University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

I wish I had known how big greek life is at this school.

I knew that the campus was large. However, I wish I had known that sometimes you have to walk a long ways to make it on time to class in ten minutes or less.

I wish I had known about the different clubs and organizations offered on campus. Since I commute to campus, I did not know there were so many opportunities to meet new people with similar interests and get involved in the community.

I wish I had known that it is a very independent place where most people are competitive.

That the best way to meet people is not through classes, but through clubs. Make friends during orientation, because you will most likely be in classes with them, but most of your friends will come from the clubs you will join.

Make your schoolwork your number one priority. Even though you may have done well in high school, college is a whole new ballgame. You need to develop a different set of study habits in order to succeed. If there is something that you do not understand, make sure to ask for help as soon as you can before you fall even further behind. Also, the area you decide to major in should be something that you want to do, not what someone else wants you to do. If your heart is not in it, move on to something different.

the quality of the dorms and diner food

Before I transferred to the University of Maryland, I wish I had known how long the actual transfer process was going to take. I was not prepared for the amount of background work that I had to do for myself in order to receive the credits that I had already earned. I was unpleasantly surprised by how long it took to get my paperwork in order, and the minimal amount of time I had left to select my classes before the semester actually started.

The importance of getting involved in extra curricular activities.

I wish I had known how helpful the professors and teaching assistants are and how willing they are to help (I thought I would have to figure out most of the material on my own).