<p>@DylanK -It is easier for IS, but by no means does that make it a “safety school.” Maryland has been getting increasingly competitive over the years, and with this economy, even more IS students are applying for the same spots. </p>
<p>@Linymom - As for being impressed with engineering, I wholeheartedly agree! If the only downside for you is the size of the university, don’t let that dissuade you. Honestly, it seems a lot bigger from the outside looking in! </p>
<p>Maryland offers many living-learning communities (honors, scholars, civicus, etc) to help “shrink” the overall size. The engineering school also has its own engineering-specific living-learning communities - flexus for female engineers, virtus for male engineers. </p>
<p>Students are housed in the same dorm so they automatically have people (who are taking the same classes) to study with right down the hall - there are tutors, peer mentors, classes on career skills (resumes, interview skills, etc). Here is the link with the info [Virtus:</a> A Living Learning Community, SEEDS Programs, Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland](<a href=“http://www.seeds.umd.edu/programs/virtus.html]Virtus:”>http://www.seeds.umd.edu/programs/virtus.html) - be sure to click on all the links on the page, especially the sample syllabi to get a better sense of the program.</p>