University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

The most fustrating thing about my school is the sheer size. I am in class with up to 250 students and at times I feel like I don't get ebough attention or help. I feel like just another id number and not an actual student. Not all teachers make me feel that way, but there are some last semester (my first semster here, I transfered) that made me feel that way. I am here to learn and some times class isn't enough; I need a little more reenforcement on the material.

The Univeristy of Maryland is a fantastic school, but if I had to name the most frustrating thing about it, I would have to say the most frustrating thing would be that there is no transporation services running during the daytime (before 5:30pm) because UMD is a very large campus.

I think UMCP professors don’t do enough to get students excited about their fields. My chemistry professor gave demonstrations and cracked jokes, but while students found class fun, they didn’t find chemistry fun. While only chemistry geeks would read the original paper describing the discovery of the nucleus, non-geeks can appreciate how radically it changed the way we view atoms. If I took that class again, I would want to hear my professor quote how Rutherford described the results: “as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back.”

The most frustrating apect of the University of Maryland, College Park is the size of the student body in relation to the size of the faculty body. Many classes have over 200 students to one main professor and numerous graduate students. This makes it challenging to establish useful, working relationships with your professors.

Sometimes large class size can be a bit frustrating.

The size, this campus is huge and starting out it can be fustrating trying to find the right building for your classes. The volume of pedestrians is at once a nightmare for traffic and the line for Panda Express in the Stamp student union is always ridiculous around lunch time.

housing and some discrimnation/preferences towards certain types of people.

Parking availability and violation penalties. If you happen arrive at UMCP late for class, do not expect to find a parking space in one of UMCP's few public parking lots. Do not even expect to find a vacant meter. Rather, expect to leave your vehicle somewhere off campus and walk for a distance to avoid an enormous parking ticket, or, if you don't want to or cannot do all walking, then simply pay a very expensive parking ticket, some of which range from $70-$95.

The most frustrating thing about University of Maryland correlates with scholarships. I am a transfer and commuter student at UMD and because of the limited amount of scholarship given to enrolled students; I am forced to work during the year. Although I think it is beneficial to work while in school, the amount of time I am forced to work makes it difficult to become fully emerged in campus life. It is frustrating not to be able to join or participate in clubs and other activities because I am unable to apply for or receive a scholarship from the University.

I think what student's will find frustrating about UMD is the cost of attendance. Student's will spend a lot of money for an education which most states provide for less. I would not attend this college if I were out of state since the tuition is outrageous.

Campus is large so walking from one class to another could almost seem endless; but really, it's not all that bad.

The school administration isn't the most efficient. It is horrible to deal with financial aid people and the bursar's office as they sometimes just make you run around in circles. Also, the registration process is frustrating for underclassmen as they have to wait months to be able to register. It's hard to get the classes you want at times.

Everything is so expensive here! I can't imagine it's much different at any other college, but everything from food to school supplies to books is relatively more expensive on campus than it is at home. Just something to think about...

The students don't seem very passionate about learning. In classes there isn't much thoughtful discussion and everyone just seems to want to get out as soon as possible.

The most fustratingthing about collge is the amount of hard work one does in preparation of a test, and the teacher either throws a curveball on the exam, or the material on that one exam is completely different form another lecture, even though it is the same class. A lot of my friends feel the same way. We don’t think our grade should be a direct reflection of our teacher or TA's, but rather how much we prepare ourselves to be tested upon the actual material which is suppose to be a springboard for the classes that follow.

there's just so many people here, it's hard to distinguish myself from all the competition for tryouts for things like a cappella groups, stage productions, etc.

The lack of focus on the academically excellent students due to focus on athletes

The most frustrating thing about my school is all the administrative work that is needed in order to register for classes.

i dont know yet i will start this school in aug. 2010 for the first time before that i went to Prience Goeges community college. At PGCC things went okay the only thing i can say is that some teachers are better then others and that some are there to really teach you and enjoy their job. staff can be rude and not helpful and many ways.

There is nothong really friustrating about college park except that it could be a great hassle to get to classes and lecture halls.

The most frustrating thing about my school is to match the office hours with my schedule in order to be able to see my Teaching assistance or sometimes my professors for extra help sometimes. Another frustrating thing is that sometimes the classes you would like /should take fill up before you are assigned registration date. It is usually common on technical elective classes.

One of the most frustrating things about my school is that I am not able to approach my professors and discuss my personal academic progress on a face-to-face level. It is also very frustrating that I have to deal with people via phone to get answers in regards to financial aid status, enrollment fees etc. and be unable to physically explain my situation.

The most frustrating thing about Maryland was how disconnected the registration process was. I felt like I was always fighting the system to register for classes or talk to an advisor and there was not one person you could call for help on these issues.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the scheduling of core classes. Most of the classes that you need for your major are around the same time.

too much pursuit of regulating greek life more.

The most frustrating thing about my school is how many open spaces there are on campus. During the winter, it is so cold even in the classrooms.

Probably the most frustrating thing about my campus is its size. The University of Maryland, College Park is so large that walking from class to class could easily take over 10 minutes depending on what side of campus they are on. Though the campus grounds are scenic and shuttle buses are provided for transporatation around campus, the "commute" from one end of the school to the other can often times be an inconvenience.

The faculty treats students as numbers. It takes extreme measures and persistance to get their full attention. For instance, I had housing problems and it took the whole semester and for me to write a letter to the president of the university for action to be taken.

The diner food is not the best and is usually unhealthy. It is hard to find something delicious to eat and could trigger an unhealthy lifestyle.

At times the size!

Class sizes. Most classes I've taken have had between 100 and 300 students in a lecture.

The housing situation is pretty annoying. The upper classman housing is mostly by lottery and if you don't get it in the lottery you get screwed and have to move off campus.

the most frustrating thing aboud umd is the Parking.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the amount of money I am paying since I am out of state. I have been trying to find scholarships to cover the cost but it is very hard to focus solely on school when I also have to think of loans and money I owe. The rigor of this school demands that i focus 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} on the coursework. However with loans that I will have to pay and a mother who does not live in the US and no father, it is hard to no think of the loans I owe.

The big lecture halls can depersonalize the learning experience, but I have been lucky to take classes with teachers who still make the effort to get to know their students who show up to class on a regular basis. Some students are frustrated by how large the school is, but joining clubs and getting involved on campus really makes it seem smaller and makes finding friends easier.

The parking spaces. I have to park in a lot so far away that it takes at least 20 minutes to get to class. A 15 minute walk is considered fast. Note that I walk moderately fast speed.

I believe it is the financial issue. Many students have to pay for their own education and in the state of the economy we are in right now, it is very hard to find a job, a job that fits our schedule or a job period. Being a full time student and trying to make enough many for books, tuition, and transportation, is very over-whelming and on top of all that, getting good grades.

The size is probably the most frustrating part about the University of Maryland. However, by joining clubs and various organizations you can make the unversity and much smaller and enjoyable place. The University of Maryland, College Park is big, but there are too many amazing opportunities here to pass up.

I didn't get housing freshman year, which was really difficult. I ended up boarding in a sorority house, which was fun. Lots of other people got off campus apartments. But i never really got the dorm experience, which I wish I could have had.

At times the professors care more about their research and their own reputation than the success of their students. They are often willing to let students fail the class, rather than making the exams more do-able and improving their teaching styles.

The red tape and bureaucracy that one has to go through to get stuff done because the school is so big

The most frustrating thing about our school is how much money everything costs, ranging from tuition to food. It's quite difficult if you try paying for everything yourself. Plus, even though tuition is so expensive, it's not evenly distributed amont all departments, so your major may not be doing too well even if you're paying as much as someone in Engineering.

Forming close friendships is somewhat difficult at a large school, like University of Maryland. Because the campus is big and students are dispersed among any available housing, enjoying someone's company outside of class is challenging. As a transfer student, I've found it challenging to form new friendships because students who've attended this school as freshmen already established friendships. Friendships are an important component of adapting to college life and preparing for a professional life. Although I've felt like an outsider at times, my school creates opportunities for students to unite and form friendships that I value.

The housing issue. Students are only gauranteed housing until sophomore year and only a very small percentage of juniors are lucky enough to live on campus again, but senior year they are kicked out of on-campus housing unless there are special situations.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the way how certain professors teach. Some professors can be confusing and sometimes the material that is taught in class can be quite difficult to understand.

Class to class. The distance between classes is a bit far concidering there is only ten minutes between the beginning and end of classes.

Bad career help for arts and humanities students.

It's big.

The large class size made it hard to get personal with teachers.

Maryland is such a large school that sometimes it can feel like you are lost in the crowd. However, if you give it sometime you can find your place and make a positive impact on campus life.