University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

How to manage time

I wish I had known the availability of housing. It seems that the University of Maryland has too many students and too few dorm and housing options available. I personally wasn't able to get a dorm for the Fall semester and had to wait until the start of the Spring semester before I was able to get into a dorm room.

The essential skill of balancing out a social life and academics is key. I found that college was even more social than I had expected and my new independence was much different than just leaving my parents. I also wish I knew to involve myself more in structured activities.

There is only one thing I wish that I knew before I attended the University of Maryland, College Park (since my sisters attended UMD, I was already familiar with the school before hand). I wish I knew that they did not have a business management major. In the beginning, I was uncertain on my business major concentration; however, I was leaning towards business management and that's not a major at UMD, so now I I'm deciding between international business and general business as my major concentration.

I wish I had known certain programs have limited enrollment only guaranteed to incoming freshmen, and it is very difficult for current students to transfer into the desired program.

That getting a bad grade in a class is not the end of the world. Try your best and always stay positive. Plan ahead and be responsible for your actions, you are considered an adult in college.

I wish that I had known more about what clubs I wanted to be involved in so I could maximize the number of things I could get involved in.

Growing up I didn't have study skills and now that I'm in college, i feel like I have been cheated out on. Also college isn't here to teach you, its more like teaching yourself. You are giving information and it is up to you to learn this information. Also books are really expensive, if you think paying tuition is all you have to pay, then you were miseducated.

I wish that I had have known that all of my life prior to shool was based on how to present myself and caring to much about trite things. Since, my first year and a half of college I have learned that humans are amazing. As hard as something seems we usally get it done and wonderous things are created. I wish I had have known to be original and not care so much about everyone and everything else. .. people like people who are true to themselves.

Be prepared to involve yourself with a group because this campus is huge and it can be overwhelming to try and meet people. Also, you will definitely spend a lot of time studying so having your skills in the area down is crucial to success.

Before I entered college, I wish I had known how difficult the classes were going to be. The transition between senior year of high school and freshman year of college was pretty surprising. Senior year had been more relaxed for the most part, I would say, and entering college with that attitude was a completely different experience. However, I feel that I have settled into college life and find myself successful in my academic work.

Not everyone has it all figured out. It is OK to be unsure of yourself. The amount of undecided majors I met my freshman year is a testament to that. You come to college to learn... about economics, art history, math, and also about yourself.

Before I came to the University of Maryland I wish I had known how to completely use the resources available to me. The campus has four different libraries and the largest one, McKeldin library has 7 floors. The library has many resources to help with your research projects and utilizing documents in the library. I also hadn't realied how many diverse subjects I could take. I was able to take a WestAfrican Dance Class along with my other science classes since I am a Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics Major. I wish I had known the opportunities available.

I wish I would have know that in college, you actually have to study... A LOT. I also wish I would have known how important it is to fill out the FAFSA. I missed out on a lot of free money!

I wish I had known how long it was going to take to get to my classes. I also wish I had known that taking an 8 am class is a bad idea, especially when it's a 20 minute walk to get to it from my dorm.

That the school (generally) makes the course work intense, keeping grades low and students on the edge until the end when a curve MAY be applied at the professor's discretion. The curve may or may not have made up for the extra difficulty in the course.

I wish I had known how to prepare for college classes moreso than I had originally thought. AP classes offer only a glimpse into the academic world of college life, and I felt a bit overwhelmed at first at the structure of college classes.

Before attending school, I wish I knew how able or independent one may be once presented with the opportunity. Aside from the financial aspect being taken care of, I found it acceptionally simple, even enjoyable to live on my own. The freedom of making your own decisions and witnessing the immediate rewards/consequences trandscends anything I experienced in my early adolescence. Sometimes students do not fully understand how capable they really are when thrown into a situation that forces them to do so.

Before arriving to the University of Maryland, I wish I was aware of the fact that I should have a job while in college. I knew that they saying was that all college students were broke, but I was not certain that that was actually the truth. So had someone really got the message across to me, I would have been working my first semester in school even if that just meant the weekends. With a job, I would be guaranteed some sort of income.

The lecture halls are so big and the science programs are rigorous.

I wish I knew that it was very hard to get scholarships at this school. I also wish I knew how rigorous the coursework was.

College is a chance to understand who you are and what is important to you. Therefore it is extremely important to explore several classes that tap into your interests and passions so that upon graduation you have a good idea of what job will stimulate your interests. Education is extremely valuable and in many parts of the world, is not accessible. This should not be taken for granted and you should not waste your parents money. Learn a language, take up philosophy, learn about other people, yourself and what you truly love.

I wish I had known how academically engaging the professors and overall coursework would be at the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. I had entered college with doubts and uncertainties of the Engineering program at Maryland, but after a year of studying I am thrilled to be studying under such a strong and well organized program.

I wish I knew that it is important to get involved in campus organizations.

I wish i had known that it is much easier to get into the business school if you apply to it right out of high school. Internally applying to the school after your sophmore year is much tougher. You must acheive a high GPA and take specific classes in order to just be considered for admissions. If i had known this i would have apllie to the admissions school out of high school and if i ended up not liking it, it is very easy to switch out of the business school.

I wish I had known how difficult the workload would be combined with a varsity sport.

N/A. I will be starting next semester.

Socially and academically asserting yourself is crucial in adjusting to a big campus. Hoards of people around campus and large class sizes can be intimidating, but taking advantage of the resources that large universities offer will help you integrate into campus life. It's important to remember that at a large university, you are NOT just a number! It's easy to lose yourself in the student population, but if you take the effort to join a club, visit your professors' office hours, and open yourself to all experiences you'll find success and happiness on a large campus!

How the Honors Program worked.

I wish i had known how much work i had in store for me.

Buy rain boots because it rains a lot! I also wish that I knew that many of the students here party a lot. Also, robbery is very big here, so everyone has to be really careful in the night time. The campus is really big, so walking to class for early morning classes is horrible-- try to get classes that start later.

I wish I would have known that the prestige of the college did not matter as much as just getting a diploma in the engineering field. I completed an internship and was informed that the prestige did not matter as much. If I had known, there would have been a greater chance of going to an in-state engineering program with slightly less prestige.

I wish I would have known where to study at.

What the whole architecture program was really about.

Nothing

I wish I had already realized that the binge drinking scene is overrated. My high school had a lot of underage drinking, and I am sick of people focusing so much time, energy, and money on alcohol. I am so frustrated that so many of the people I enjoy hanging out with are so consumed in this lifestyle. I wish I had attended a school where there was not so much alcohol. My mom always says that it's easy to find stuff to do without alcohol, but it's difficult to convince my friends to do it with me.

That social lives and making friends is highly revolved around being part of a sorority/fraternity and ethnic differences

To always use a U-lock on my bike because it was vulnerable and stolen with a standard combination lock.

I wish I had b elieved people when they told me that you will change when you go to college and it's really the best time of your life!

take more AP classes and get more credits so you can register early and take your major classes earlier as well

Join a sorority. I have some great friends on campus, but in order to meet people you really need to join a greek organization or some sort of sport.

Too large

I wish I had known that this school doesn't care too much about it's english department. Since it's not sports, or engineering, they don't seem to pay much attention to it. But I didn't even know I was going to be an English Major at the time, so meh...probably wouldn't have helped.

I wish I had know how expensive living off-campus would be because there is a housing shortage around my university.

That I would be stuck paying for the high tuition costs

That the business school was highly regarded but academically wasn't as good as it seemed.

I wish that I had known abouth the on campus services that make the campus even more relatable to the surrounding area.

I choose University of Maryland (UMD) because I wanted to live farther from where I grew up (Baltimore), but I still wanted to live near or in a city. Given that I had very little money and because I was afraid of taking out too many loans, I decided that I had to stay in-state. UMD is close to D.C. and had the cheapest in-state tuition at the time I applied. I also knew that they had a good Journalism school and this was something I was interested in.

I wish I had known about the public transport. Initialy I found myself staying mainly on campus for comfort reasons. Once I decided to venture outside of campus I was a little confused about the surrounding public transport. I think I would have been able to experience more in the Baltimore and D.C. area if I was made aware of the public transport earlier.

I wish I knew that the people are so competitive.