The University of Maryland is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. With 12 schools and more than 90 undergraduate majors, UMD has a lot of choices for its nearly 30k undergrads. The school has only been getting more popular, especially for out-of-state students. While UMD is a state school, they get around three times the number of out-of-state applicants compared to those in-state. Last year, their overall acceptance rate was around 44%, and their out-of-state acceptance rate was closer to 40%. They have also extended their test-optional policy again for this year.
UMD’s supplement is unique, and it can scare some students. At first look, it might seem a little extra. There are a lot of tabs with drop-down questions, and they also ask for an optional resume. While there are a lot of questions, they are all short answers, and the actual writing is minimal. Each prompt gives you 650 characters to respond to (so like about 100 words of fill-in-the-blank style questions). It is kind of a mix between Madlibs and Tweets… sorry, Xeets.
While they are short, they are a bit creative. Some students love these questions, but others really overthink them, so we want to help by breaking down what you need to do for this unique supplement.
At the University of Maryland, we encourage our students to go beyond the classroom to engage in opportunities that further both their academic and personal growth. To tell us more about yourself, please complete the following prompts using only the space provided (650 characters).
IF I COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE, I WOULD GO TO...*
There is no real wrong answer here. However, the best answer connects to an interest of yours. We love it when you can talk more about yourself. Maybe you want to go to Victor Hugo’s house/museum because you hope to study European Literature. Maybe you want to go to Chile because your grandmother is originally from there and you would like to see where she grew up. Or you could talk about how you want to go to Sedona with your mountain biking club because they have famous trails. Don’t choose anything really basic, and you should be fine.
THE MOST INTERESTING FACT I EVER LEARNED FROM RESEARCH WAS...*
This question is a little tricky. This should be a no-brainer for those who do research through a fellowship or even a passion project. However, many students might not feel like they can’t answer this question. Let us assure you: you don’t need to be published to answer this question. Think about the research you have done for school assignments or even just a Wikipedia deep dive. You have interests that you have definitely looked into. This is your chance to share an interesting fact about one of them.
You don’t need to cite your sources (though you can if it makes sense), but please make sure your fact is 100% accurate and true.
IN ADDITION TO MY MAJOR, MY ACADEMIC INTERESTS INCLUDE...*
You really want to get specific here and ensure your interest differs from your major. For example, if you plan to study finance, saying your secondary interest is economics is both too broad and not very exciting. It makes sense that someone interested in finance would care about economics, but it doesn’t feel dynamic or interesting. Ideally, your interest would be more like “if you want to study finance, but you also love art history.” And even that still feels like a little broad, so zoom in on a specific interest in the discipline. So instead of saying, “Art history” generally, maybe pinpoint “the rise of Muralists in post-revolutionary Mexico and its overlap with politics.” We want you to bring us into your specific interests.
MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT LAST THURSDAY WAS...*
Weirdly, in past years, this question said “last Wednesday.” Honestly, it doesn’t matter which day it is, and it also doesn’t really matter that it was “last” whatever day. What they are really asking here is for something that is both “every day” and brings you joy, whether that thing actually happened on a Monday last month or last Thursday. Some examples that would work:
Trying a new recipe
Signing up for a pottery class
Going swimming with your sister
Organizing your desk
Going to trivia with your friend
Painting your nails blue
Finishing a good book
Choosing a small moment is preferred. You want to capture the magic of the everyday.
SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME IS...*
The most important thing here is to make it something they don’t know about you. This might mean looking through your application and making sure you didn’t mention this fun fact anywhere else. It shouldn’t even be hinted at in your activities section, resume, transcript, or personal info. The easiest way to avoid repeating yourself is to get quirky. Maybe you know how to juggle, have never eaten beef, or have a specific morning ritual every Saturday. Specificity is your friend here.
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT DIVERSITY BENEFITS THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF ALL STUDENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND VALUES DIVERSITY IN ALL OF ITS MANY FORMS. THIS INCLUDES (BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO) RACIAL, SOCIO-ECONOMIC, GENDER, GEOGRAPHICAL, AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION. WE ARE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT YOUR OWN INDIVIDUAL LIFE EXPERIENCES. IN A FEW SENTENCES, WILL YOU PLEASE DESCRIBE HOW YOU HAVE LEARNED, GROWN, BEEN INSPIRED OR DEVELOPED SKILLS THROUGH ONE OR MORE COMPONENTS OF DIVERSITY*
We aren’t fans of this question. It is honestly just too long to be a short answer (the question itself is about 500 characters; it feels unfair). That being said, there is a right way to approach this question. You can’t capture everything about “diversity” in three sentences, so you need to zoom in on a specific situation. Ideally, you can tell a micro-story about a time you benefited from being in a diverse space or when differing perspectives have shifted your opinion on something.
For example, maybe you helped run a community event at school that showcased foods of the world. Or maybe you aren’t Jewish but attended your friend’s little brother’s Bar Mitzvah and learned a lot. We would rather hear about attending your friend’s belly dancing recital or first time making dim su than you waxing poetic on “diversity” in general. Try to get concrete, specific, and small enough to cover in a few sentences.
While this supplement has multiple questions, they are very short. It probably won’t take long to write the answers to these questions, but you should give yourself enough time to brainstorm and edit because these are what will make this supplement really shine. If it still feels daunting, we can help!
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