Admitted Students

Sign up for Summer Orientation!

All University of Maryland students must sign up for an orientation program over the summer. If possible, we suggest registering for an Honors orientation (see dates below), but it is NOT required to do so.

Monday-Tuesday, June 13th-14th
Thursday-Friday, June 26th-27th
Wednesday-Thursday, July 8th-9th

To learn more information and to register for Summer Orientation, visit the orientation.umd.edu website. REMINDER: Summer orientation is different from Gems Camp! More information about Gems Camp is coming soon!

Register for GEMS100 (Required)

When you are registering for Fall courses during orientation, be sure to add GEMS100. Some first-year students experience challenges registering for GEMS100 due to credit limits. For example, if you have more than 30 credits, you may not be able to register and will need special permission in order to enroll. If this is the case, please complete the Gemstone Course Override form.

If you are encountering an issue registering for GEMS100 because of a scheduling issue or if you have met your college’s credit limit, please email us at gems@umd.edu and we will assist you with next steps!

Engage with Gemstone!

Gemstone Summer Connections: Connect with a Gemstone Student Leader

All Gemstone new students will receive an email from their Gemstone Summer Connection, one of our upper class CONNECT mentors or Gems 100 Teaching Assistants by the end of June. These students are truly outstanding resources for you over the next couple of months. Feel free to ask them anything -- about their major, their Gemstone team research, involvement on campus, and more. You’ll be formally assigned a CONNECT mentor once the semester begins, but feel free to engage with your summer Gemstone CONNECTion in any way that feels comfortable to you. If you have any questions regarding your Gemstone Summer CONNECTION, please email gems@umd.edu!

Gems Camp 2024: August 20- August 22

Gems Camp is the Gemstone Honors Program's two-night, off campus orientation program designed to help incoming Gemstone students transition to the University of Maryland and the Gemstone Honors Program prior to the first day of classes. Campers participate in fun team building activities and meet new students while learning valuable information about UMD and Gemstone. If living on campus, students have the added benefit of moving in early.

At Gems Camp, first-year students immediately develop a diverse social network of fellow classmates, upperclassmen, and Gemstone staff. You will start college with the pride and excitement of a True Terp along with an introduction of campus culture & traditions!

Gems Camp 2024 will occur August 20- August 22.  Stay tuned for more information and to register.

 We cannot wait to meet you! Questions? Email gemscamp@umd.edu or call 301-458-0784.

Virtual Office Hours: Chat with Gemstone Staff

As you are thinking about life as a Gemstone Terp, we wanted to offer the opportunity to chat with a Gemstone staff member in real-time via Zoom. Please sign up for a short video conference with a member of our staff:

• Email gems@umd.edu to make an appointment

Follow us on Social Media

The Gemstone Honors Program loves social media! Check out our Instagram!

We encourage you to also follow the Gemstone Leadership Council on Instagram to stay up to date on all student-led initiatives and events!

UMD Black Book

Thank you to Pauline Sow (Gemstone Class of 2021, team NO SALT) and Josiah Bedford for their work to create the UMD Black Book. This resource is designed to centralize resources for UMD Black students and particularly new students.

Planning to live on campus for Fall 2024?

The Gemstone Honors Program works closely with the Department of Resident Life to coordinate a smooth move-in process for all of our incoming students. Gemstone does not have a mandatory housing requirement, but many students do live on campus typically in Ellicott Hall. For more information about housing, visit the Department of Resident Life.

Roommate Requests

We realize that roommate requests are important and that students are looking for opportunities to locate and request roommates for Fall 2024. More information will be available regarding roommate requests soon. Be sure to complete your housing contract before the May 1 deadline to be eligible for on-campus housing next fall.

If you have any questions regarding housing, please contact the Department of Resident Life at reslife@umd.edu.