What do you like and dislike about UMD?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Maryland - College Park
1

<p>Hey, I'm a high school senior in MD. UMD is of course going to be one of my top schools and I'm confident that I'll be accepted. </p>

<p>I'm trying to decide whether to apply ED to a private school that I really like, which I'm confident that I'll get in if I do so. I could just apply EA there and keep UMD as an option. What makes UMD great? What do you like about it? </p>

<p>I do have some concerns about UMD. The classes are large, it has a huge campus, it's not in the best area, and it's a big state school so there are the typical drawbacks to that, such as having trouble getting the classes you want and getting involved in research, etc.</p>

<p>Are my concerns valid? Is it not as bad as I think it is? What have you disliked about UMD in your time there as a student?</p>

<p>Thanks, I'd like to hear what you all have to say.</p>

2

<p>

Of course. But every college and university has its shortcomings. You’re not expecting that private school that you really like to be perfect, are you?

It probably isn’t. Have you visited? I don’t mean visited your older sister there, or visited friends from a class or two ahead of you in high school. I mean, have you done any of the stuff for prospective freshmen? That stuff really impressed me a lot when my daughter was applying to college.</p>

3

<p>No, I don’t expect it to be perfect. However, it is less than half of the size of UMD with a much better student:faculty ratio. I like the school more than UMD, but I also like UMD more than lots of other schools. I’d like to read some first-hand experiences with UMD because UMD will save my family $30k /year. It’s definitely worth considering.</p>

<p>I visited this summer and went to a tour and information session. Last year, I met with an admissions officer at the local college fair.</p>

4

<p>I get that. I can’t help you more with College Park, though. My daughter actually did choose the private university that’s about 1/4 the size of Maryland, but more expensive.</p>

5

<p>What are you looking to major in? </p>

<p>If your stats are good enough that you are confident about Maryland admission, are they good enough to be considered for any of the special programs?</p>

6

<p>I plan to study Economics. I will also be pre-health (medicine or dentistry).</p>

<p>What are the special programs?</p>

7

<p>Dang, I don’t know anything specifically about econ to help with that, but I can tell you about the special programs and how they make a large school like Maryland seem a lot smaller. I’m an alum and also the mom of a sophomore engineer that is also part of the College Park Scholars program.</p>

<p>While there are lots of different programs, the ones that are offered to incoming freshman (by invitation based on your app/stats) are the Honors College, College Park Scholars, CIVICUS, Global Communities, etc (there are others also specific to engineering majors and business majors as well as other special ones that you apply to for after freshman year such as QUEST, Beyond the Classroom and Hinman CEO’s). [Office</a> of Undergraduate Admissions · University of Maryland » Living and Learning Programs](<a href=“http://www.admissions.umd.edu/academics/LivingAndLearningPrograms.php]Office”>http://www.admissions.umd.edu/academics/LivingAndLearningPrograms.php)</p>

<p>Basically, what they do is group people with similar academic interests and talents together to augment their education according to a special focus. They all live in the same dorm and have special classes together, creating a smaller community of peers. Most of the programs have fun events to help the students bond outside the class also.</p>

<p>As to your question/concern about large class size, yes and no. You absolutely will experience the large lecture hall for common core classes, but typically, those large classes also have one day of a discussion section that is actually quite small so that you have the opportunity to get your questions answered in a more intimate setting. However, classes such as English 101 are NOT in lecture halls and are only offered as smaller class sections. As you get more advanced into your specific major, the class sizes shrink considerably. There are the medium size classes which are quite common.</p>

<p>With respect to the large campus size, well, again, yes and no. When you are taking gen ed requirements, yes, you can have to cross a wide space between classes across campus. However, typically, when you are taking classes in your major, you are in a general area/cluster of buildings for most of your classes. So, if you are smart about it, you take note of where each section of a class is offered, and only sign up for classes in the areas that are more convenient for the rest of your classes. </p>

<p>FYI, the teachers are always available through office hours and are really very approachable (with a few exceptions of course, but that is not the norm). There are amazing and LOTS of opportunities to get involved in research… the facilities are wonderful. </p>

<p>Regarding the surrounding area of campus, well, obviously, as a female, I am very sensitive to that, so I never walked around at night by myself and never had a problem. They have made considerable strides in College Park since my tenure there, but it still is not as nice as other college towns (there is a long-range plan though to beautify the area). Honestly though, safety is a concern at all campuses. You really will spend most of your time in the bubble of the campus. And, while College Park itself doesn’t have all that much to offer, it is very convenient to DC! And DC has quite a bit to offer…</p>

<p>What I loved as a student was the school spirit. There is nothing like Maryland pride…you should go to a football game to get a sense of it. I am NOT a football person by any stretch of the imagination, but I never missed a game as a student because it was just that much fun as a general experience. I also loved the Dairy…mmmm…world’s best ice cream! It’s been just a <em>few</em> years since my day, but I still have that school spirit. Another great thing about Maryland is the diversity. There is no one label you can apply to the student body (such as preppy). You will meet lots of different students from a variety of backgrounds and all with different interests and talents. There are students that are very serious about academics, yet it is not a cut-throat environment. Students that go to Maryland are really happy and really enjoy attending. I have yet to meet anyone that has any regrets about choosing to go to Maryland (although of course there has to be one or two, given the size of the student body).</p>

<p>I could go on but hopefully this is enough to give you a general sense that there is more than meets the eye at Maryland.</p>

8

<p>Coming from an engineering perspective</p>

<p>Likes:
-amazing research opportunities for all interested undergraduates in major
-related to above, amazing faculty
-world class research facilities accessible to undergraduates
-college feel (big campus, big buildings, big student body, always something going on)
-broad name recognition among large US employers</p>

<p>Dislikes:
-herding cattle mentality
-bureaucracy at all levels
-draconian policies
-inflexible course scheduling and limited course offerings
-grad student TA’s unavoidable, hit or miss (and misses suck)
-vast majority of courses graded on a curve
-I personally find I don’t learn as well in a large lecture format vs a small classroom</p>

<p>If my goal were strictly learning and I were pursuing a career in academia, a more intimate classroom environment such as an LAC or very small tech school would be best. However, minimizing college debt was the driving factor to pick Maryland.</p>

<p>Be careful when you say private school though, size/research focus/prestige really does matter for how undergrads are treated. My first go at college I attended a more prestigious private research university, medium sized (~5000 undergrads), I can tell you it’s a much harsher environment than Maryland for all but the best students. There is less cattle herding, but research opportunities/facilities are closed off to all but the tippy-top PhD bound undergrads, core classes are still large lecture format (100+ students), hit or miss TAs, and grades still curved except your average competition is much higher. The only thing that was better was the scheduling and course offerings were generally more flexible/interesting.</p>