The living-learning programs are designed to help students explore their interests, regardless of major. For example, Honors Humanities or Design Cultures & Creativity can be great options for a student majoring in engineering who is also interested in the arts.
Hear what current Honors students had to say about their preferences and LLP experience.
“As I was admitted into the engineering school, I knew I wanted to get involved with other engineering students as much as possible, while living in an Honors Living-Learning Program (LLP). The Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES) program immediately caught my attention as I reviewed all of UMD's LLPs online, due to its focus on engineering and computer science. ACES has been a fantastic experience for me. I have met many close friends from very diverse backgrounds - all being fun, extremely intelligent and willing to work together in order to succeed academically. In addition, ACES does a great job connecting students with corporate sponsors. Nearly every ACES student is offered a first year summer internship and ACES plays an important role in many of those offers.”
— Clay Hoover”
“The Honors College made my college decision fairly easy. As an out-of-state student, I was greatly attracted to UMD because of the Design Cultures & Creativity (DCC) [Living-Learning Program]. It has allowed me to supplement the math and science skills in Aerospace Engineering, with my passion for digital art and film. I enjoy the endless amount of resources and opportunities offered by the Honors College, specifically for it’s students. [UMD] prizes it's Honors College and gives back to its students tremendously. As part of the Honors college, I feel like royalty.”
— Jayson DeNovellis
“After being admitted to the Honors College at Maryland, I decided to review each program's website in addition to speaking with current UMD students. I considered each program's unique focus, their requirements, and ultimately the outcome of their previous students. In the end, I decided to choose the Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) Honors Program for its strong community and demonstrated success in preparing students for graduate and professional school. ILS was an amazing choice for me since its tight-knit community allowed me to form strong bonds with my classmates and professors, which proved to be very rewarding both personally and professionally.”
— Brian Florenzo
“[I wasn’t] afraid to step outside of the rankings and numbers in the college admissions process and consider the intangibles. The Honors College provides an incredible education, but so much more than that as well. To not consider the incredible community, devoted faculty, and boundless opportunities provided would be a mistake. [Ultimately, I chose] Honors Humanities (HH) because it provides an academically challenging and diverse educational experience, in a tightly-knit multidisciplinary community. This environment fosters fearless ideas and amazing friendships in a way that no other program can.”
— Christopher Niccolini
“I talked to a lot of students who were currently in the programs I was interested in. They helped me to envision what my next 4 years would look like as a member of their program, and how it would benefit my career goal of going to medical school. Gemstone has provided me with the most unique experience of developing a student-led research project. I can honestly say that the leadership, academic, and teamwork skills that I have gained in the past 3 years are due largely to the opportunities that Gemstone gave me.”
— Ria Sebastian
“I wasn't sure what I wanted to study coming into UMD, but University Honors really gave me the chance to add a new lens to my education once I had decided on my majors. By taking courses completely novel to my fields of study, I learned from field experts who I could never have been exposed to otherwise!”
— Sasha Kahn
Two new LLPs have been introducted for Fall 2022.
Read more about them.