Affordable?
In the long run? Yes.
In the long run, it is?
A child thinks $50,000 per year.
So this is the old computer science building and this is the new computer science building.
So it's an autonomous bird scooter, right?
Yes. Nice.
So you made it all alone or with a team?
No, it's in a team.
My team... They have just gone for lunch.
So I'm here. Yeah.
Yeah, this is really cool. Great work, man.
Thank you so much.
I haven't seen a better lecture hall than this all my life.
This is one of the best lecture halls.
Three projectors.
And these classrooms are so advanced.
They are looking new and the lights are so fancy.
You'll really want to do your exam preparation here.
You'll want to study here. It's that good.
So basically if someone asks a doubt then the sound will reach the professor in some way.
Through the microphone, this is awesome.
Because I was also thinking that all the CS classes are here.
So how many students does it fit? 300-400?
350. 350 students.
You have charging ports under every desk here.
So how do you ask your doubts via the microphone?
Just raise your hand.
The professor will give you the chance to speak and then speak out the doubt.
And it gets recorded.
So that mic catches the sound.
And it gets on the lectures.
Whatever the professor shares are visible on all three screens.
We have screens, TVs, and cameras as well.
Oh, you have TVs below as well.
And there are 3 cameras in this room.
And he can change the perspective depending on what he wants.
So he gets that perspective on zoom lectures.
I think it's the most advanced lecture hall on the campus.
It's really nice.
All the lecture halls are like this as they all have cameras.
One of the best buildings that I have ever seen.
We saw many projects in Robotics.
It was so exciting. Mostly every project ha at least one Indian.
It was such a proud feeling. Felt really nice.
And now in front of the engineering building.
Its shape is on the next level. Feels like we have come to the future.
Just like Star Wars, in the future.
Hall of Fame.
And now we're crossing the La Plata beach of UMD.
It has a nice picnic vibe to it.
It's less of a beach because it doesn't have sand. Why is it a beach though?
Oh, the sand is in the back.
My INI professor told me that earlier June hall was a chicken house.
Do you need a driver's license for these scooters?
Oh, you don't need one.
A big coincidence is that the day it is Maryland day is
the same day as I have come here.
It's a big day for the University of Maryland. It comes once a year.
It's a big day for the entire state.
It's like the homecoming festival.
Kind of. Kind of
Just like in Shimla, Manali we have the Mall Road here it is called the McKeldin Mall.
There is a McKeldin statue that is the mascot.
And if someone takes the statue from there to there then they'll
get free tuition. Many football players try it.
And the mascot of UMD is a turtle or a
species of turtle called Testudo, right?
Testudo, yeah.
Here many people do a sacrifice, they showed me some photos
many people have sacrificed air pods, and laptops by keeping them there.
People keep their couches and TVs there.
Why do they do this?
They do it for good luck. If you're sacrificing then they hope they good grades in the finals.
People have also broken and removed those benches and kept them here
They also broke the benches for the sacrifice.
I see. Interesting.
Just like we pray in India here they sacrifice.
Yes, exactly.
And rubbing your hand on the nose is a big good luck.
Oh, it's like we touch feet and they rub noses.
We have to touch the right leg of some people.
This is the dirtiest fodder you'll find in UMD because in this
people pee sometimes.
People spit in it and it has a lot of trash but
have to take in it on graduation.
I have never seen such dirty water even in the mess.
It's the dirtiest water in the world.
I'm Karan Agarwal and I am from Pune.
I'm Divej Mittal and I'm from New Delhi.
I'm Aditya Goel and I'm from Delhi.
I'm Siddharth and I'm from Surat.
I'm Gautam Agarwal and I'm from Lucknow.
So all of you are studying CS, right?
So quick question, many students still ask whether the University of Maryland is affordable or not
Affordable? In the long run, yes.
In the long run, it is?
But a child thinks $50,000 per year.
Definitely, if someone isn't from a good background then $50,000 is expensive.
But in the end, it is worth it like he mentioned.
Because it is one of the best schools for CS.
And it's a one-time investment for your degree.
And it definitely matters. The internship opportunities here are very good.
The placements are nice. The ROI is good as you'll get good packages in the future.
Depending on how much you study.
Then our overhead expenses in Maryland are cheaper than in New York, and California.
So you're saving there as well. If UMD with $50,000 seems expensive
but in comparison with the rest of the states, the overhead expenses are much less so it's good.
Although it's not affordable on paper but your proximity to
University of Virginia and George Town University is a big plus
All the top schools are near so do you get good networking opportunities?
Yeah definitely. So New York is like a 4-hour drive away.
So we can network well with many universities which are along the way.
All the big cities like New York, Philadelphia and...
Washington DC is a 10-minute drive or you can take the metro as well.
So it's very close. So the opportunities are endless.
And UMD has many collaborations with companies like Amazon.
If you search for Amazon Next that is their specific collaboration with UMD
And then there is breakthrough tech DC which is UMDs independent organization
that has a collaboration with George Mason University.
And companies like Accenture, Microsoft, and Capital One.
And the co-founder of Google is from UMD.
Wow, that's amazing.
The one who made Oculus has dedicated an entire Computer Science building.
It is named after that person.
The CS building is named after the founder of oculus because it was done at UMD.
Brendan Iribe.
That's amazing. This is so epic.
And what about co-op? The best co-op in the world is at the University of Waterloo.
It's nice at Georgia Tech. How is the co-op here?
Do first-year students get internship or co-op opportunities easily?
First-year internships are not that easy to get because you have just learned elementary courses.
But if you have like... After your second year, it's very easy.
Like the first year because it's all elementary courses that's all.
The internship companies see what have you done one the first year.
If they see you have covered these courses then after the second year you'll get opportunities.
But at the same time the university strives to provide opportunities for students.
Like I did a summer gig and it was through breakthrough tech DC only.
I did it before coming to the university and they gave me a $200 stipend.
And after that, I did a sprinternship which is like a 3 week short internship.
And I did it with the UMD division of IT.
But there were a lot of students who did it with startups & companies.
So they are my friends and I talk to them.
They told me that the company has given them internships for the summer also.
And all of that was paid.
I was paid around like $1800.
So there are opportunities.
The person needs to come over and look for opportunities.
That is the need.
You have to find them.
You guys joined at the time of covid last year in 2021.
As the second wave was coming to an end.
So overall what do you think of the admission process at your time,
some tips for the current students?
You gave the SAT. Was it optional at the time?
It was optional but the majority of the students had given it.
They had still given it?
I had to submit my SAT score.
I had not given the SAT.
I also didn't give my SAT.
I also did not get a chance.
And for UMD I don't remember what is the acceptance rate until last year
but in fall 2021 the acceptance rate has dropped by 7-8%.
Competitive courses.
Because every year UMD's ranking is getting better and better.
Last year it was in the top 20 in the CS now it has come to the top 10 in CS
because of that, they are also dropping their acceptance rates.
I see.
The acceptance rate is between 40-50% but
that is for the state students, for the international, it's much lesser.
Especially for CS, Engineering or business.
So it's definitely seen what is different in the applicants.
I think extracurriculars matter a lot in your application.
And the grades obviously.
I'd say if covid has done harm then it's worldwide everywhere.
It's not like if you are feeling if you don't get opportunities then the other students are getting it.
It's like you do your best and the university considers every factor because
they know that India is a huge country and it's very covid hit.
So you need to do whatever you can do. Online, offline. Whatever you can do just do it.
Every extracurricular will count.
Awesome.
So in short your extracurriculars made you unique for this program
So tell us what was the unique point that got you admitted.
Any small point.
So I have played Hockey on a district level.
which I thought had impacted a lot in my college admission to UMD.
Hockey? Yeah.
So I think that has made a big difference.
Were you able to participate in their team?
I'm a part of the Hockey club.
And sometimes they host UNs so I go to those UNs.
That's good. Hockey was yours. What about you?
I would say I was more on the academic-oriented side.
So I have founded clubs.
And I was also like a Boy Scout troop leaders
So I guess those factors might have helped me in.
Nice. And you?
For me, I would say that I was the tennis captain of my school.
So sports was one of the factors. Then conferences, leadership
roles and MUNs and all that was also a factor
in my application.
Nice. You?
So as you must have hard that social work impacts a lot for the US admissions.
So I did more than 200 hours
of social work.
I was also going to Tanzania for 15
day trip for social work which is connected to the UN.
But couldn't go due to covid.
So those all factors mattered for my admission.
NIce. You?
I would say leadership because I was a prefect in my school.
And apart from that I
So definitely leadership
because I was the school prefect and I have participated in many MUNs.
I was on the school's tech team
Along with my friend.
I found a company that square feet technologies.
So there we did many projects in India that were profitable for us.
So I mentioned all of them and I feel that will be the...
Awesome, that's really nice.
And what's your favorite part about the campus?
Overall career-wise or
for doing something extra or anything else what's your favorite?
I would say that the best thing due to the numerous students, due to 40,000 students
There are a lot of groups and clubs.
So if you go to robotics. Like in the CS there is a particular robotics club.
There is even a club for Paintball, so you can go and do paintball practice.
We have a club for mountain hiking, cycling and all because there are so many mountains nearby.
Like Virginia Shenandoah National Park.
And all are so nearby that you can just drive 2 hours away to go there.
There are a lot of student clubs. For every interest, there is a student club.
I'm interested in music and there is a club for that.
If someone is interested in hiking, we have that.
The people here are very nice.
They are always ready to help if you're in need.
So that is very good.
The professors and every representative are there for the students.
Like they genuinely care for you. If you want something, just ask them and they'll provide it.
The best part is the people.
If you go you'll find someone in every field
They help you through it.
So the best part about this university is the people.
And even the professors are really good.
If you have any problem just email them and they are really considerate.
No matter how small a problem just tell them and they'll give you...
They will help you in every possible way.
And is CS hard here or not?
Absolutely not. No, no, no.
I'm an engineering student and I'm moving to CS
but it's not that hard.
It becomes subjective. If you'll put in the effort then CS will be easy for you.
If you don't put in the effort it'll be hard for you.
So every one of you got out of the comfort
zone and did something out-of-the-box in high school.
And it made you unique and you got in. Awesome.
So nice meeting you all.
Thank you so much.
This will be very helpful for the students.
Wow, they're so lucky for getting to ride the fire truck.
You can even ride the Ambulance.
We used to ride elephants in childhood but never knew you could ride ambulances as well.
Oh, this is Mercedes's Ambulance.
There is something like this as well.