Our DD did not get into UMD this year. She did not like the feel of UMBC when she visitied. She is okay with Towson, it was better than I expected with lots of new construction. Salisbury was a definite no and she would not even visit Frostburg.

She has received merit aid from several OOS schools that brings the cost down close to in-state, including places like Miami-Ohio and Alabama.

Anonymous wrote:So so many OOS flagships with incredible merit. Makes it the cost of UMCP or cheaper.

The other plus - you don’t have to live in a crappy dorm in College Park, Md. - head out and trying new places and things is what college is all about.

UMBC is the 2nd best. Towson okay. St Mary’s has great aid but is soooo boring. Salisbury, Frostburg are about as red as you can get.

Which OOS flagships? St. Mary’s aid is not great. Lack of money is one reason the school is in decline.

So so many OOS flagships with incredible merit. Makes it the cost of UMCP or cheaper.

The other plus - you don’t have to live in a crappy dorm in College Park, Md. - head out and trying new places and things is what college is all about.

UMBC is the 2nd best. Towson okay. St Mary’s has great aid but is soooo boring. Salisbury, Frostburg are about as red as you can get.

UMBC is an excellent option for a student who plans to study science

My dermatologist and the parent of my kid's friend who is a hand surgeon both went to UMBC undergrad -- both appear to be doing quite well and are great doctors!

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the replies. No idea of major yet; he wants to go to medical school, so a school with strong pre-mesadvisinh would be great.

UMBC is an excellent option. Consider LACs that award merit aid as well, e.g. Juniata.

Lots of in state privates with good merit aid too.

I met a wonderful pre-physical therapy student from UMBC. Very sharp. She pointed out that non-biology majors have a hard time getting into lab sections, though. She had to do some of her lab classes elsewhere as a non-science major.

I think that UMBC and Towson are the two schools that are the most similar to UMD. I don’t know much about Towson but I was also very impressed with UMBC. If my DC had not gotten into UMD, they probably would have happily ended up at UMBC.

I also have one at St. Mary’s. It is a very different school than UMD but a great fit for my 2nd who wanted a liberal arts college with small, experiential classes. I think St. Mary’s is especially strong for biology and environmental studies because of its proximity to the river. It seems that there are quite a few pre-med students there so it might be something your son to look into.

UMBC impressed us when we visited. I used to think of it as a commuter school but they have done a ton of building since I was there many years ago.

Towson
UMBC
St. Mary's
Salisbury
Frostburg

OP here - thanks for the replies. No idea of major yet; he wants to go to medical school, so a school with strong pre-mesadvisinh would be great.

UMBC is not a bad option. What major?

OP you might also consider other small private colleges out of state that might discount tuition to attract students or give enough financial aid to be comparable to going in-state.

Looks like our son's scores per Naviance will not be high enough for UMCP. For others in the same boat, have you found other in-state schools that are an "almost as good" substitute? Interested in first-hand stories about UMBC, St. Mary's, and other schools that kids have attended after being rejected by UMCP. Thanks.