DH went to UMBC and graduated in the mid-2000s. He has a close knit group of friends from college who all lived on-campus or in off-campus apartments. He knew some people who went home every weekend, but most of his friends did not. He had a great college experience and I've never heard him complain about the lack of campus life. I think UMBC has become less of a commuter school in recent years. He was a STEM major and I think that UMBC is a great MD state school option for that.

Anonymous wrote:umbc= u made a bad chopice

Fail.

umbc= u made a bad chopice

Top notch computer science program

It's still a bit of a commuter school but better than years past. I would choose Towson to get more of the 4 year college experience.

Good luck to your DC, OP.

Op here. I do appreciate all of the responses, and we are aware of the possibility of going to Mont College for 2 years and transferring out, but he is ready for a 4 year college (at least as ready as any 18 year old could be!). He studies and takes high school seriously, he is just not an "A" student (and has gotten some "C's" in math, with which he struggles). When did a B average become sub-par Anyway, he has taken a couple of AP classes and has a college track course load, and I think he does fine - back when I applied to college he would have been a perfect candidate for UMCP, but it has gotten very competitive. Thanks again and we will definitely give Towson a strong look.

Anonymous wrote:OP - has he considered CC to UMCP route? Sometimes it gives kids time to mature.

I know you are trying to be helpful, and that may be a plug for CCs and a great option if he wants to end up at UMCP, but why is every kid who has average statistics presumed to need "time to mature"? The fact that a kid couldn't get into UMCP doesn't mean he is immature. It may simply mean there were other applicants with higher GPAs and board scores.

I Graduated from UMBC back in 1990 (Math and Computer Science). I know it's been a long time but it was a fabulous school back then and as far as I can tell it's only gotten better. I worked two summer internships that I found using the school's placement office and I started working full-time as a software engineer the second I graduated - also using the school's job placement service. I actually had the offer letter in my hand by spring break of my senior year. I went on to earn an MS from Johns Hopkins while working full time.

It was very much a commuter school back then although about 20% lived in dorms and quite a few others lived off-campus. One of the things I loved about the school was the diversity and age-range of the student body. I studied with so many people who were already working full-time in the field. I made so many professional contacts and stayed in touch after graduation. When I came across students from other schools, they seemed so juvenile compared to my classmates.

The world is different today but I loved that school and I would send my kids there in an instant. I HOPE my kids choose to go there. Of course, I concentrated in the math and science fields but what a great place to learn.

OP - has he considered CC to UMCP route? Sometimes it gives kids time to mature.

I took some grad classes there after going to private colleges for undergrad and grad and was pleasantly surprised. The education I received there was just as good at the private, more expensive schools I went to. I've heard that it is trying to change it reputation as a commuter school but I agree that Towson might have a more established on campus life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS has a 3.2 gpa at a "W" high school. SATs are about 1050 but he is retaking them in Nov and hopefully will bump above 1100. School counselor said it is unlikely that he would get into UMCP, and not even very likely he'd get into UMBC but he stands more of a chance there. State schools like Salisbury and Frostburg don't appeal to him that much because of the rural settings. He will also apply to Towson. But my question is whether UMBC is mostly a commuter college, or do a good percentage of students live on campus or in off campus apartments. It is hard to get a sense from the stats since a large number of students may live in off campus apartments so the stats on students living in dorms would not accurately reflect how many live at college vs at home. TIA.

I work with a lot of people who recently graduated from UMBC. It's definitely still a commuter school, but it's slowly getting better. The kids that went there received a good education, but really didn't have the typical college experience.

+1. If your son wants the whole college experience I'd urge him to consider choosing Towson.

The stats I got in an alumni letter yesterday pointed out that 75% of last years freshmen live on campus. I think discouraging first year parking on campus really helped with that.

I went there 15 years ago as a commuter school and have been back. It has changed quite a bit. Still a place for nerds to study snd smart people to find other smart people. I recommend it.

Anonymous wrote:DS has a 3.2 gpa at a "W" high school. SATs are about 1050 but he is retaking them in Nov and hopefully will bump above 1100. School counselor said it is unlikely that he would get into UMCP, and not even very likely he'd get into UMBC but he stands more of a chance there. State schools like Salisbury and Frostburg don't appeal to him that much because of the rural settings. He will also apply to Towson. But my question is whether UMBC is mostly a commuter college, or do a good percentage of students live on campus or in off campus apartments. It is hard to get a sense from the stats since a large number of students may live in off campus apartments so the stats on students living in dorms would not accurately reflect how many live at college vs at home. TIA.

I work with a lot of people who recently graduated from UMBC. It's definitely still a commuter school, but it's slowly getting better. The kids that went there received a good education, but really didn't have the typical college experience.

DS has a 3.2 gpa at a "W" high school. SATs are about 1050 but he is retaking them in Nov and hopefully will bump above 1100. School counselor said it is unlikely that he would get into UMCP, and not even very likely he'd get into UMBC but he stands more of a chance there. State schools like Salisbury and Frostburg don't appeal to him that much because of the rural settings. He will also apply to Towson. But my question is whether UMBC is mostly a commuter college, or do a good percentage of students live on campus or in off campus apartments. It is hard to get a sense from the stats since a large number of students may live in off campus apartments so the stats on students living in dorms would not accurately reflect how many live at college vs at home. TIA.