Perspective

[Anonymous]

Not OP but the point is that for kids aiming for Ivies or top SLACs, UMD might be considered a let down, but for this specific kind of kid (highly motivated, hard working, aiming for a competitive industry or field) it's really not. UMD might have been their safety, or the instate affordable option that still met their academic goals.

It is very easy for kids like this to think that oh, UMD is going to limit them greatly in life compared to going to Harvard or Williams or Carnegie Mellon or Duke. But OP is right -- college is what you make of it and you can make a lot of a degree from UMD.

And this lesson can apply to kids at different academic levels and with different goals. Maybe UMD is a reach school for your kid and they don't get in. Well for that specific kid, there is no reason they can't accomplish what they hoped to accomplish at UMD at a different state school with less prestige, or at a lower ranked SLAC. The point is go to the best school you go into, work hard, and make the most of it.

I guess there may be some kids whose goal is Harvard and wind up at a very low ranked school, but I'm betting in this situation their Harvard ambition was always a total pipe dream. OP is talking about kids who have the stats or at least within the ballpark for more prestigious schools, but because of luck of the draw or maybe finances wind up at a less prestigious school. In reality, these kids are generally not really any worse off because the same qualities that made them think they could get into the more prestigious school in the first place will serve them well at the less prestigious school and the proof is in the pudding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there’s a lot of hyper-focus here on rankings and prestige. What really matters is what your child does once they’re in college. My DD went to UMD, and she and her friends are receiving multiple consulting offers in the DMV area. The offer my DD accepted includes incoming hires from UVA, Duke, UNC–Chapel Hill, and Carnegie Mellon as well. In the end, it clearly didn’t matter that she didn’t attend Duke or UVA.

Some perspective is helpful here. College is just four years, and where you go matters far less than how you use those four years.

Nice post, but I think that your perspective might be a bit off as the University of Maryland is a well respected state flagship university.

It is. But many posters here, in our neighborhood as well as our public high school consider it a safety, look down at UMD and prefer out of state publics like Ohio, Georgia etc over it. I am saying this from experience after going through the admissions cycle with 2 kids. Some of my DD’s friends were unhappy when they ended up at UMD and made remarks as ‘i did all the work just to end up at UMD’.
So even though some people seem to agree on the surface that its a highly respected flagship, they are usually thinking and feeling sorry that your child ended up there while they are convinced that their child will end up somewhere much better.. saying this from first hand experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to recognize that for high stat kids who have spent their entire adolescence trying to never make a mistake, ace the most rigorous courses, stick with a sport even though they would rather be doing something else, AND who come from families with parents and older cousins arguably less brilliant or hard working that went to high ranking schools, it’s a huge blow to their identity and confidence when they don’t get in.

You also need to recognize that it isn’t like losing a game in sports. You get one shot for undergrad admissions. It’s often very unfair and arbitrary. It’s painful.

Some kids recover and make the most of their situation but for others it has lasting impacts. It’s not healthy to pretend everything they worked for was silly and doesn’t matter. They need to work through the grief, anger and pain not hide it to come out the other end.

Something is terribly wrong with this mindset.

[Anonymous]

look just say accenture. it is not elite management consulting which better performing duke and uva grads have access to vs umd

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there’s a lot of hyper-focus here on rankings and prestige. What really matters is what your child does once they’re in college. My DD went to UMD, and she and her friends are receiving multiple consulting offers in the DMV area. The offer my DD accepted includes incoming hires from UVA, Duke, UNC–Chapel Hill, and Carnegie Mellon as well. In the end, it clearly didn’t matter that she didn’t attend Duke or UVA.

Some perspective is helpful here. College is just four years, and where you go matters far less than how you use those four years.

Nice post, but I think that your perspective might be a bit off as the University of Maryland is a well respected state flagship university.

It is. But many posters here, in our neighborhood as well as our public high school consider it a safety, look down at UMD and prefer out of state publics like Ohio, Georgia etc over it. I am saying this from experience after going through the admissions cycle with 2 kids. Some of my DD’s friends were unhappy when they ended up at UMD and made remarks as ‘i did all the work just to end up at UMD’.
So even though some people seem to agree on the surface that its a highly respected flagship, they are usually thinking and feeling sorry that your child ended up there while they are convinced that their child will end up somewhere much better.. saying this from first hand experience.

Why would they feel sorry for your kids? Most people ONLY care about their own DCs.

You are overthinking ...

UMD is great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there’s a lot of hyper-focus here on rankings and prestige. What really matters is what your child does once they’re in college. My DD went to UMD, and she and her friends are receiving multiple consulting offers in the DMV area. The offer my DD accepted includes incoming hires from UVA, Duke, UNC–Chapel Hill, and Carnegie Mellon as well. In the end, it clearly didn’t matter that she didn’t attend Duke or UVA.

Some perspective is helpful here. College is just four years, and where you go matters far less than how you use those four years.

Nice post, but I think that your perspective might be a bit off as the University of Maryland is a well respected state flagship university.

It is. But many posters here, in our neighborhood as well as our public high school consider it a safety, look down at UMD and prefer out of state publics like Ohio, Georgia etc over it. I am saying this from experience after going through the admissions cycle with 2 kids. Some of my DD’s friends were unhappy when they ended up at UMD and made remarks as ‘i did all the work just to end up at UMD’.
So even though some people seem to agree on the surface that its a highly respected flagship, they are usually thinking and feeling sorry that your child ended up there while they are convinced that their child will end up somewhere much better.. saying this from first hand experience.

The only kids I know who don't want to go to UMD are the kids in-state who want to go out of state. Have met plenty of kids oos who would be happy at UMD.

[Anonymous]

To everyone saying UMD is a well-respected school: I agree whole-heartedly. But you need to grapple with the “huge blow to their identity and confidence” that some students (and parents) feel when a strong student matriculates there, and the “grief, anger, and pain” they need to work through, emotions beautifully expressed by this poster:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to recognize that for high stat kids who have spent their entire adolescence trying to never make a mistake, ace the most rigorous courses, stick with a sport even though they would rather be doing something else, AND who come from families with parents and older cousins arguably less brilliant or hard working that went to high ranking schools, it’s a huge blow to their identity and confidence when they don’t get in.

You also need to recognize that it isn’t like losing a game in sports. You get one shot for undergrad admissions. It’s often very unfair and arbitrary. It’s painful.

Some kids recover and make the most of their situation but for others it has lasting impacts. It’s not healthy to pretend everything they worked for was silly and doesn’t matter. They need to work through the grief, anger and pain not hide it to come out the other end.

And to this poster: thank you for this heartfelt response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UMD is highly respected.

Say if your DC ended up at JMU, would they fare the same?

I have experience teaching in higher ed as well as attending myself and having kids who do. Those who are at lower ranked schools can do well, but opportunities are fewer and depend more on being at the top of the class. No one knows going in where they will be in a class. Employers flock to the higher ranked schools and nearly all in the class get good jobs. Not the case at lower ranked schools.

The only kids getting jobs at GS or McKinsey from the Ivies are top of the class too. My kid is at an Ivy and they all know that they need a 4.0 or close to it in a hard major (math, etc) by fall of sophomore year to have a chance at interning at GS, etc. It's become very, very competitive.

[Anonymous]

UMD acceptance rate is in the 40%. It’s a back up safety for high achievers. It will end up being high school 2.0 with the same people. The same cheaters who got in without doing much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UMD acceptance rate is in the 40%. It’s a back up safety for high achievers. It will end up being high school 2.0 with the same people. The same cheaters who got in without doing much.

The whole idea that a school can’t be any good if it ever admits any students is soooo toxic.

[Anonymous]

Look at UCSD. That’s what happens when you just let anyone in. Can’t do simple math.

[Anonymous]

I love this. Thanks!

We’re now OOS, but DC has applied to UMD anyway. Depending on how things play out with a few other schools, I could see it being a really good fit, if accepted.

Two questions:

(1) Can you share more about the consulting offers your DC is seeing in the DC area? It’s hard to know from OOS what the economy/hiring climate is like there at the moment. Seems bleak from afar.

But mostly, I’m just curious about what types of “consulting” jobs are out there for new college grads. I know it’s not all McKinzey, but beyond that have no clue.

(2) More practically, any tips for having a great experience at UMD? Sounds like your DC was super happy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at UCSD. That’s what happens when you just let anyone in. Can’t do simple math.

The problem with UCSD is not a high admissions rate, but a lack of standards that has allowed their admissions process to become essentially random.

A school with a sub 5% acceptance rate that conducted admissions by pure lottery would also wind up admitting many students who can’t do basic math.

[Anonymous]

If by ‘consulting’ you mean Deloitte, EY, Oliver White, PWC or any other mid tier firm, I am not that impressed. They also recruit at UGA Pitt and a ton of other states schools. And they hire thousands and thousands every year. They are simply filling a recruiting class. If you mean McKinsey, Bain, or BCG then kudos because regardless of myriad opinions about consulting industry - those are the elites and they are selective

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UMD is highly respected.

Say if your DC ended up at JMU, would they fare the same?

I have experience teaching in higher ed as well as attending myself and having kids who do. Those who are at lower ranked schools can do well, but opportunities are fewer and depend more on being at the top of the class. No one knows going in where they will be in a class. Employers flock to the higher ranked schools and nearly all in the class get good jobs. Not the case at lower ranked schools.

The only kids getting jobs at GS or McKinsey from the Ivies are top of the class too. My kid is at an Ivy and they all know that they need a 4.0 or close to it in a hard major (math, etc) by fall of sophomore year to have a chance at interning at GS, etc. It's become very, very competitive.

Doubt your kid is actually at an ivy. Plenty of kids are getting McKinsey interviews at Princeton with a 3.7 and above. It's all about the interview performance.