Anonymous wrote:What are family finances like? Private schools have more scholarship money to give and often end up being cheaper than state schools.

+1 a first gen Latino student would be highly sought after by SLAC's in PA, OH etc.

Oh wait, I read MC as MCPS. Nevermind.

Anonymous wrote:If you go to MC and get a B average, you get automatically admitted to UMCP.

Not true anymore. It is getting very competitive. It's still a safety for kids aiming for ivies, but not for anyone else.

If you go to MC and get a B average, you get automatically admitted to UMCP.

Anonymous wrote:Some schools are easy to get into ~ hard to get out of

I would put Frostburg in this category, not sure about Salisbury.

Very low graduation rates, both of them.

Frostburg=depressing. Visit and you'll see for yourself.

have you and your student been to the colleges? Taken a tour?

I've visited Fristburg twice recently and the campus and infrastructure seems tired, worn and dated. Very old dorms that look shabby. Not an attractive campus. Kind of depressing, really, to include the surrounding communities.

Some schools are easy to get into ~ hard to get out of

I would put Frostburg in this category, not sure about Salisbury.

What are family finances like? Private schools have more scholarship money to give and often end up being cheaper than state schools.

My DD was not admitted to UMD, so she went to Salisbury and is enjoying it so far. She had a 4.0 and APs in HS and was accepted at Wisconsin, Ohio St and lots of other semi competitive schools, but I don't have the coin and refused to let a girl with a bright future get mired in debt. She can reapply to UMD later with good grades, but is enjoying it, got a scholarship, and I must say the campus is nice.

Are either of the two better than ODU?

I recently heard about a program at Towson called the Freshman Transition Program. You live on the Towson campus but are in classes taught by Community College of Baltimore County professors for one to two semesters and then transfer into Towson. You have to be invited into the program after you apply. It seems to be for kids who have potential but now that Towson is harder to get into (60% acceptance rate) don't quite make the cut for regular admission.

We toured both Frostburg and Salisbury. I found Frostburg nicer than I thought it was going to be. But it is very isolated and much colder than DC. It is more diverse than most of state schools. I heard the university president on NPR last year talking about their programs to curb alcohol use, and it sounded like they were making a dent in the partying atmosphere.

Like others said, Salisbury is harder to get into. The campus looked nice with nice dorms. The beach is only about 30 minutes away.

Thank so much for all of this helpful info (op here). To clarify, the student has applied to a mix of public and private colleges, a combo of reach/probable/safety. But without knowing what financial aid packages he will receive and where he will be admitted, we are trying to make sure that he stays interested in a couple of in-state options since those will likely be the most affordable and seems likely acceptances based on his stats. I think Towson would be the best in state fit for him, I just don't know if he'll be admitted. I think the small privte colleges in Maryland like McDaniel would be somewhere he could thrive, but being admitted is a stretch and then affording it another stretch. Thanks again.

I am from Maryland. I went to UMCP.

I know many very successful people that have gone to frostburg, salisbury, McDaniel (which was called Western Maryland) and Towson. I also know some very good students that are currently in all of these schools. I would not call these students slackers, or bad students. Mostly UMCP is too big.

All are good sound choices for schools.

The only considerable difference is that frostburg is cold and the kids go skiing and at salisbury they are near the beach and go to the beach. Kids who want a city experience go to Towson.

Kids that can't get into UMCP and want a big school experience aften can get into WVU. Also I know a few kids that did get into UMCP but thought WVU was prettier and wanted to be near wide open spaces.

I also know some kids that have gone to CC then to UMCP. I would say these kids are extremely responsible and care ALOT about how much their parents are paying for college. This is rare. I would not send a lost soul to CC and hope they make it to UMCP.

Salisbury has gotten some donations from Perdue and they have been putting money into their business school .

I also know some kids that are going to Mount St. Mary's and St. Mary's (2 very different schools).... once all was said and done, they are paying a few thousand (2-4) more than the state school thanks to merit scholarship and financial aid.

I also have a nephew who did not want the big school experience, went to UMBC, worked for PWHC, now is working on the hill and applying to grad school.

There are lots of options. It comes down to where the child feels he belongs.

Anonymous wrote:St. Mary's?

St Mary's is much more competitive than the other 2 for admissions. Once there, it's a very nice small school atmosphere. But there is definitely partying.