University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

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

SeungJin

You have to get lost before you can be found.

SeungJin

You have to get lost before you can be found.

Celena

I wish I knew that it is ok not to understand everything you are learning in class. A lot of other students in the class also have the same questions as you so you shouldn't feel dumb when you ask a question in class. Going to college is about learning so you shouldn't expect to understand everything right away, it takes time and practice.

Faozia

I wish I already knew what exactly I wanted to do in my career, it would have saved me a lot of years and I would have started preparing earlier.

Kathy

I wish I had known to keep an open mind. Living only fifteen minutes away from campus, I was not as excited as some of the other students going out of state to go to college. However, I have learned that at UMD, college is like its bubble and hub. Futhermore, because I dorm, I do not feel that I am close to home at all. I also wish I had taken a risk and tried to room random. I stuck to a lot of my high school friends while others were meeting new people.

Rachel

There is a large emphasis on Greek life, the club swim team is not very serious, getting on-campus housing is extremely hard, there are not many off-campus housing options, parking is a nightmare

Orlene

I wish I paid closer attention to the timeline for completing my masters degree. After obtaining my undergraduate degree I pursued the masters degree with the same university. I was two classes shy of graduation when I went through a divorce and was unable to focus on classes. I had to quit school for a while. When I was ready to finish I found that too much time had lapsed and I lost all my credits in the masters program. I could not apply any of my past credits nor apply knowledge gained on the job toward my credit hours.

Gina

To get out of my comfort zone and really explore the university's offerings of various student activities.

Abriana

That Maryland rather have a majority of in-state students, even if those in state students do not meet their usual standards to attend. In addition, I should have planned better financially. I knew I deserved to go to Maryland but I cannot afford to stay here regardless of how great of a student I am. College is a business, not a priviledge. It is about who can afford to go, and not who deserves to go.

Shannon

Take advantage of Club Fair and Stamp Fest at the beginning of the semester because these are your only chances at connecting with various clubs, and clubs are your only chance at socializing if you don't make friends easily at parties.

Tu-Anh

I wish I had known how large the freshmen intro classes were. Often time it was nearly 150-200 students per class.

Nicole

To choose my major before starting college. I wish I took pre-requisite courses for my major while taking my core classes during freshmen and sophomore year.

Marie

Before coming to UMD, I wish I had known how important it is to get involved early on. UMD is an extremely large school, with hundreds of clubs and organizations that cater to every imaginable interest. I wish I had taken more advantage of these opportunities to learn new skills , develop new interests, and diversify my friend groups. Joining clubs or organizations is especially important at a large school, as it helps students develop a sense of community and makes a large school seem smaller.

Patricia

Before I came to Maryland, I wish I had known that the academic work would be so challenging. Coming into the engineering school I was surprised at the workload thrown upon students. Working through it wasn't easy, but it was worthwhile. I learned how to study, how to manage my time, and ask for help when I need it. Along the way, whenever I faltered there was a support system there to help me. I had a peer mentor, advisor, and everyone within the department was more than helpful. I wish I had realied the difficulty before starting.

HyunJung

I wish I had known that I would have exceled in classes with more peer and intructor interaction.

Elena

I wish I knew how to apply for loans and scholarships. I wish I knew what I wanted to major in and what classes are available and what routes are necessary for my career.

Danielle

I wish I had known how much stuff I really did not need to bring to my dorm.

Eric

I wish I would've known about how big the school is. I thought I knew how big it was since my older brother graduated from there in 2006. But the walks can be killer sometimes because the campus is huge.

Corinne

I wish I knew how big the University of Maryland really was. Going to all the games and just walking around the huge campus, I see that I am a small part of the a university that teachers about 25,000 undergraduate students. I have just completed my first semester as a freshman at the University of Maryland and I have realized that to be recognized at a big school, you have to stand out. You have to make sure you are working your hardest and are making the best impression you can on your professors.

Breanne

The University of Maryland is a very challenging school. Graduating high school in the top 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my class with many AP credits, I figured that UMD would not be too tough. However, it is the biggest challenge of my life. The media fooled me into thinking that college is all fun and games with little time put towards schoolwork, but I am here to tell you that it is not. I spend about sixty hours a week doing schoolwork. That leaves very little time to go to social events. However, it will all be worth it in the end.

Matthew

I wish I had known what it really meant to be on a large campus. It means that when you meet someone by chance one day, you'll probably never see them again unless you immediately get their number. It means that you really have to immerse yourself in student organizations or the like to be able to see the same people consistently. But it also means that there are multitudes of people with vastly different backgrounds and perspectives enriching the campus. You just have to look a little harder to find what you're looking for.

Jennifer

Greek life was a large part of this schools activities

Dariya

I wish I knew more about financial aid opportunities.

Leah

The school is very large and many of the generic undergraduate classes are gigantic. When you get into higher level degree sepcific classes the class sizes are smaller.

Ashley

I wish I would have know about decline of financial aid you're given the more years you attend.

Carson

I wish I had known how important it is to get into your college initially.

andrew

I am going into my senior year at umd to obtain a bachelor's degree in Psychology. What I wish I knew before I came to this school was how fast the experience was going to be, and how important it is to try as many different activites and classes before deciding what major to focus on, your major is not as important as gaining experience in different environments, meeting new people and building relationships, having fun and learning to work hard while having alot of new freedoms.

Zainab

Many incoming university students seek the advice of friends, family or alumni and while these personal accounts can act as an important guide, they are not always applicable. In many situations, I wish I had known not to rely on others experiences when making my own personal decisions. It is important to realize that each person has their own individual goals and are following a certain direction. When seeking advice it is important to stay objective, to know the options are endless and it is up to you to discover, experience and learn!

Danielle

I wish I would have known more opportunities for financial aid and scholarships for the present year and the future years. If I would have known that I would have been better prepared now going into my second year when it comes to paying for tuition.

Ashley

I wish someone had told me that it's hard to attend and work full-time. You must manage your time very wisely if you are attending full time and working full time.

Tina

How to get more academic advising

Bri

That it was so different from highschool. I mean thats any university but I can only speak for UMD. The work load is heavy and the expectations are high. Dont plan to attend if you dont plan to put in work.

Olivia

I wish I had known the rigor of the courseload that I was going to take on, and that high school may not prepare you as well as you would have liked. The workload is doable but all of the professors do expect a lot out of you. In this regard take advantage of all the resources Maryland has to offer you because there are many that will help you suceed at this school.

Alexis

I wish I would have known that I was not going to get any help from FAFSA. There is not a lot of help for middle class families with multiple kids to attend college.

Kristin

I wish I had known how much AP classes were going to help me. I would have taken more and been more serious about performing well on tests. Getting "core classes" out of the way early helps and allows more flexiablity in changing majors.

Jenny

I wish I would have known what I wanted to study before attending this school. It would have saved a lot of time instead of exploring various subjects during my first two years. I would also have liked to be informed about the career opportunities for those who pursued my major, and learn about other areas of interest and the path that I could take after graduation.

Jasmine

I wish I knew the importance of taking AP and Honors classes and high school. If I took more AP classes in high school I could have avoided taking some of the harder college courses in college.

Jenny

I would have liked to be informed more about the career opportunities for individuals who pursued my major, and other areas of interest so that I could better see the path that I was about to take after graduation.

William

I wish I had known how big the campus was before I decided to go here, but I got used to and now don't mind it.

sarah

I wish I had known how many clubs were available!

David

I wish I had known how expensive it would be and how difficult it is to get financial aid. I wish I had taken AP classes and applied for scholarships so I wouldn't be in such a bad place financially like I am now.

Erin

I wish I had known that it is okay to change your mind about your path in life. It would have saved me a lot of heartache.

Patchanun

Before coming to this school, I wish I knew more about the rivalries between this university and all others. School spirit is such a dominant feature to the university, as evident through the red, yellow and black colors all over campus; the signs on all the shuttles and even the extravagant designs on the football and soccer fields. By knowing more specifics about the rivals for each sport, I would have had even more excitement for all the games I attended.

Rebecca

n/a

Kiara

Before attending Maryland, I wish I had became more familiar with the arts. I wish I had already mastered drawing in different styles and using charcoal. For my first semester, I took Art110 to advance my art skills and to aid my goal of becoming an architect. Taking this course exposed to me that I had much to learn about the arts. If I had already used some of the media and drawn in the various drawing styles before attending college I would have been more prepared and created more sophisticated drawings in my art classes and Architecture courses.

michelle

I wish I had known how valuable time is. Instead of spending every moment on facebook, twitter, TV and with my friends, I should have tried to push myself to be more. When I read about people like Mark Zuckerberg and all the other young millionaires, it makes me regret how I spend my free time. The youth years are the best time to start an entrepreneurial project because you have the most connections to people your age and have endless amount of free time. I wish I spent more time firguring out what I want from my future.

Daniel

I would have wished that I had spent time in the university’s career center before selecting classes. That way I could have looked at the internships and jobs available for recent college graduates before I choose what semester classes I should take. That way I would have selected classes that I felt would have had more positive impact in helping me find the jobs that I wanted after I graduated from the university.

lynique

I wish I had gone on a real tour. My first tour of the campus was when I actually got here. The university is very large, however it depends on the major that one is involved in that would make all the difference.

Vivien

i wish someone told me how different college was from high school. it takes alot of effort and patience

Andrea

Reaching out to professors and learning how to create a teacher-student relationship is vital, especially at such a large school. Going to office hours and letting the professor know you care about your education and progress in the class can be the difference between a B+ and an A. Time management and study skills are vital. Studying for a high school exam does not compare to the way one should effectively study for a college examination. Professors test on different skills; focusing more on thinking outside the box and being able to apply what you learned to everyday situations.