College admissions into a STEM major and Math pathways

[Anonymous]

If your kid was accepted into Computer Science or other STEM major in UMD or any other good school, please share what your child's Math Pathway was beginning in MS, what tutoring if any your child did, and which middle school and high school your child attended.

My kid is smart but we haven't done any extra tutoring and reading some of the threads in College forum makes me think my kid needs to do some enrichment.

[Anonymous]

Getting into UMD as a CS major is competitive as is transferring for which they’ve reduced the number. Students will have 4.0 or higher weighted GPAs, almost all will be taking or have already taken Calc (likely BC), most will have AP Computer Science Java. There will also be kids that were in PLTW, SMACs or some other engineering related program.

It’s not about doing enrichment, it’s about understanding the need to take rigorous courses throughout HS, maintain an excellent GPA, and even then top schools could be a reach so you will need interesting projects/internships/ECs/experiences.

[Anonymous]

+1 for PP.

My 3 kids all were advanced in math in elementary-compacted math 4/5, 5/6, various MS magnet programs (3 different ones), and then various HS magnets (again 3 different ones). They all took BC Calc in 10th or 11th and all were accepted into different selective college programs.

They got good number sense in Montessori preschool (bead chains) and then stayed at the leading edge of math instruction through elementary. The only “extra” thing that we did was in summer - 20 min reading and 20 Khan Academy (their choice of practices).

If you want to supplement, do it because your kid is interested, not because you are chasing college admissions.

[Anonymous]

My student went into the PLTW Engineering magnet at Wheaton from our neighborhood middle school. They took magnet precalc, Calc A/B, Calc B/C and Multivariable calc senior yesr. No tutoring but lots of self study. Lots of those engineering kids get into UMd engineering. Wheaton’s C/S academy w/cyber at Edison is a good pathway to UMd as well.