May 1st College Decision Day - Parents of HS Seniors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing that has been mentioned by several other posters, for those of us who grew up in MCPS during the 80's and 90's thought UMCP was a joke. Basically everyone who applied got in. That's not to say that they didn't have some very good programs and very bright students, especially engineering. It's very hard to wrap your mind around the huge change in admissions for UMCP. Many parents my age with kids in high school can't really get that out of their minds. Maryland really should be like other states that require the school to admit a percentage of students from the state. It's supposed to be our "flagship" school.

And yet their ranking remains similar to Ohio State. I still don’t understand why people are trying so hard to get into a 2nd tier state school.

Ohio state is rising too. But let’s see… maybe people want to go there because it’s a fraction of the cost of lesser ranked private colleges, in a blue state, close to a fun city, close to home for emergencies. Plus not to mention some top 20 programs (e.g. computer science).

US News’s subject rankings for UMCP LEP are not great. CS #38, Engineering #110, Chemistry #191. CS was unusually strong compared to the rest of the departments: most rankings look like they are in the three digits.

It just seems to me that if the point is to save money, might do just as well attend community college and then transfer, or consider Towson, Shady Grove etc. Why struggle to get into a 2nd tier state school where most programs including LEP seem poorly ranked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing that has been mentioned by several other posters, for those of us who grew up in MCPS during the 80's and 90's thought UMCP was a joke. Basically everyone who applied got in. That's not to say that they didn't have some very good programs and very bright students, especially engineering. It's very hard to wrap your mind around the huge change in admissions for UMCP. Many parents my age with kids in high school can't really get that out of their minds. Maryland really should be like other states that require the school to admit a percentage of students from the state. It's supposed to be our "flagship" school.

It's already 76% in-state.

If that's the case, why isn't UMCP accepting our best and brightest? I know a lot of kids who didn't get into Maryland but got into Michigan, Wisconsin etc.,

They are. MoCo students make up 37.5% of the in-state undergraduate population, while MoCo is only 17.5% of the population.

Also remember that many of the best and brightest are accepted but choose to go elsewhere.

Why is it so hard for people to wrap their heads around the fact that Maryland as a whole produces far more top-notch students than UMD-CP can take?

You’re cherry picking data.

The PP is showing relevant data. You just are unhappy with what they show. But it can be true both that UMD-CP is very hard to get into and that MCPS is overrepresented there relative to the number of students who graduate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People talking about GPAs don’t understand how UMD’s admissions have been strongly about test scores and rigor of courses for at least a decade. You will hear about kids with “lower” GPAs being accepted over “higher” GPAs, but you can’t see what classes they actually took and what their AP/IB scores are. You also don’t know what major they applied to. If you desperately want to go to UMD, don’t apply to an LEP program, especially CS, which will flat out reject everyone who isn’t in the top 500 (or whatever their current target is) applicants.

LEP Programs at UMD:
Biochemistry
Biological Sciences
Business
Chemistry
Computer Science
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Engineering
Immersive Media Design
Neuroscience
Psychology

So a huge portion of the majors where kids are likely to be able to get a job following college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing that has been mentioned by several other posters, for those of us who grew up in MCPS during the 80's and 90's thought UMCP was a joke. Basically everyone who applied got in. That's not to say that they didn't have some very good programs and very bright students, especially engineering. It's very hard to wrap your mind around the huge change in admissions for UMCP. Many parents my age with kids in high school can't really get that out of their minds. Maryland really should be like other states that require the school to admit a percentage of students from the state. It's supposed to be our "flagship" school.

It's already 76% in-state.

If that's the case, why isn't UMCP accepting our best and brightest? I know a lot of kids who didn't get into Maryland but got into Michigan, Wisconsin etc.,

They are. MoCo students make up 37.5% of the in-state undergraduate population, while MoCo is only 17.5% of the population.

Also remember that many of the best and brightest are accepted but choose to go elsewhere.

Why is it so hard for people to wrap their heads around the fact that Maryland as a whole produces far more top-notch students than UMD-CP can take?

You’re cherry picking data.

The PP is showing relevant data. You just are unhappy with what they show. But it can be true both that UMD-CP is very hard to get into and that MCPS is overrepresented there relative to the number of students who graduate.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing that has been mentioned by several other posters, for those of us who grew up in MCPS during the 80's and 90's thought UMCP was a joke. Basically everyone who applied got in. That's not to say that they didn't have some very good programs and very bright students, especially engineering. It's very hard to wrap your mind around the huge change in admissions for UMCP. Many parents my age with kids in high school can't really get that out of their minds. Maryland really should be like other states that require the school to admit a percentage of students from the state. It's supposed to be our "flagship" school.

And yet their ranking remains similar to Ohio State. I still don’t understand why people are trying so hard to get into a 2nd tier state school.

Ohio state is rising too. But let’s see… maybe people want to go there because it’s a fraction of the cost of lesser ranked private colleges, in a blue state, close to a fun city, close to home for emergencies. Plus not to mention some top 20 programs (e.g. computer science).

US News’s subject rankings for UMCP LEP are not great. CS #38, Engineering #110, Chemistry #191. CS was unusually strong compared to the rest of the departments: most rankings look like they are in the three digits.

It just seems to me that if the point is to save money, might do just as well attend community college and then transfer, or consider Towson, Shady Grove etc. Why struggle to get into a 2nd tier state school where most programs including LEP seem poorly ranked.

#16
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings

#18
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/eng-rankings

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing that has been mentioned by several other posters, for those of us who grew up in MCPS during the 80's and 90's thought UMCP was a joke. Basically everyone who applied got in. That's not to say that they didn't have some very good programs and very bright students, especially engineering. It's very hard to wrap your mind around the huge change in admissions for UMCP. Many parents my age with kids in high school can't really get that out of their minds. Maryland really should be like other states that require the school to admit a percentage of students from the state. It's supposed to be our "flagship" school.

And yet their ranking remains similar to Ohio State. I still don’t understand why people are trying so hard to get into a 2nd tier state school.

Ohio state is rising too. But let’s see… maybe people want to go there because it’s a fraction of the cost of lesser ranked private colleges, in a blue state, close to a fun city, close to home for emergencies. Plus not to mention some top 20 programs (e.g. computer science).

US News’s subject rankings for UMCP LEP are not great. CS #38, Engineering #110, Chemistry #191. CS was unusually strong compared to the rest of the departments: most rankings look like they are in the three digits.

It just seems to me that if the point is to save money, might do just as well attend community college and then transfer, or consider Towson, Shady Grove etc. Why struggle to get into a 2nd tier state school where most programs including LEP seem poorly ranked.

UMD Engineering is #16 for undergrad programs that also offer a doctorate (far cry from #110): https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate?_sort=rank&_sortDirection=asc
UMD CS is #19 for undergrad: https://cmns.umd.edu/news-events/news/top-20-undergraduate-computer-science-program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing that has been mentioned by several other posters, for those of us who grew up in MCPS during the 80's and 90's thought UMCP was a joke. Basically everyone who applied got in. That's not to say that they didn't have some very good programs and very bright students, especially engineering. It's very hard to wrap your mind around the huge change in admissions for UMCP. Many parents my age with kids in high school can't really get that out of their minds. Maryland really should be like other states that require the school to admit a percentage of students from the state. It's supposed to be our "flagship" school.

It's already 76% in-state.

If that's the case, why isn't UMCP accepting our best and brightest? I know a lot of kids who didn't get into Maryland but got into Michigan, Wisconsin etc.,

They are. MoCo students make up 37.5% of the in-state undergraduate population, while MoCo is only 17.5% of the population.

Also remember that many of the best and brightest are accepted but choose to go elsewhere.

Why is it so hard for people to wrap their heads around the fact that Maryland as a whole produces far more top-notch students than UMD-CP can take?

You’re cherry picking data.

I think the issue is more in comparing UMCP to other state schools that accept a greater proportion from in state. If UMCP was mandated to accept a certain proportion of students from Maryland higher than they accept now than more Maryland students including Montgomery county could get in. Others states accept a higher proportion of in state students. My thought is since we pay taxes to help fund UMCP, Maryland should increase the proportion of in state students it accepts. From the incredible statistics of rejected MCPS students it is fair to say that UMCP could still have a very talented student population while accepting more students from in state.

[Anonymous]

A prior poster said that UMd already has 78% in state. If that’s true, that is almost on par with NC and CA in state requirements. UMd is not the University of MoCo. There are lots of talented students statewide and in every school in MCPS. Every county/high school should be represented if they qualify. It is easier to be a big fish in a smaller pond like St Mary’s County or a NonW school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A prior poster said that UMd already has 78% in state. If that’s true, that is almost on par with NC and CA in state requirements. UMd is not the University of MoCo. There are lots of talented students statewide and in every school in MCPS. Every county/high school should be represented if they qualify. It is easier to be a big fish in a smaller pond like St Mary’s County or a NonW school.

Agreed.

I live in MoCo but grew up in VA in a semi-rural area. I attended UVA in the 90s...friends from Fairfax County would tell me that many talented students didn't get in to UVA then. I'm sure it's even harder now for UVA. Compared to NoVa students, I was not prepared academically.

Just as UVA can't take everyone from N. Va and Richmond suburbs, UMD can't take everyone from MoCo and Howard. It's only going to get tougher for some high schools/counties in Maryland. UMD already takes >75% in-state.

[Anonymous]

How is the expected enrollment cliff going to affect UMD in the next five years? There was a drop in babies born after the 2008 financial crisis. But, I 'm thinking this area was not so affected?? Maybe fewer OOS kids applying in the future, though.

Has anyone heard UMD officials discuss this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Senior Parents are you happy with the college decisions? Did MoCo schools help or hurt them in the process?

Ask in 3 years when thousands of MCPS grads end up back at Montgomery College.

Ouch! But also not wrong.

Why Montgomery college? Cheaper or free tuitions? Or failing grades?

Failing grades.

The kids who took the hardest classes and have high test scores that they submit as part of their college app are not failing out of college in droves. Perhaps those who had high gps but took mostly on level courses and honors and had lower test scores they opt not to submit in college apps are? Because the high gpas without test scores included makes them look for academically capable then they really are?
In any case, very alarmist reply!

[Anonymous]

University of. Maryland now has some sort of affiliation for the sexual harassment scandal from mcps. Our tax dollars go to people that support harassment in the workplace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Senior Parents are you happy with the college decisions? Did MoCo schools help or hurt them in the process?

Ask in 3 years when thousands of MCPS grads end up back at Montgomery College.

Ouch! But also not wrong.

Why Montgomery college? Cheaper or free tuitions? Or failing grades?

Failing grades.

The kids who took the hardest classes and have high test scores that they submit as part of their college app are not failing out of college in droves. Perhaps those who had high gps but took mostly on level courses and honors and had lower test scores they opt not to submit in college apps are? Because the high gpas without test scores included makes them look for academically capable then they really are?
In any case, very alarmist reply!

Sure. But you're underestimating how many kids have high GPAs and take IB/AP courses and do poorly on AP/IB tests and still get an A or B classroom grade.

So no, it's not alarmist if you actually look at the data. Classroom grades are not well aligned with standardized test scores. There are lots of kids taking AP classes who are earning As and yet ending up with 1s or 2s on the exam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Senior Parents are you happy with the college decisions? Did MoCo schools help or hurt them in the process?

Ask in 3 years when thousands of MCPS grads end up back at Montgomery College.

Ouch! But also not wrong.

Why Montgomery college? Cheaper or free tuitions? Or failing grades?

Failing grades.

The kids who took the hardest classes and have high test scores that they submit as part of their college app are not failing out of college in droves. Perhaps those who had high gps but took mostly on level courses and honors and had lower test scores they opt not to submit in college apps are? Because the high gpas without test scores included makes them look for academically capable then they really are?
In any case, very alarmist reply!

Sure. But you're underestimating how many kids have high GPAs and take IB/AP courses and do poorly on AP/IB tests and still get an A or B classroom grade.

So no, it's not alarmist if you actually look at the data. Classroom grades are not well aligned with standardized test scores. There are lots of kids taking AP classes who are earning As and yet ending up with 1s or 2s on the exam.

Not a lot. It's only your made up narrative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m just affirmatively angry about the way the UMCP treats McPS grads. We pay at least as much or more taxes to support that school and they make the bar almost impossible for McPS grads. I don’t know if there is some way to put political pressure on someone to change this. I’ve seriously thought about moving to another county for senior year so my kid has a fair shot but can’t bear to make my kid move.

FWIW, my oldest is in a top private and feels extremely well prepared by McPS.

A reminder - of the 31k undergrads at UMD more 10k are Moco kids. The next two counties are Howard and PG with 3k each. There is no different treating of mcps kids. Not everyone from every W school can get in - just like kids get denied from River Hill in Howard and Eleanor Roosevelt in PG.

That doesn’t say much. I’d love to know the stats broken down by county of accepted students, then compare that to the population of the county, and of those that applied.

You can explore UMDs data here:
https://www.irpa.umd.edu/
Under reports you can find enrollment maps.

I took a quick Look at your question for in-state undergrad enrollment % compared to total population %.
Montgomery 8811 (37.5% in-state) vs. 17.1% state population
Howard 3184 (13.4%) vs. 5.4%
Prince Georges 2707 (11.5%) vs. 15.1%
Baltimore County 2232 (9.5%) vs. 13.4%
Anne Arundel 1810 (7.7%) vs. 9.5%

Montgomery county is over represented by 20% of undergraduate enrollment compared to our % of the state population. I wouldn’t be so quick to advocate for a flat % from each high school in the state being admitted to the state flagship.

What I think is more murky is that it is likely much harder to get into UMD from Whitman than Wheaton. Certainly within schools discretion to have a cap on admissions by HS. Home school kids at magnet schools also disadvantaged.

You 100000% have a better chance of getting into UMCP from Wheaton than Whitman with the same resume.

Everybody races to go to the W schools until the kids all give each other anxiety disorders and its actually harder to get into college.

Please provide real evidence