Hi everyone. I am a high school senior considering attending UMD for CS. I was wondering how large the UMD CS classes are in the undergraduate level; a specific student to teacher ratio in the CS classes would be appreciated. In addition, will the creation of the Iribe Center and potential hiring of more professors make smaller class sizes? Thank you.
I will attending UMD for CS this Fall too! I’m interested in knowing about this too.
@awexgc I did some digging. UMD has a Student-Faculty ratio of 17:1 but I couldn’t find any specific numbers for the CS Department. On the other hand, about 45.1% of classes in UMD have less than 20 students but I have heard some of the lower level CS classes are a bit crowded.
For the first few CS classes, the classes can be pretty big, unfortunately. The lectures can have upwards of 200 students each (not sure how many since class attendance can vary greatly), but some professors (like my professors, Nelson for CMSC216 and Jason for CMSC250) try to make large classes seem smaller by learning their students’ names in class, engaging with students, and taking the time to answer individual questions during class time, so the large class size doesn’t bother me. Lectures are typically held twice or three times a week.
Then, there are the discussion/TA sections, which are around 25-35 students a section. Students tend to skip discussion though (I have no idea why, since they’re SUPER helpful if you have questions and super helpful for project help), so the discussions can be less than 20 students on a non-quiz day (quizzes are typically held in discussion section). Discussion is basically free office hours, if the TA finishes whatever material they have to teach before the section is over (they do this more often than not).
Class sizes should get smaller soon, though, since the construction of the Iribe building (a new CS building, essentially) is supposed to be completed by Fall 2018, which would allow the CS department to grow, hire more faculty, create more class sections, etc. Also, class sizes get smaller once you head towards the upper-level classes.
Let me know if you have any other questions, if I didn’t explain something thoroughly enough, if something doesn’t make sense, etc. I hope this helps!
We were wondering the same thing about class size. We were just at the accepted students program today, and they said the the lectures have 100-150 students and the TA sections have about 40 (which still seems pretty big). I can see how a lot of those students wouldn’t attend, though, so maybe those sections end up being even smaller. Thanks for your insight, whenyoubelieve.
Can anyone else who attend Maryland give their thoughts about class size in the comp sci department. Specifically, does anyone know if there are Honors-version course in this major? Thanks.
@whenyoubelieve Thanks for your response. I would also like to ask you what you think makes UMD’s CS classes unique compared to other CS programs. Is there a specific class, professor, or school activity that vastly expanded your knowledge in CS.
Also, how prepared do you feel in obtaining CS internships? Did you learn more about CS on your own time or during class?
@ndmmomof3 , there are Honors versions of these CS classes held. Those lectures and discussions have about 30 people in them. It’s definitely an up close and personal experience with the professor. My friends took the H-level CS classes (I didn’t, since I was afraid of the workload hahah)
@awexgc Oh my gosh, CMSC216 is really REALLY cool (the third class in the CS track). This semester, they’re trying a new thing. They teach us AVR Assembly, which is basically low-level computing that’s so low-level that simple machines can understand its commands. Also, they gave all the CMSC216 students little Adafruit Circuit Playgrounds, which you can directly code to. We’ve had coding exercises where we made a light spin around in a circle and respond to button presses and switch clicks! Also, as students, we have the opportunity to teach upper-level classes ourselves (with a CS faculty advisor), and TAKE student-taught classes. (Some cool sounding ones: “Digital Logic Design through Minecraft”, “The Coding Interview”, and “Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies”).
I’m still a freshman here, but I’ve really liked having Nelson and Jason for CMSC132/216 and CMSC250, respectively. They’ve really gone out of their way to make massive lectures seem smaller and to keep students interested in the lecture/material. Amazing lecturers. CMSC132 was a really good course. It’s super important to master what you learn in that class, since it’s all about data structures, which are a BIG part of the CS world.
I’ve felt really good about it. I’ve had an offer for an internship already and have a technical interview with another company this coming week! I learn CS solely through in-class work (but I should probably do some outside work hahah). I feel pretty prepared, but I’ve done well on all the CS projects assigned (usually getting 100%s, unless style points were taken off). Mastering and understanding the projects is the key to success.
@whenyoubelieve Thanks for your response!
@awexgc Check out this thread for input from a couple of CS students http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-maryland-college-park/2055884-overall-experience-with-the-cs-program-at-umdcp.html
Interesting to note is that the h-versions of some of the CMSC (computer science) classes are only offered in the spring. If you are looking for h-versions of CMSC for this coming fall, there is only the upper level class for departmental honors.
Understand that not all classes for CMSC have an h-version option. However, there are h-versions of a variety of foundational classes (like MATH 140H, 141H, 241H, 246H) and lots of honors seminar options. This is the link for the honors seminars (not the h versions as they appear just within the subject themselves) for the options this coming fall (not to worry - some seats are reserved for freshman, and only open up during orientation dates) https://app.testudo.umd.edu/soc/search?courseId=HONR§ionId=&termId=201808&_openSectionsOnly=on&creditCompare=&credits=&courseLevelFilter=ALL&instructor=&_facetoface=on&_blended=on&_online=on&courseStartCompare=&courseStartHour=&courseStartMin=&courseStartAM=&courseEndHour=&courseEndMin=&courseEndAM=&teachingCenter=ALL&_classDay1=on&_classDay2=on&_classDay3=on&_classDay4=on&_classDay5=on
@whenyoubelieve - Did you get your summer internship through UMD resources or by yourself? I have heard mixed reports of how useful the career center is (given the large number of students, the career fairs are very crowded with long lines).
@sunparent I got it by myself. (I’m kind of one of those people that doesn’t like to rely on others.) But! I did get my interview for the second internship because one of the recruiters is a UMD alum! I’ve never BEEN to the career center myself, but I’ve definitely used their resources (careers4terps) for finding my on-campus job. I think to make the most out of the career center, you have to use the career center as sort of a starting point to your job-search. Also, they offer resume reviews, which I think are really helpful.
Regarding career fairs: Yes, they’re crowded, but I’ve known tons of people that have gotten recruiters’ emails from going! You really have to put yourself out there and be ready with a game plan (which companies are you going to see, what are you going to say when you get there, what can you do to impress the recruiter in a short amount of time??). If you sort of just treat it like a routine or not be assertive about what you want/who you want to talk to, you can easily waste your time at a CS fair. (Something to note: the CS fair isn’t a make-or-break in terms of you getting an internship. I got my first offer from just applying online! No talking to any recruiters.) I, personally, don’t see the value of going to a CS fair until you’re a junior (except maybe to gain some experience with the elevator pitches), since most employers - understandably - don’t pay freshmen a glance.
If you want more attention from a company, rather than something so impersonal like a CS fair, I’d HIGHLY rec going to “lobbying” events done by companies and hosted by the CS department (a company sets up tables in the CS building’s lobby and you can talk to recuiters one-on-one. They’re MUCH less busy than CS fairs), tech talk days done by companies (also hosted by the CS department), and hackathons, where companies will send representatives and will have a table at the hackathon. There, you can get, again, more one-on-one time with a company, talk to them about the project you’re doing, etc.
TL;DR The career center gives you a starting point, if you don’t know where to go, for jobs and offer resume reviews. CS fairs are VERY difficult to get anyone’s attention at if you’re a freshman with no experience. They’ll just tell you to apply online. So, to combat this, try to go to smaller-scale events like lobbying days, tech talks, and hackathons, were you can get more one-on-one time with recruiters/employees of a particular company. ALWAYS try to get some sort of recruiter/contacts’ email. Getting an internship is all about self-promotion, no matter what school you go to!
Thanks @whenyoubelieve for your detailed response. Makes sense!