University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

You have to get lost before you can be found.

You have to get lost before you can be found.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.