University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

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.