University of Maryland-Baltimore County Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Gunner

Just how difficult the course load was going to be

Jamal

I wish I had known what the theatre program at the school was really like. The people can be very exclusive and they live in a bubble-like environment in the theatre building. The program is split between tech and acting. I am an actor but the major cuts you off from really doing anything else at school. I chose the middle option, BA in theatre studies. Unfortunately, it is heavily tech based and the department will not allow you to take many of the upper-level acting classes, which is very discouraging to me.

Prachi

I wish that I had realized just how much freedom you have in college. From classes to extracurriculars to even dining choices, there are so many choices that being unprepared for them is overwhelming.

Umu

I wished I would have known more about the Honors Program because it is such a great opportunity. I also wished I would have known about more scholarships open to new transfer students.

Daniel

I wish I had known that the campus was dry on weekends.

Ashley

Before I came to college, I wish I had known how much my life goals would change. I started as a biology major wanting to be a veterinarian but will be graduating with a degree in psychology, certification in elementary education and the hope of studying school counseling in graduate school. I also wish I had known how much effort I needed to put into studying and how much more organized I needed to be. Over the past few years I have developed strategies conducive to learning that would have been very helpful in the beginning.

Erin

I wish someone had told me to do what i want to do and not what is easier because anything you want to do is possible and everyone will help you achieve what you want to.

Monet

I wish I would have known to be more open and friendly before coming to this school!

Ariana

I wish that I had known some of the professors and additional career/graduate school resources before coming to this school. I also wish I had had more knowledge in scholarships available to students.

Shadab

The beginner level courses, such as Biology and Chemistry, are very tough. They are this way, because they are "weed-out" courses, where they separate the focused, determined students from the rest. I wish I knew that freshmen year was very important, because it is harder to raise your GPA later in the game if you don't do well earlier. There is also many honors programs with great benefits that I wish I knew about so I could apply for them.

Mariah

I wish I had known the amount of work needed to do my best but I still think it is worth it.

Tolulope

None.

Xenya

I wish I had known how badly the teacher just want to help you. At the school I transfered from, teachers just wanted you to get by, they didn't care how well you did. At UMBC all the teacher have so much time dedicated to helping us so that we understand and can pass. I wish I had known this because I was unaware of the office hours that the teachers and teachers assistants provided and would have taken advantage of them sooner.

Daniel

I wish I had known that the campus is very quiet on the weekends. Many people go home and my dorm is usually left empty and boring. Therefore I am forced to either go home or visit another college. I also wish I had known that the unlimited meal plan was not fully unlimited. I get four meals per day which is better then most but I can only use one per meal period or I lose it so it's not all unlimited.

Victoria

When a school assigns credit hours to a class, they stand for hours of hard work taken out of your time. I wish I had known that I need to go back to my room after classes and re-read my notes and practice extra work in order to completely grasp the concepts my professors taught that day. By adjusting and realizing this fact, I'm beginning to put the credit hours to good use and really make the most out of my time. Quality is truly better than quantity when it comes to the time I devote to classes.

Jennifer

I wish I would've researched the available majors more before enrolling at UMBC.

Lisa

I wish I would have known how challenging it was. Since its a local school, very close to my high school, I thought I was familiar with the academic demands. Also I never took a school tour, so I was unknowing of how the school was set up.

Nicholas

The professors usually know their subject area well but many of them are undesirable due to poor teaching skills or boringness. Many don't seem to be very inviting to students who need help. Almost none of the professors make an effort to get grades to students in a timely fashion. The school's inclement weather policy is notoriously negligent. Only a record-breaking snow storm will keep students from having to navigate the icy sidewalks and stairs to attend class. The school sits on a hill, with many sloping paths and stairs that make navigatation difficult for the disabled.

Elana

The little there is to do close by, unless you go to the city.

Sophie

What i would wish i had know before attending this school would be which professors to take, and which to avoid.

Gabriel

Finicial aid options

Megan

More scholarship information

Seharish

I wish that I would have known more about the majors offered, in more detail before choosing one.

Beni

I wish I was more knowledgable about the criteria for their scholarships. I would have spent more time studying for the SAT's if I had known it was predominately based on the SAT. I also wish I knew that UMBC does not have a business school and does not place much emphasis on business related areas. Rather, the university uses most of its resourses (career center, internships) to help those in scientific research.

Kevin

how dead the sociall life was here

Brendon

How truly academically based everything is, literally like everything.

Danielle

Wish I would have known more about extra activities on campus.

John

A little more about the people here

Tiffany

It is much different from a two year community college. The transition was difficult for me so I wish that I had known more so where to go for help.

Elizabeth

The education dept is not as well organized and does not have the great reputation of other area schools.

Danielle

I wish I had known how to study. In high school I didn't really learn how and now it is hurting me. I also need to learn to stay focused--papers aren't easy to write if you get distracted by silence, by noise, by conversations--by anything.

Eden

How much harder the course work is in college then highschool. You have to study a completly different way, you have to focus harder and it is not about memorizing facts but truly learning and understanding everything.

Daniel

How hard it could be to have a social life on campus unless you are willing to get out there and find things that you like to do.

Jatna

I wish I would've have been a little more prepared in regards to academic work. This school strives to make it's students the best at their field, but with that comes a lot of academically challenging work. So I wish I would've have been a little more prepared for that.

Tiffany

I wish that I would have know more about what the professors expect of you. The professors are easily accessible during office hours but they also have so many students to serve to. More often then not I find that material covered in the textbooks and what is presented in class do not correlate and this causes me much difficulty in succeeding.