicking the join link)</p>
<p>*marylandgirl -- I think this is an issue at all colleges and universities (although I can't say for sure). I believe that in some of the recent college ranking magazines that they provide you with a 6-year graduation rate instead of just 4 years. There is definitely NO stigma whatsoever attached to graduating in 5 years (I have plenty of friends going into their 5th year), although after that people do tend to poke fun at the 6th-years. I don't think it is a bad thing at all--I'd rather not be rushed through anything.
UMD provides students with a lot of opportunities and extra programs which can often add to the number of classes to be taken. For example, I'm in the honors program, the QUEST program, and I'm minoring in addition to my regular academic major. This adds a total of 14 extra courses--many of which can contribute to my CORE requirements, but some of which do not. In addition, next year I am doing research with a professor in the business school as part of a fellowship program, and am being a mentor for the QUEST program, so I don't want to take a really big courseload.
I'm planning on taking one or two classes during winter/summer. (Studying abroad in Spain this summer!) I also took a summer class last summer. And that should do it for me. I'm planning on graduating in four years. But if I was a double-major, or had changed my major, or failed a couple of classes somewhere, I'd definitely need an extra semester or two.</p>
<p>Whew. Hope that helped.</p>
<p>GGT, check out RateMyProfessor.com</p>
<p>Completely free. And it's awesome.</p>
<p>I will also be a frosh in the fall of 2006 and I am quite sure I have all my classes for first semester picked out.</p>
<p>Greek and Roman Myth
Math 140
CCJS 100, 105, or both
HIST156
And if only one CCJS, then I will probably take Chem or Physics.. lindz which is easier?</p>