University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

Although I love my school, I would say that the worst thing about my school would be the class sizes. Especially majors related in STEM fields, the aveverage class size is about 80-100. Instead of having several sections of a class at different time there is usually only one section of a specific class that everyone must attend, resulting in class sizes that can be a bit overwhelming.

I would consider the worst thing about Maryland is the largeness of the campus. The enormous amount of students and spreading of the campus can take away from a personal feel that students might get at a smaller campus. I think that a campus this large takes away from personal connections. In order to get around the potential loneliness a student might encounter, it's important to make connections within the smaller communities. Otherwise, students might feel like they don’t belong anywhere.

The campus is huge. My lecture classes are about 300-400 students. This is the worst part about the school because I prefer a more intamiate learning environment where you can really get to know many of the people in your class. Smaller classes also make it easier to meet new people and form study groups.

Coming from personal experience, the size of the student body can cause a bit of pain. The dorms are crowded, the classes are crowded, the Diner is always busy, and the professor will likely never know your name. This can cause a lot of issues to students who are not accustomed to living with others, being in constant communication with others, and not easily aquiring personal experience with their teacher.

The traffic!

The large emphasis on Greek life

dots, meal plan, research professors not professor professors

Many students don't look both ways when crossing the street or always walk into you because they are texting and walking. They often take up the entire sidewalk when walking in group and expect you to move to the sidewalk. No extra resources for language majors or minors with the exceptions of Spanish, French and sometimes Chinese. You can't study abroad your last school year (fall and spring semesters).

Sometimes websites and departments feel very fragmented and partialized.

There are plenty of little grievances I could raise regarding UMD: the fact that the Diners on-campus close at 8 on Fridays and Saturdays, how our left-over dining points don't roll over into the next semester- but go to waste, or how the heat has to be left on in the buildings over break (regardless of outside temperatures!). Truly, though, I love UMD and I can't complain too much. If anything, I sometimes hate the huge scale of the student body- and how on most walks to class I don't recognize a soul.

The worst thing about the University of Maryland is that it has such a huge campus. Although I love it, the long walks to get basically anywhere on campus can become tiring throughout the semester. It is especially difficult when the majority of the classes you are enrolled in are located all the way across campus from where you live. However, there are a good majority of useful buildings located extremely close to my dorm such as the gym, dining hall, convenience store, and study areas.

The worst part of my school would have to be the food. It's not exactly bad but it's not the best either. I've visited other schools like St. John's up in Queens, New York where the food was amazing. Aside from that, the food selection is limited so it gets repetitive and questionable (meaning-what is that?) at times, but not the worst I've ever had. I'm still alive and healthy so that's all that matters.

The lack of resources. Counselors are hard to reach and the financial aid center is not helpful at all.

The worst thing about my school is that when it rains there are huge puddles everywhere.

The worst thing about UMD for me is the dining plan. As a student with food allergies, I find it extremely difficult to have a satisfying diet while at school. There is not a lot of diversity in the food that the dining halls offer, which forces me to constantly be eating the same things which is frustrating. This situation could be improved a great deal if there were more food options available and if things were switched up more often to give more variety.

The worst thing about my school to me, is the racial cliques, it seems as people of the same race seem to gravitate towards each other without allowing to make new friends with someone of a different ethnicity

The distance between buildings can make it hard to get to classes on time

The worst thing about UMD is the dorms. Very few of the freshman dorms have air conditioning. Also, they are very small. I am currently in a quad, and it is a very tight squeeze. It is hard to perform well when you are not in a comfortable living space. During my fall semester, I had many sleepless nights because of my living conditions. Believe it or not, sleep is crucial in college because without it, it is very hard to concentrate. I have learned this the hard way.

The long walks to class but it is good excerise.

The school is huge, so walking from class to class during the winter time is torture. Walking from class to class on a sunny fall or spring afternoon is very enjoyable though.