MD In-state options beyond College Park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:that list of OOS colleges is so depressing. no one wants to go to any of those places, except maybe Pitt

They do if they want a good education at a good price.
Not everyone can get into their own public flagship or afford private.

Oh no.. not you again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:that list of OOS colleges is so depressing. no one wants to go to any of those places, except maybe Pitt

Your a moron. Just not true. Maybe get your head out if your ass. There are many good options listed. Sorry that are not Ivy or some obscure LAC.

U of SC
NC State
WVU
Iowa State
U of Alabama
Ole Miss
Ohio State
Arizona State
Kansas State
U of Arizona
College of Charleston
U of Pitt
U of Kansas
Michigan State
UConn
Temple

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:that list of OOS colleges is so depressing. no one wants to go to any of those places, except maybe Pitt

Your a moron. Just not true. Maybe get your head out if your ass. There are many good options listed. Sorry that are not Ivy or some obscure LAC.

U of SC
NC State
WVU
Iowa State
U of Alabama
Ole Miss
Ohio State
Arizona State
Kansas State
U of Arizona
College of Charleston
U of Pitt
U of Kansas
Michigan State
UConn
Temple

PP was referring to your original list that you gave as examples of schools that are better than Maryland in-state schools. Just as one measure of the quality of a school, here are the 6 year graduation rates of some of those schools you listed - all are worse than Maryland state schools and most are absolutely depressing. The reality is that if you have a high stats kid, they can get good merit aid at a decent OOS school and maybe bring it close to in-state (but they would get merit aid in-state also). For those kids with average stats, they aren't going to get any merit except at maybe some of these schools you listed:

SCHOOL - 6 Year Graduation Rate
--------------------------------------
U of Alabama - 66%
Arizona State – 66%
Miss State – 60%
U of Arizona – 60%
Ball State – 60%
U of Kansas – 60%
Ole Miss - 60%
U of Missouri - St Louis – 59%
Kansas State – 59%
WVU – 57%
U of Hawaii - Monoa – 56%
Bowling Green State – 55%
Kent State – 55%
Louisiana Tech – 54%
Utah State – 53%
U of Alabama - Huntsville (many kids go for 100% free) 49%
Montana State -50%
U of NM – 46%
Coastal Carolina – 45%
Jackson State – 43%
Alabama State – 26%
Northeastern Illinois – 22%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:that list of OOS colleges is so depressing. no one wants to go to any of those places, except maybe Pitt

Your a moron. Just not true. Maybe get your head out if your ass. There are many good options listed. Sorry that are not Ivy or some obscure LAC.

U of SC
NC State
WVU
Iowa State
U of Alabama
Ole Miss
Ohio State
Arizona State
Kansas State
U of Arizona
College of Charleston
U of Pitt
U of Kansas
Michigan State
UConn
Temple

PP was referring to your original list that you gave as examples of schools that are better than Maryland in-state schools. Just as one measure of the quality of a school, here are the 6 year graduation rates of some of those schools you listed - all are worse than Maryland state schools and most are absolutely depressing. The reality is that if you have a high stats kid, they can get good merit aid at a decent OOS school and maybe bring it close to in-state (but they would get merit aid in-state also). For those kids with average stats, they aren't going to get any merit except at maybe some of these schools you listed:

SCHOOL - 6 Year Graduation Rate
--------------------------------------
U of Alabama - 66%
Arizona State – 66%
Miss State – 60%
U of Arizona – 60%
Ball State – 60%
U of Kansas – 60%
Ole Miss - 60%
U of Missouri - St Louis – 59%
Kansas State – 59%
WVU – 57%
U of Hawaii - Monoa – 56%
Bowling Green State – 55%
Kent State – 55%
Louisiana Tech – 54%
Utah State – 53%
U of Alabama - Huntsville (many kids go for 100% free) 49%
Montana State -50%
U of NM – 46%
Coastal Carolina – 45%
Jackson State – 43%
Alabama State – 26%
Northeastern Illinois – 22%

This Poster is correct. Now who's the moron? And by the way, you spell it "you're" which is an abbreviation of "you are" not "your" which is possessive. But maybe you went to one of the colleges you listed, for a really "good" education and that would make sense...

[Anonymous]

Let’s keep this civil. We all have different situations and make choices for a variety of reasons. For a student with top stats, there are more options. For a student with average/lower stats, there are fewer options. For students with average/lower stats and financial constraints, there are even fewer options.

I see the following as all the options for a student who does NOT have top stats/NOT admitted at UMD (and would not qualify for significant need-based aid):


1. community college and transfer to UMD


2. Go to an in-state school other than UMD


3. OOS public

- Pay full price for one that is almost comparable in quality to UMD ($45,000 or more)

- Get some merit aid at an OOS public that is equal or lower quality than most of the other MD in-state schools and will still cost more

- Go to an OOS public with problematic graduation and retention rates (see above) but maybe get enough merit aid to almost equal MD in-state tuition


4. private

- Pay full price for the best one they can get admitted to ($55,000 or more)

- Get some merit aid at a school that is more of a safety but will still cost more, and often much more than MD in-state


With any of the options that involve merit aid, factor in the possibility that the student might lose the aid or might take more than 4 years to graduate and will then be full pay for their remaining time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:that list of OOS colleges is so depressing. no one wants to go to any of those places, except maybe Pitt

Your a moron. Just not true. Maybe get your head out if your ass. There are many good options listed. Sorry that are not Ivy or some obscure LAC.

U of SC
NC State
WVU
Iowa State
U of Alabama
Ole Miss
Ohio State
Arizona State
Kansas State
U of Arizona
College of Charleston
U of Pitt
U of Kansas
Michigan State
UConn
Temple

PP was referring to your original list that you gave as examples of schools that are better than Maryland in-state schools. Just as one measure of the quality of a school, here are the 6 year graduation rates of some of those schools you listed - all are worse than Maryland state schools and most are absolutely depressing. The reality is that if you have a high stats kid, they can get good merit aid at a decent OOS school and maybe bring it close to in-state (but they would get merit aid in-state also). For those kids with average stats, they aren't going to get any merit except at maybe some of these schools you listed:

SCHOOL - 6 Year Graduation Rate
--------------------------------------
U of Alabama - 66%
Arizona State – 66%
Miss State – 60%
U of Arizona – 60%
Ball State – 60%
U of Kansas – 60%
Ole Miss - 60%
U of Missouri - St Louis – 59%
Kansas State – 59%
WVU – 57%
U of Hawaii - Monoa – 56%
Bowling Green State – 55%
Kent State – 55%
Louisiana Tech – 54%
Utah State – 53%
U of Alabama - Huntsville (many kids go for 100% free) 49%
Montana State -50%
U of NM – 46%
Coastal Carolina – 45%
Jackson State – 43%
Alabama State – 26%
Northeastern Illinois – 22%

This Poster is correct. Now who's the moron? And by the way, you spell it "you're" which is an abbreviation of "you are" not "your" which is possessive. But maybe you went to one of the colleges you listed, for a really "good" education and that would make sense...

Not sure what the Poster is correct about, but ok. Frostburg - 49%.

Well, if nothing else, you learned proper grammar at YOUR obscure LAC. Congrats - now go back to driving carpool. YOU'RE obnoxious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are all your public in-state options.

Bowie State University
Coppin State University
Frostburg State University
Morgan State University
Salisbury University
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Towson University
University of Baltimore
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
University of Maryland University College

Since OP asked about 2nd best schools if her son does not get into UMD, the following are the best choices IMHO. I know happy students at all of them and they all offer some amount of merit aid, even for students who might not have the stats for UMD.

UMBC – 11,000 undergrads, 85% retention rate, 67% graduation rate
Excellent school and the only other state school besides UMD that offers engineering. Attracts lots of smart students. Know several great students who chose to attend UMBC over UMD because of substantial merit aid. Nice dorms and new athletic facilities. Hrabowski is a fabulous president. Look up his speech on Youtube.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland – 1700 undergrads, 87% retention rate, 80% graduation rate
Public liberal arts college in a beautiful location next to historic St. Mary’s City and on the river. Sailing and water sports are popular. Very environmentally focused with small classes. Most students live on campus all 4 years. No Greek life. Has lots of new facilities and has been adding new majors. Feels like a private college with a public price tag.

Towson – 20,000 undergrads, 85% retention rate, 75% graduation rate
Closest to UMD in terms of size and school spirit. Nice surrounding location. Lots of pre-professional programs. Know many teachers who attended and loved their time there. Strong Greek presence. Lots of off-campus housing options.

Salisbury – 8,000 undergrads, 82% retention rate, 75% graduation rate
Cute campus with a beautiful new student commons. An hour to the ocean. Lots of majors and I think it will only become more and more popular in the future. The surrounding area is a bit sketchy. They offer a nice honors program.

Bumping this up. Higher education is getting ridiculously expensive and these schools are getting more attractive for anyone who wants a solid education without paying a ridiculous amount.

[Anonymous]

We toured Salisbury last week, and liked it much more than I anticipated. A good variety of majors, and an amazing library/technology center. My kids isn't interested in the medical programs, but it sounds as if they have state-of-the-art medical simulation facilities and a close relationship with the nearby hospital.
On a completely trivial note, we were impressed by the free laundry facilities in the dorms, with free automatic detergent and an app to let you know when your laundry was done.
They've recently instituted a two-year on-campus resident requirement, which makes it feel a bit less like a commuter school. On the downside, housing is limited after those two years, and some of what they count as "on-campus" housing is across a busy road. Salisbury in general is a bit run-down.
Felt like a solid choice for an average student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s keep this civil. We all have different situations and make choices for a variety of reasons. For a student with top stats, there are more options. For a student with average/lower stats, there are fewer options. For students with average/lower stats and financial constraints, there are even fewer options.

I see the following as all the options for a student who does NOT have top stats/NOT admitted at UMD (and would not qualify for significant need-based aid):


1. community college and transfer to UMD


2. Go to an in-state school other than UMD


3. OOS public

- Pay full price for one that is almost comparable in quality to UMD ($45,000 or more)

- Get some merit aid at an OOS public that is equal or lower quality than most of the other MD in-state schools and will still cost more

- Go to an OOS public with problematic graduation and retention rates (see above) but maybe get enough merit aid to almost equal MD in-state tuition


4. private

- Pay full price for the best one they can get admitted to ($55,000 or more)

- Get some merit aid at a school that is more of a safety but will still cost more, and often much more than MD in-state


With any of the options that involve merit aid, factor in the possibility that the student might lose the aid or might take more than 4 years to graduate and will then be full pay for their remaining time.

I think this is generally correct. The only caveat I'd add is for your option #2- instate other than UMD-- I'd add +/- subsequent transfer to UMD. For the kid who would prefer to start at Towson etc. than CC but wants the option of still graduating from UMD if they decide they want to transfer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:that list of OOS colleges is so depressing. no one wants to go to any of those places, except maybe Pitt

This Poster is correct. Now who's the moron? And by the way, you spell it "you're" which is an abbreviation of "you are" not "your" which is possessive. But maybe you went to one of the colleges you listed, for a really "good" education and that would make sense...

Not sure what the Poster is correct about, but ok. Frostburg - 49%.

Well, if nothing else, you learned proper grammar at YOUR obscure LAC. Congrats - now go back to driving carpool. YOU'RE obnoxious.

They were rude, but lets remember how this started. OP asked for info about MD colleges. People jumped in to say "No, you can't consider any of those colleges, here is a list of OOS colleges". I think they are the obnoxious ones. OP wanted to know about colleges in MD. If you can't say anything helpful about them, move on to a different thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" Second tier, small (but still good) LAC's routinely give $20-$30,000 to strong students from this area. And full rides to the best and the brightest.

As as example, my DC--who had a 3.7 UW GPA, 4.2 W-- got $5,000 in merit aid from SMCM and five times that from multiple SLAC's (private, OOS).

Very bad example since your son has a GPA high enough for admission to Maryland."

Well our 1300, 3.5UW, 4.1W got $35k at one of those Second tier schools.

The trade off was that DC's school makes SMCM look like Disney World.

Once DC visited SMCM, isolation became a selling point. DC had more $ and choices than they new what to do with.

Of course, most wouldn't chose isolation but almost every city has a LAC, you just have to dial in your desired city size...

If NYC seems to be a draw, you just have to draw the circle a little bigger. Colleges 60 to 90 minutes out of the city can be great deals and provide access.

If that doesn't work, consider the upper Third tier schools. It may be tougher to get into med school from the third tier but its not clear that with HS stats like our DC, med school is a realistic goal.

If the plan is med school or bust, consider starting at a third tier school, getting a 4.0 as a freshman and then transferring back to UMDCP.

Good luck

Pp, what do you consider a third tier school? Below 250 on USNews?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s keep this civil. We all have different situations and make choices for a variety of reasons. For a student with top stats, there are more options. For a student with average/lower stats, there are fewer options. For students with average/lower stats and financial constraints, there are even fewer options.

I see the following as all the options for a student who does NOT have top stats/NOT admitted at UMD (and would not qualify for significant need-based aid):


1. community college and transfer to UMD


2. Go to an in-state school other than UMD


3. OOS public

- Pay full price for one that is almost comparable in quality to UMD ($45,000 or more)

- Get some merit aid at an OOS public that is equal or lower quality than most of the other MD in-state schools and will still cost more

- Go to an OOS public with problematic graduation and retention rates (see above) but maybe get enough merit aid to almost equal MD in-state tuition


4. private

- Pay full price for the best one they can get admitted to ($55,000 or more)

- Get some merit aid at a school that is more of a safety but will still cost more, and often much more than MD in-state


With any of the options that involve merit aid, factor in the possibility that the student might lose the aid or might take more than 4 years to graduate and will then be full pay for their remaining time.

I think this is generally correct. The only caveat I'd add is for your option #2- instate other than UMD-- I'd add +/- subsequent transfer to UMD. For the kid who would prefer to start at Towson etc. than CC but wants the option of still graduating from UMD if they decide they want to transfer.

OP here. Thanks for this reminder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We toured Salisbury last week, and liked it much more than I anticipated. A good variety of majors, and an amazing library/technology center. My kids isn't interested in the medical programs, but it sounds as if they have state-of-the-art medical simulation facilities and a close relationship with the nearby hospital.
On a completely trivial note, we were impressed by the free laundry facilities in the dorms, with free automatic detergent and an app to let you know when your laundry was done.
They've recently instituted a two-year on-campus resident requirement, which makes it feel a bit less like a commuter school. On the downside, housing is limited after those two years, and some of what they count as "on-campus" housing is across a busy road. Salisbury in general is a bit run-down.
Felt like a solid choice for an average student.

OP here. Thanks for the report on Salisbury.

[Anonymous]

None.

Even College Park is the pits

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None.

Even College Park is the pits

As if you know what you’re talking about. Good try, though.