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.