Anonymous wrote:U.MD has the 9th highest SAT scores among public universities . It has more national championships and more Nobel, Academy Award, Emmy, Pulitzer, Fields Medal Alumni than any school in the ACC.
U.MD alumni invented :created/founded the following
Google, Oculus Rift, The Hybrid Engine, The Muppets, Seinfeld, The Wire, Sirius Satellite Radio, Underarmour, The implantable defribulator , the first large screen stadium television , Pulse Dopplar Radar, The first oral contraceptives, The Octane System, Linear Programming, the miniature insulin pump, early warning epilepsy device , The Universal Product Code ( the bar code), broke Watergate.
Crap .. U.MD grads even syndicated Baywatch, Founded Outback Steakhouse , wrote Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Apollo 13, created Boondocks and Liberty Meadows.
Not to mention Culture icons like Connie Chung, Boomer Esiason, Scott Van Pelt, Robyn Quivers, Gayle King, Juliana Rancik, Carl Bernstein, Dianne Weist, countless national news anchors and reporters.
U.MD alumni have had more impact on the economy, culture and everyday life in a massive way. I don't see anything close in any other public university in the East.
Not to mention it's located inside the nations capital beltway with soon to be 2 metro lines. It has installations of NOAA,FDA,Homeland Security, National Archives, NSA, NASA, Raytheon, American Physics Insitute on campus and a ten minute metro ride to the national mall. The FBI will be nearby as well. Unparalleled convenient internships.
Anonymous wrote:Name 5 things invented by a UVA grad in the last 100 years.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:DC, who has been in private and public schools, graduated from a big MCPS this year and has just started at a top Ivy that I'm sure OP would be happy for her kid to attend.
Here's what we have seen:
- Lots and lots of DC's friends got money, including full rides, to go to UMD and other schools like Temple. I don't consider this a "failure" at all. These were middle class families that needed the money to do college at all. It's been discussed here ad nauseum that FA is hard to get if your family earns more than $50K, and almost impossible to get if your family earns over $100K. The Ivies don't offer merit aid or FA for family income under $120K. For these middle class families I'd definitely call the UMD merit aid package a "success."
- 4-5 of DC's close friends turned down top Ivies that OP would probably love for her kids to attend. I've heard of more kids in this position but I don't know the particulars. This is because they got money, including full rides, at places like Fordham and Georgetown. Again, not a failure in the least, more like a big success.
- Going to private high school is no guarantee that your own particular kid will go to an Ivy. DC has kept in touch with classmates who are in local privates like Sidwell, NCS, Landon and Bullis. It's important to realize that these schools select kids for their top test scores and athletic ability. A much larger percentage of these classes will be applying to Ivies, and your kid will be competing directly against NMSFs and athletic recruits. Sidwell asked about legacy status in DC's year, but in general it's likely that your kid will be competing against more legacy kids in any of the top privates. Also, a much higher percentage of private school kids will be applying ED to ivies with the expectation of being full pay there, and being ED and full pay are huge advantages in admissions.
Turning down a top Ivy to go to Fordham seems ridiculous to me when you consider the advantages over the long run.
Anonymous wrote:There is a huge difference between choosing UMD or community college versus having no choice because you can not get into any school other than UMD or a community college.
I agree that with soaring tuition more people will opt for state school making it more competitive and harder to gain acceptance. Its already starting but many people who just assume that their B/C kid will be able to go to UMD will be in for a very rude awakening.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The Washingtonian or Bethesda Magazine recently published this. It was disturbing. Not aiming for Harvard but community college or UMD is not OK.
You're putting the University of Maryland at College Park in the same category as Montgomery College? Why?
UMCP is very competitive for in state students AND don't forget some kids don't have the luxury of 4 years at a private college or university. MC provides two years of cost effective instruction and the ability to transfer. I think we will see more and more people choosing the community college option -as costs continue to skyrocket.
This might be true, but IMO, it lacks a "true college experience". I wouldn't want my child to go to UMD, and at our private school (not a Big 3) it's considered a failure to go to UMD.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The Washingtonian or Bethesda Magazine recently published this. It was disturbing. Not aiming for Harvard but community college or UMD is not OK.
You're putting the University of Maryland at College Park in the same category as Montgomery College? Why?
UMCP is very competitive for in state students AND don't forget some kids don't have the luxury of 4 years at a private college or university. MC provides two years of cost effective instruction and the ability to transfer. I think we will see more and more people choosing the community college option -as costs continue to skyrocket.
This might be true, but IMO, it lacks a "true college experience". I wouldn't want my child to go to UMD, and at our private school (not a Big 3) it's considered a failure to go to UMD.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are multiple recent long threads on this - both in the MD forum and the private school forum.
If your kid is Montgomery College material then going to private school isn't likely to change that.
Starr is on record saying that the new curriculum's goal is to prepare students for community college. This would be a huge achievement for a significant percentage of MoCo students. Everyone else can just figure it out.
Anonymous wrote:There are multiple recent long threads on this - both in the MD forum and the private school forum.
If your kid is Montgomery College material then going to private school isn't likely to change that.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The Washingtonian or Bethesda Magazine recently published this. It was disturbing. Not aiming for Harvard but community college or UMD is not OK.
You're putting the University of Maryland at College Park in the same category as Montgomery College? Why?
UMCP is very competitive for in state students AND don't forget some kids don't have the luxury of 4 years at a private college or university. MC provides two years of cost effective instruction and the ability to transfer. I think we will see more and more people choosing the community college option -as costs continue to skyrocket.