Should I transfer (non tradition student) UMD College Park

<p>It is not a new program degree program, I am a transfer student.They took most of my credits but they do not fit into the CS mandatory course sequence, this means I will have to start the sequence from freshmen CS 1. The reason it will take me longer is because college park will not take computer science courses from other schools. This means I have to start the CS sequence over at college park. That is my major at UMUC and UMD, computer science. I have to pass the exemption exams and I have not taken them yet. even if I pass them it will take more semesters to graduate, just less. My goal is to program.</p>

<p>Look at this page and scroll down to where it says transfers, it says it will take a minimum of 7 semesters if you star tat first course. I cannot say I will pass exemption exams because I have not taken them. <a href=“Prospective Students | Undergraduate Computer Science at UMD”>http://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/prospective-cs-students&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I have been a bit dense. If you can afford 5 to 7 semesters undergrad at UM College Park, I can see why that is attractive to you and understand Brownparent 's comments. Would you be full time student at UM College Park?</p>

<p>I would be a full time student. I still have some other courses to take outside of Computer Science courses. It will just take me longer to graduate. I do not know if it will truly benefit me to do that.</p>

<p>I do not want to be like 26 and just getting my degree, which may be the case. I will be a dependent until I finish. So it is almost like a choice to graduate 20 in about a year and a half, or graduate at maybe 4 years from now</p>

<p>So long as you can afford it, it would benefit you to transfer.</p>

<p>Why the change of heart? can you tell me why you think it would benefit me?</p>

<p>Look at where CS grads from UM College Park go and compare to UMUC. Do you have a mentor or faculty advisor at UMUC right now helping you find a job or prepare for grad school? You need programming experience.
If you can afford College Park and can get opportunities for internships, work with faculty, that will benefit you.</p>

<p>Look at these employers who recruit at UM College Park. See if they will accept your application now with UMUC credits for summer job. See if UMUC or UM College Park makes a difference to the employers.
<a href=“Information for Student Attendees | CS Internship and Career Fair”>http://www.cs.umd.edu/cscareerfair/students&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>How close are you to the Shady Grove campus of UMUC (or another of their physical campuses) and are any of your courses offered live at one of those locations. Taking more live classes might make staying at UMUC worth it to you. Even if your classes aren’t offered live, the career office and academic advising office have regular hours when you can visit and discuss your concerns with someone. You don’t have to do all of that online.</p>

<p>UMUC has a good reputation in the local job market. You should meet with the career office, and find out where people in your program get jobs after graduation. It might make better sense for you to graduate from UMUC 2 1/2 years from now, rather than transferring to UM-CP and being in classes for 3 1/2 years. Getting into the job market a year sooner, with a year less debt, could be a good decision. Once you’ve got a couple years of work experience, few people will care where you went to college.</p>

<p>UMUC only offers online or hybrid courses. The hybrid courses are held at the college park campus. I am not too far from college park, and driving there is not too long maybe 30 minutes. The classes at UMUC are not always offered hybrid and you may have to take a course online. Happymom that is my delimma, am I making the right decision to transfer when I could just graduate sooner.</p>

<p>That’s why I think you need to go talk with the career office at UMUC. Heck, go visit the office at UM-CP too. You need to have a very good reason to tie your life up for an extra year at UM-CP.</p>

<p>I have a very good friend who is a highly sought after software engineer who got his CS degree from UMUC years ago. He has never had trouble finding work, actually quite the opposite, he has to turn down head hunters. However, whatever value he may have gotten out of UMUC, he also taught himself what he needed to know and is still teaching himself new things/trying new things. The point I’m getting at is that your undergrad degree is really just a credential, not a guarantee of your future potential. The real indicator of your future success is how much you’re willing to continue to grow as a professional. Given how far along you are at UMUC I would say stick it out so you don’t suffer several years of lost income potential. That said, find out what companies you’re interested in are looking for in their applicants. If your curriculum isn’t spoon feeding you a decent project to showcase, come up with something unique. If your school is only doing things in Java but you need to know Python, learn Python. Try a challenging problem, get involved with a development community, what are the latest trends in a particular industry?</p>

<p>I am soooo confused. </p>