MD In-state options beyond College Park

[Anonymous]

" Has St. Mary's overcome its issue with under enrollment...and did they solve it by lowering their admission standards?

Not dissing the school, I actually think it has a lot going for it. This concern, however, caused my child to go elsewhere.

Enrollment is up and average stats up also. Seems like they finally decided to start advertising. For many years they put no effort into recruitment.

It still has a loooooong way to go. I suspect at least another 10 years or so if ever.

until what? St Mary’s has always been a bit of a hidden gem and I hope it stays that way. If people are comparing it to ultra selective LACs, no it is probably not going to get there ever and I think most ego alumni and current students would prefer to keep it that way. So many small LACs are struggling with enrollment right now and St Mary’s is doing better than many of them.

not a hidden gem... just a hidden"

If you think SMCM should be W&M or W&L, you would call it "a hidden".

At #95 National LAC, SMCM doesn't try to compete with the top private LACs, but it is solidly into the category of NATIONAL LAC.

SMCM is trying to meet a need to allow almost all students from MD a chance at a LAC education at a more than reasonable price.

They aren't trying to climb the rankings or entrap students who would be fine in the "city" that is UMD, they just want to do enough advertising so that they get the thoughtful/intellectual MD students they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery College - education is on par or better than some of the schools mentioned above, especially in STEM. DD went out of state private for 1 year @67k. Returned home and finished at MC for 5k. Now finishing up at UMBC, which has a a great ROI. My wallet is happy...lol

Why did she come back only after one year?

Cost + horrible weather + being home sick.

This is so good to know. I have heard great things about MC.

They way it turned out wasn't planed. While she was away at college I had taken some work force development classes there. So while on campus I chatted with students and checked out the facilities while enjoying my classes. In a couple of my classes I met folks who had graduated from schools such as H. Mudd, etc., and were in class for various reasons. I asked them what they thought of the education and they all were all very impressed - now this is STEM. Now when DD returned home with the intention of transferring to a MD 4 year in the fall, I encouraged her to take some summer classes since they would be transferrable. Well once she started classes she ran into friends she had in her MS private, and her HS private that had gone to VT, Temple etc. and decided to come home for various reasons. On friend had lost his baseball scholarship due to injury. Anyways, once she found a friend base and together with the excellent teaching and Advisors (capitalize because hers were excellent, way better than the jokers at the 4 year private) she decided to stay. Plus being in her own room and flexibility to drive classes was a bonus. She has no regrets going away for the year, did visit her friends to ensure she made the right decision. Also being in class with adult working students, students who were struggling financially and students who had gotten accepted into schools such as Stanford but couldn't afford to attend, was a real world eye opener. No longer in the bubble she was used to from being in privates all her life.

Good for her!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery College - education is on par or better than some of the schools mentioned above, especially in STEM. DD went out of state private for 1 year @67k. Returned home and finished at MC for 5k. Now finishing up at UMBC, which has a a great ROI. My wallet is happy...lol

Why did she come back only after one year?

Cost + horrible weather + being home sick.

This is so good to know. I have heard great things about MC.

They way it turned out wasn't planed. While she was away at college I had taken some work force development classes there. So while on campus I chatted with students and checked out the facilities while enjoying my classes. In a couple of my classes I met folks who had graduated from schools such as H. Mudd, etc., and were in class for various reasons. I asked them what they thought of the education and they all were all very impressed - now this is STEM. Now when DD returned home with the intention of transferring to a MD 4 year in the fall, I encouraged her to take some summer classes since they would be transferrable. Well once she started classes she ran into friends she had in her MS private, and her HS private that had gone to VT, Temple etc. and decided to come home for various reasons. On friend had lost his baseball scholarship due to injury. Anyways, once she found a friend base and together with the excellent teaching and Advisors (capitalize because hers were excellent, way better than the jokers at the 4 year private) she decided to stay. Plus being in her own room and flexibility to drive classes was a bonus. She has no regrets going away for the year, did visit her friends to ensure she made the right decision. Also being in class with adult working students, students who were struggling financially and students who had gotten accepted into schools such as Stanford but couldn't afford to attend, was a real world eye opener. No longer in the bubble she was used to from being in privates all her life.

Good for her!

Love this story and congrats on having a practical and smart DD! I know several successful adults who took a similar path and transferred to a MD 4 year after attending CC. I think it gave them great perspective and work ethic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" Has St. Mary's overcome its issue with under enrollment...and did they solve it by lowering their admission standards?

Not dissing the school, I actually think it has a lot going for it. This concern, however, caused my child to go elsewhere.

Enrollment is up and average stats up also. Seems like they finally decided to start advertising. For many years they put no effort into recruitment.

It still has a loooooong way to go. I suspect at least another 10 years or so if ever.

until what? St Mary’s has always been a bit of a hidden gem and I hope it stays that way. If people are comparing it to ultra selective LACs, no it is probably not going to get there ever and I think most ego alumni and current students would prefer to keep it that way. So many small LACs are struggling with enrollment right now and St Mary’s is doing better than many of them.

not a hidden gem... just a hidden"

If you think SMCM should be W&M or W&L, you would call it "a hidden".

At #95 National LAC, SMCM doesn't try to compete with the top private LACs, but it is solidly into the category of NATIONAL LAC.

SMCM is trying to meet a need to allow almost all students from MD a chance at a LAC education at a more than reasonable price.

They aren't trying to climb the rankings or entrap students who would be fine in the "city" that is UMD, they just want to do enough advertising so that they get the thoughtful/intellectual MD students they want.

Agree with this. I’m the parent with a kid at UMD and another at St. Mary’s who posted way back on page 10:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/135/784622.page

As happy as I am that they both are attending schools that are a good match (and that our family can afford!), I am especially pleased with my DC’s experience at St. Mary’s. I’m grateful that Maryland has a PUBLIC liberal arts college that is as good as or better than many much more expensive private colleges. I am an unapologetic booster of St. Mary’s because I have seen how much he has thrived there.

St. Mary’s is one of those schools that walks a fine line between being academically rigorous without having a competitive and stressful culture. My guess is that the relatively high admission rate keeps away those students who care more about prestige or bragging rights. As the admission rate starts to drop, I hope that the school does not begin to attract a different type of student.

And I do think that St. Mary’s will become more selective now that it is getting the word out and making so many improvements. It has so much going for it – location, happy students, small classes, affordability – that it is inevitable that they l will keep receiving more applications. Our youngest is still several years away from having to think about college admissions but I think he will be a great fit for St. Mary’s. I just hope that St. Mary’s doesn’t get too competitive before then.

[Anonymous]

Location has to be the worst for St. Mary’s. Hours from civilization and an airport is no fun for OOS kids. And a decent SLAC can’t be a second rate in state only option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few rooms in one of the old buildings. Out of thousands of rooms, I don’t think it’s a big deal at all.

Last year it was 3 buildings. They say only certain floors, but come on now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Location has to be the worst for St. Mary’s. Hours from civilization and an airport is no fun for OOS kids. And a decent SLAC can’t be a second rate in state only option.

LOL. SMCM is in a beautiful location and at 1.5 hours to DC, is much closer to "civilization" than many other small LACs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few rooms in one of the old buildings. Out of thousands of rooms, I don’t think it’s a big deal at all.

Last year it was 3 buildings. They say only certain floors, but come on now.

Last year was the wettest year on record in this area. UMD wasn't the only school with similar issues. The school has installed dehumidifiers in all rooms so should not be an issue again even if we happen to get such a ridiculously rainy year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Location has to be the worst for St. Mary’s. Hours from civilization and an airport is no fun for OOS kids. And a decent SLAC can’t be a second rate in state only option.

LOL. SMCM is in a beautiful location and at 1.5 hours to DC, is much closer to "civilization" than many other small LACs.

We visited Sewanee and there is less civilization around than we even imagined. The town itself is very small (not much there besides the college and a small downtown area) but the next closest town (Monteagle) is a sh!thole. No Traget/Walmart type store, the only "supermarket" is an overpriced Piggly Wiggly, one good place to eat (Mountain Goat Market), etc. Nice campus but now off the list. We're taking location more seriously now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm also optimistic about our in state options improving

I predict a bright future for umbc and St Mary's

St. Mary's has been going in the tank each year. Claiming to be an honors college hasn't help. UMBC seems to be a great college, but is basically a glorified commuter school.

Towson has been the status quo for decades. Same with Salisbury (although their status quo is much lower)

It's fine, better than going into debt just to get four years of a fun college life. Pay now or pay later.

[Anonymous]

My DD is a second year at SMCM and it's been a great choice for her. We are in DC, so we are OOS, but DC TAG helps. Plus she got generous merit aid guaranteed for four years. We were looking at private SLACs, including many that were in remote locations (except they were a plane ride/rental car away). She loves the size of SMCM, the culture, her major, her teachers and advisors, the campus, basically everything. I wish that there was public transportation to DC, but now that she's older she can carpool with friends etc.

It's an excellent option if you are looking for a SLAC without the $65K price tag.

[Anonymous]

Salisbury is “much lower” than Towson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Salisbury is “much lower” than Towson?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salisbury is “much lower” than Towson?

Yes.

Test scores are much lower at Towson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salisbury is “much lower” than Towson?

Yes.

Test scores are much lower at Towson.

ACT . 25-75
Towson 20-25
Salisbury 20-25