interesting chats have me looking for in-state MD options

[Anonymous]

I've had 3 recent conversations with colleagues/neighbors at high-priced schools. I asked each if they would go the expensive route if they had to do it over again. The families are at different stages - one mom's daughter just graduated from a school in Boston, another has a daughter at Smith and another at another pricey school, and another has a daughter who's a freshman. The only one who is finding the high sticker price worthwhile is the mom with 2 kids - she said she'd pay the money for one of the kids, who wasn't as much of a self-starter, but thinks the other one would've been fine elsewhere.
What I heard is that at least some families don't find the $70+k prices to provide a decent rate of return.
That has me wondering if my kid should recalibrate a bit. My kid already planned to apply to the Univ. of Maryland. But I don't know anything about UMBC and St. Mary's, or other options. Anyone have kids who went there in the past 5 years or so? Would love to know more. My kid is in a magnet program and wants an academic challenge.

[Anonymous]

Great question, I am in the similar line of thought. I suggest you post your question in the college discussion forum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've had 3 recent conversations with colleagues/neighbors at high-priced schools. I asked each if they would go the expensive route if they had to do it over again. The families are at different stages - one mom's daughter just graduated from a school in Boston, another has a daughter at Smith and another at another pricey school, and another has a daughter who's a freshman. The only one who is finding the high sticker price worthwhile is the mom with 2 kids - she said she'd pay the money for one of the kids, who wasn't as much of a self-starter, but thinks the other one would've been fine elsewhere.
What I heard is that at least some families don't find the $70+k prices to provide a decent rate of return.
That has me wondering if my kid should recalibrate a bit. My kid already planned to apply to the Univ. of Maryland. But I don't know anything about UMBC and St. Mary's, or other options. Anyone have kids who went there in the past 5 years or so? Would love to know more. My kid is in a magnet program and wants an academic challenge.

UMBC feels like a coomunity college, and St. Mary is like SLAC, small and white.

[Anonymous]

Don't forget Towsen, Frostburg and Salsbury.

[Anonymous]

Is Saint Mary's College also part of the MD system. I am not clear on this.

[Anonymous]

And I assume your concern is UMDCP will not be challenging enough for your kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't forget Towsen, Frostburg and Salsbury.

Towson and Salisbury.

[Anonymous]

You can find private schools that are not 70+ per year and with merit aid bring the price down even more. Tough to get it down to the in-state level but can get close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is Saint Mary's College also part of the MD system. I am not clear on this.

Yes. St Mays of Maryland is a state school.

[Anonymous]

Have you spoken with anyone who has a child at one of the State schools? It is hard to know if the price tag of the expensive schools was worth it because you are only hearing from those who did not send their kids to public schools.

But yes, many many parents have decided that the pricey private colleges aren't worth the cost. That's why it is getting much harder to gain admittance to UMD compared with 10 years ago,

[Anonymous]

Remember that there are also many options that would cost a bit more than UMD but significantly less than $70K per year. A lot of OOS publics would probably come in around $40-45K if you're more comfortable with that price range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And I assume your concern is UMDCP will not be challenging enough for your kid?

LOL. My son was plenty challenged as am undergrad supporting the GEDI mission that launched to the International Space Station last year.

[Anonymous]

What does your kid want to study? That makes a difference. If engineering/CS then UMD is a fine choice. Maybe UMBC too.

Other than that, I don't think the state colleges are a good choice for an extremely bright kid who wants to be in an academic environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't forget Towsen, Frostburg and Salsbury.

Maybe Towson is worth some money, but I’d rather my kid go to community college than the other two.

[Anonymous]

My chlid wanted a SLAC and gave St Mary's serious consideration. We were not sure where its trajectory would take it though, given enrollment and budget concerns.

Anecdotally, UMDCP just seemed so big that your child will get very little individual attention. That may be true of all large state schools, and I think MD is a strong one. But there are many smaller schools out there that give generous merit aid and help kids make the transition from living home to adulthood. They have lots of caring adults around who notice if someone is falling through the cracks.