Kushal Gowda Ashok Review at University Of Maryland [UMD], College Park | Collegedunia

Life at University of Maryland, College Park

8.3
Verified Review (Out of 10)
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Academic
10.0
Accommodation
10.0
Faculty
10.0
Infrastructure
10.0
Placement
10.0

Student's Snapshots

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Kushal Gowda Ashok
Reviewed on Feb 6, 2025(Enrolled 2023)

Colleges Where I Was Accepted

Reason for choosing my college

  • UMD is really good at cybersecurity. They have good teachers and research opportunities that match what I want to do in my career. Being close to the capital means I can meet a lot of people from tech companies. This is useful for internships and Jobs. UMD is considered a public Ivy, and this makes the university a reputable one. The cost of tuition is lesser compared to private institutions.

Colleges Where I Was Rejected

Reason for Rejection

  • The university has a very low acceptance rate, making it very competitive. I did not take the GRE. Which could have been another reason.

Colleges Where I Was Waitlisted

Required Exams for Admission

IELTS (9)

Required Documents For Admission

CV

LOR

SOP

Tips to enhance your application

  • All the documents that are required for the admission process are important. There is an option to enhance your SOP where you can mention your strength with the provided SOP format from the university. Getting an LOR from a senior professor at your institution can be helpful.

Admission Experience

  • I chose to study in the US because it has some of the best cybersecurity companies. The country is filled with tech companies that hire candidates on a large scale. UMD is respected for its cybersecurity program and often ranks among the top schools.
  • The teachers are experienced, so I know I am learning from experts. The course has many subjects that interest me, like DFIR, Cloud security, Pen testing, and Secure coding. etc. These subjects are important. 
  • Washington, DC, is a prime location for tech companies. It gives me a chance to connect with recruiters. The connections that I have made have helped me find internship and full-time job opportunities.
  • Overall experience: My time at UMD has been rewarding. The classes are interesting, pushing me to learn more

Class Schedule

10

  • Every subject has one class per week. Depending on the number of subjects, your number of classes will increase. The classes are usually in the evening. The classes might be between 1 pm and 10 pm. There are usually 20- 30 students in a single class. There are students attending classes online.
  • Indians make up most of the engineering class. There are around 95% to 99% Indians in the classroom. There is a lot of time for assignments and self-study. A student gets an average of 5-6 hours in a day for studies.

Faculty

10

  • For every faculty, there are around 30 students in a class. The faculty are approachable in the class, or we can contact them through email. Best faculty: Kevin Shivers is the best faculty for the Cybersecurity course. He is the best there is. It depends on the relationship the student has with the professor. The faculty are more than happy to help the students.

Campus Life

10

  • The university has a lot of campuses. The library is open most of the time and hosts many events. ReWell is for sports and has a sports facility. The university hosts football games and basketball games. For which the tickets are free for the students. Sports are the highlight.

Part Time Jobs

  • The pay for part-time is fixed across campus at $18/hour. This might increase in the future. It is easy to get a job. One needs to network with the hiring managers across campus. Most Indians get a job right from the beginning. The process is simple and involves an application.
  • It is difficult to get an assistantship. The usual pay is around $19/ hour. Only a few students get this job. On-campus jobs: The hourly wages for other jobs are fixed at $18/ hour. As a student, one can work up to 20 hours/ week. A student is not allowed to exceed this limit.

Placement

10

  • Most people get a job before graduation. The average salary for a Cybersecurity Engineer is around 70000 USD annually. Students usually find a job on LinkedIn. By connecting with people who are from the same domain. There are other platforms like Indeed, Handshake, etc. The highest salary is 160000 USD, and the lowest salary is 60000 USD.

Accommodation

Off Campus
10

  • Students usually apply for accommodation online.
  • There are two very famous apartments: Graduate Hills and Graduate Garden. They take online applications. Students can join WhatsApp groups to get more updates.
    Challenges: These apartment gets a lot of applications. It is advised to apply early.
    Recommendations: Connect with students who are already in the US.