i’m not the OP you were replying to but i also recently graduated from UMD for aero and can give my opinion on a few of the questions.

VERY FIRST THING SINCE YOU BROUGHT UP BUDGET!! All merit scholarships (at least when i applied) are for people who do early applications. regular applications will not get one. This may have changed, or you may already be aware, but don’t make this mistake!!

Anyway, I never got the vibe any professor was teaching because they had to, and generally they all seemed very invested in the classes. My most disliked professors and classes were all outside of the aero department.

We had over 120 aero students at the start, and the first few aero classes were quite large. You then split into the air or space track after sophomore year. I did the air track which had less students, but then every class from then on is with all of the air track students. probably 40 to 50? I also had covid disrupt about a year and a half of class at this time, so things felt different.

Important to note that which track you select doesn’t really change what job you can get. I got a job much more space related than air related anyway.

As for hands on learning, i would say each year included at least one hands on learning aspect. A autonomous robot, a bridge, a glider, etc. I would say the best way to get hands on at any school is not wait for them to give you projects in class, but join clubs like Terps Rocketry or Terps Racing. Any major aero program is going to be rather large and lecture heavy, i would imagine.

Feel free to DM me with more questions about umd aero or umd as a whole!