@SeptaUnella - Maybe this link will help
https://www.admissions.umd.edu/enroll/admitted-students/admitted-fall-freshman-checklist
@becca21 Freshman Connection is offered to all Spring Accepted students and you would start in the Fall of 2020, live on campus etcā¦the difference is class times are between 3pm-9pm which might be a little less desirable for some students because when the rest of campus is done with class and settling in for the evening the Freshman Connection students are heading to class.
My DD is a Spring acceptance but they also said sheās on a waitlist for Fall.
In state, thanks. Yeah Iām grateful that at least I got in.
@SoofDad thanks for the response . good info but still doesnāt answer the unknown unfortunatelyā¦someone has to know what the differences are and why some get placed into the programsā¦ someone did tell me some are more prestigious than the others? has to be some sort of Merit (grades, SAT ECās)ā¦ so are kids not put into any programsā¦ or does everyone get put into a program?
In general, the communities in terms of academic āmeritā programs are ranked:
Honors
Scholars
The Living Learning Communities based on academic interest
Fall Admit
Spring Admit
My older daughter was in Carillon and it was mostly students who were undecided. Her friends in FIRE were mostly STEM.
@sharon23 how and where does FIRE come into the mix?
@sharon23 if you were undecided is it possible to get accepted into Scholars? is that totally independent of your field
@jhmoney - Some students are not put into any programs. I donāt know how many.
My D applied Undecided and got into the Honors College back in 2014.
My son did not receive his decision yesterday. We have since contact the admissions office, but since it is the weekend, we are out of luck until Monday. Is anyone else in this boat? His application was complete on 10/27/2019.
I have received no decision despite having a complete checklist and an āapplication complete dateā of 10/12/19. I applied as OOS music major. Any ideas? I have sent an email and will try to call on Monday.
I am in the same boatāconfused and frustrated.
FIRE is one of the multiple living learning communities
@jhmoney - yes - undecided students can get any program. My daughter is undecided and was just accepted into honors.
@dmincey24 - last year music majors were notified about two weeks later than other students in order to allow the music department more time to provide input on those applicants.
Is there any form that needs to be filled out to be considered for merit scholarships given by Maryland?
@CollegeMotherNow - No, the application alone is used to determine Merit Scholarships
@SeptaUnella , the letter is as below.
Next Steps for You and Your Admitted Student
Dear XXX,
Greetings from the University of Maryland (UMD)! Congratulations to you and your family on the many academic achievements of your student. Admission to UMD is very competitive and it is important to celebrate that fact that your student stood out among over 31,000 strong applicants. We invite you and your student to come celebrate with us on campus at one of our Admitted Student Open Houses this spring! Registration is required.
Having experienced the college admission process with my daughters, I know how important the role of family and friends is in guiding students through the next few months. You will likely have many questions. We are here to assist and support you throughout the remainder of the college decision process and as you begin learning how to manage the cost of higher education. We hope you find the information in this newsletter helpful as you and your family navigate these next steps.
Sincerely,
Shannon Gundy
Executive Director, Undergraduate Admissions
Enrollment Confirmation Deadlines
Fall admitted students have until May 1, 2020, and spring admitted students have until November 15, 2020, to confirm their enrollment at UMD. However, all admitted students must apply for on-campus housing by May 1, 2020. We encourage students to review the Admitted Student Checklists for additional steps needed to join the next class of Terps.
Terp Parents: All the Resources You Need in One Place
The Office of Parent and Family Affairs provides parents and family members an opportunity to play an active, supporting role in the education of their student. Their website is designed to be your main source of information with helpful resources, services and articles.
Understanding Your Investment
College is a major investment, which is why UMD offers an array of financial aid programs as part of our commitment to making an excellent education affordable. To help you get started, we recommend reviewing the estimated cost of attendance and learning more about the different types of aid:
Scholarships & Grants provide funding that you donāt need to pay back and are offered based on financial need and/or academic achievements.
The Federal Work-Study program at UMD is designed to assist students in meeting their educational and living expenses through part-time employment. Qualifying positions can be found both on- and off-campus.
Loans are borrowed funds that must be repaid after graduation. The only application needed to be considered for Federal Loans is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Financial Aid Notifications Financing an Education at UMD
All candidates for merit scholarships will be notified by March 1 and all final awards will be made no later than April 1. Need-based aid will be offered no later than March 1. When it is available, students can view the status of any of their aid and/or offers in the Student Financial Aid Portal. While there is plenty of time before any payment is due, itās important to understand your options. The Terp Payment Plan allows you to spread out payments into manageable monthly installments.
I made it through the sign up to schedule an accepted student visit and was able to schedule a visit for February 28th, then received confirmation for the visit through e-mail.
@SoofDad @jhmoney I can spread a little light on program selection. I have the how but not the why. Once admissions selects the admitted students. The Honors College has access to the complete application of each student. They select the students that they want to offer Honors to. Naturally they choose the students that they feel have the most to offer. They do use the word āaccademically talentedā. Several years ago Honors would publish 25%-75% stats for Honors students. They were something like 1490-1550. As far as I know they no longer publish stats. But they have always stated that it was holistic so if they find an exceptional person with lower SATs they will select them. After Honors is done the applications go to Scholars. They choose. Both of these progarms want to wind up with about 1,000 enrolled students. As for the other programs, each has their own niche. You can read the philosophy of each on the UMD site to get some idea of why they choose who they do. The important thing is that there is not one committee in admissions sending people to a certain program. The programs are selecting admitted students.
There are great reasons not to grade one program āaboveā another. First of all, if you got into UMD you are an excelent student, why split hairs. It is also nice to find a community with of like students to study with. None are mandatory to join. If you really want to enroll in Honors classes and join the Honors community, after freshman year you can apply. Just need great grades and a recommendation.
DS doesnāt want to make a firm decision without sitting with it for a little while, but my sense is that he will decline spring admit/freshman connection. It sounds like a wonderful program, by just not right for him. Curious how many of you/your students have been admitted FC will accept/decline?
For anyone reading this in the future, it was the feedback he read about the FC class schedule interfering with full ability to participate in club sports that threw him. His identity is heavily tied up in being part of his XC/Track and Field team in hs, and to him, joining club running is something heās looking forward to as central to his social life, not quite pledging a frat, bit similar in that it will be his primary activity. Not being able to do that his first semester in college is a deal breaker for him.
Yes, he could also wait until spring and not deal with the funky fall schedule. But he doesnāt want to, so weāre going to trust the process and let him sit with it a bit before walking away from it. Impressed with his ability to roll with it. Heās disappointed, but knows heās lucky to have been admitted at all. Also lucky to have other options, so moving on. Much luck to all!