<p>I checked it out on UMD's website, but the website only raises more questions than answers. The thing that confuses me the most is the fact that it says that it is a spring admissions program, yet it also says that it happens during the fall semester?! Is it offered to people who aren't qualified enough to gain regular admission into UMD? I'm interested in the Freshmen Connection program because I am definitely not qualified enough to gain admission into UMD. I have a 3.8 GPA, 920 M+CR SAT, 180/325 cumulative class rank, and a not-so-rigorous course load from a high school that really isn't recognized outside of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; therefore, I am SERIOUSLY desperate to get into UMD. It is my #1 school, and I will do anything to get in. I am so desperate that I am seriously considering calling my congressman and senator and seeing if they can do anything special to get me admitted! So can you please give me some info on this program? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>It’s more suited for those who live within the State of Maryland but let me explain it as simple as possible because I have some friends doing it right now. Basically if you are not qualified enough for Fall Semester you are admitted for spring semester. You can simply chill out for the fall semester, stay at home, work or whatever you feel like but with freshmen connection you can take classes at Maryland without living on campus. So basically you would commute for a semester and move on to campus spring semester. You are basically a commuter for a semester then you move on to campus for spring.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for explaining it to me! Now that I understand it, I wouldn’t have a problem doing it! Although I am a PA resident, I have family down in Maryland. Plus, I can live in the Mazza Grandmarc apartments for free all four years of undergrad, so I have housing covered. With the stats I posted in my first post, do you think I have a chance at admission into the FC?</p>
<p>Important to also note is that when you are in FC, you cannot take the prime time classes, meaning your day starts in the afternoon. There is a whole slew of courses you can take that are reserved for FC students only, but those are the only ones you can take. Here is the list of classes available for FC students for this past Fall:
[UM</a> Testudo | Schedule Of Classes](<a href=“http://www.testudo.umd.edu/soc/freshconfall.html]UM”>http://www.testudo.umd.edu/soc/freshconfall.html)
You’ll see there are several options in each subject area, but they all start late in the day, with some in the early evening.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, however. You have to have been offered a Spring 2014 (instead of fall 2013) admission before you can consider Freshman Connection. In the event your application is denied, you can’t do Freshman Connection. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.</p>
<p>Thanks for the support everyone! I literally worry myself to sleep about whether I will get into Maryland or not. It is my #1 and dream college! If accepted, I’m willing to wait until the Spring of 2014 since I mentioned that I will have free off-campus housing for my undergrad years if I do end up attending Maryland. I can just chill there until the semester starts</p>
<p>One more point: you don’t “apply for FC.” Apply by the priority date (November 1) for your best chance. When those decisions are released (end of January), you could be accepted for fall, accepted for Spring but also invited for FC (and you may or may not be waitlisted for Fall), or you can be completely denied. Note that admissions is very competitive for out of state so you should definitely have a back-up. And try to increase your SAT (and try the ACT).</p>
<p>My best friend’s daughter did great with FC - she lived in an apt with other FC students and loved getting to sleep late since classes were later in the day. She’s now at junior at UMDCP. My daughter got accepted for FC, but opted to go elsewhere. BTW - both of these girls were out of state and both had comparable GPA but much higher test scores.</p>
<p>Your SAT is pretty low. It probably would have been better for you to apply directly to spring but I guess it’s a little too late. I’m wishing you the best of luck, it seems as if you want to go there more than a lot of people I know do.</p>
<p>I can’t thank you all enough for all the support shown to me! It’s really uplifting to hear that people hope I get in when everything points at a rejection letter with my name on it.</p>
<p>@Coola426 Looking back, if Spring admission would have helped me, I would have certainly applied for the Spring of 2014 semester. I know that my SAT scores are terrible, but one thing that I wonder is if they will take into account that I scored higher than the average African American nationally. I know that as a part of their holistic review, they do take race into consideration. I’m not saying that I support it, I’m just stating what’s going to happen as part of the review.</p>
<p>@LINYMOM I applied on November 9th (It was bumped up this year due to Hurricane Sandy), so I did meet the priority deadline. I have improved my SAT score somewhat since I submitted my first scores. If UMD was to superscore the two test, I would have a 1060 M+CR (M:440; CR:620). Unfortunately, I don’t think UMD would even look at them since the scores came to me after the priority deadline. Also, I know that being from PA won’t help my chances much since a lot of people who apply to UMD are PA residents.</p>
<p>I did see some stats on Collegeboard’s website that made me a little more optimistic. According to what they about current students’ SAT scores, about 5% are within my range. Hopefully I can soon become one of those 5% of UMD students!</p>
<p>Being African American will help you but remember that UMD is 12% black so it might not help you as much as lets say a school like Ohio State which is 6-7% black. But it will give you an extra boost.</p>