My S is very interested in UMD undergraduate engineering program and plan to apply by Nov 1. Can someone explain the UMD Scholars Program and Honors Program at UMD? Are both programs by invitation only and, if so, are they both both must-do’s? Thanks.
@EngineeringDad7777 - The Honors College and the Scholars Program are 2 different programs that students can be admitted to.
Admission is based on the students application only and the student must apply by Nov 1 to be considered for either program.
A student can be admitted to one or the other, but not both.
Each program has their own Admissions Committee The Honors College has the first pick of students.
Each program as it’s own set of subprograms, and associated dorms, that the students can request to participate in.
The Honors College is a 4 year program. The Scholars Program is 2 years.
Neither one is needed for a successful college or post college experience
Stats alone (GPA and test scores) will NOT guarantee admission into either program.
Here are links to each Program.
Here is a Thread that may provide some additional insight
As SoofDad mentioned, there is no guarantee of invitation to either program based on stats alone. However, for those students that are admitted to engineering, there is a third alternative learning community experience that is designed specifically for engineers… http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-maryland-college-park/1455365-attn-engineers-special-living-learning-program-for-p1.html
That is helpful, thanks!
Also, how large are the classes for engineering and are they mostly lecture based or discussion/participation based? I know the intro classes and core classes are lecture based and large; I also know honors students can take smaller non- major classes, but I’m wondering how large the classes are once you get into your major. my S is leaning ME and, while he loves UMD, he is concerned that even major classes in ME are 50-100 students as opposed to 20-30 at other schools he’s looking at. Any insight would be appreciated.
@EngineeringDad7777 The way the large classes work is that even with the larger lecture hall classes, there is always one day a week of discussion sections and those sections are about 30 people or less depending on the class. That’s when there is opportunity for more individual attention, more detailed review of concepts, etc.
There are some mid-size classes (around 40 such as ENME272, or 50 such as ENES102) scattered throughout the 4 years, and then the electives are smaller, ranging anywhere from 15-30 people (i.e.; ENME440,400,406,etc).
@EngineeringDad7777 I’m not sure if this matters, but my son went from a class of 1 as a homeschooler to UMD for engineering. I was terribly concerned about class size as you can imagine. Surprisingly, it was not an issue. He was not mechanical eng. (computer eng.), but I remember he once had an upper level math class with only 6 people! lol! One school that he looked at had only one professor for his major and she had a VERY heavy accent which made it extremely difficult to understand. While he realized he might get used to the accent, there was also the possibility that he might not. If he couldn’t get used to it, he was out of luck in choosing a different professor. This could also be true if you just didn’t learn well from a professor as well. My son really liked the idea of having a choice for most of his professors that the smaller schools couldn’t provide.
Thanks Maryversity. Does this mean that if S majors in ME, most of his in-major classes (i.e. More than 50%) will most likely be large lectures (with subsequent recitation breakdowns) with a few exceptions, depending on his choices, and that he will likely have very few classes of around 30 students? Just trying to get a sense of what S is looking at.
Also, one of the things that attracts S so much to UMD is the labs/facilities. Do engineering undergrads have the opportunity to actually work with the equipment in labs (i.e. Get real hand-on training) and learn how to use the equipment, or is that reserved for grad students, professors, and undergrads who are able to work on research projects for professors? Again, not being an engineer myself, I’m trying to get a sense of what S can expect. I’m hoping that the technology/ facilities not only look impressive but can actually be used by undergrads! Thanks.
Well, I wouldn’t say more than 50%…and remember it’s also not just large lectures v small classes…there are those mid-size classes of around 50 students…so, there is definitely variety. And davenmame brings up a good point about having options for professors.
As for research, undergrads absolutely DO have the opportunity to work in the labs… starting freshman year! My son really enjoyed that aspect of his education. They really encourage students to do research, and there are lots of options, whether it be through a formal “program” http://www.eng.umd.edu/research/opportunities, http://www.rise.umd.edu/about, http://www.enme.umd.edu/research/ or on their own (just email professor in charge of the research project you are interested in)
Thanks. I really appreciate the feedback.
@EngineeringDad7777 I’m not familiar with ME classes but the master list of courses is publicly available at testudo.umd.edu under “Schedule of Classes.” It shows you all of the class sections being offered each semester along with the number of seats available in each.
Perfect. Thanks! When you click on “show sections” for a particular class, and there are, say, 5 sections for one class, each with 40 students, does that mean the total class size is approx. 200 and the entire class then breaks into 5 separate “recitation” sessions, depending on which day you choose? Trying to understand how to read it.
@EngineeringDad7777 Don’t quote me on this (and someone correct me if I’m wrong), but I believe you can figure it out by looking at the class times and locations. Some sections have two rows of times and locations, with the second row labeled “Discussion.” It looks like the first row gives you the time and location of the main lecture, and the second row gives you the time and location of the smaller discussion group (for classes that have them). If you see multiple sections with the same professor, time and location for the main lecture then it’s probably a large lecture hall. If you see multiple sections with completely different times and locations for the main lecture then they’re probably just separate classes.
Thanks.