<p>My son got accepted to LEP Smith Business and CP Scholars (he is not interested in Scholars.) His first choice is South Carolina, which he is leaning toward because
1. Getting away from Mom :)
2. Weather
3. Higher girl-to-boy ratio
4. He thinks the programs for business are comparable (which Mom does not.)</p>
<p>I was hoping against hope that Friday would be a pretty day and he would fall in love with the campus and there would be kids paying frisbee in the grass yadda yadda yadda. And now it's going to snow :( and be slushy and grey and cold. And I know when he goes to Carolina the end of the month it will be warm, sunny, and there will be girls in shorts. </p>
<p>We are waiting for the merit offer from Carolina, but I expect he will get instate tuition since he has good stats and they give good aid. </p>
<p>Can a parent who has been there/done that give any advice to this mom about how to keep the eye on the program and choose the best fit- even it is does mean letting go and watching my little birdie fly away? </p>
<p>^I don’t have an answer for you. My son has the same issue with Penn State - both visits were in bad weather. I guess he will have the same experience with Maryland now. His visit actually starts Thursday morning when he will be shadowing a student in his major, followed by an overnight stay and the Friday program. We don’t expect to see any frisbee on this trip :)</p>
<p>I do want to say that if your son got into the Honors College at South Carolina, that would be a huge plus (and should make his Mom feel much better about letting go). Also, they have a renowned International Business program, if that’s his thing.</p>
<p>I’m firmly in the Terp camp. Living 1-1/2 miles north of Columbia, I’m fairly familiar with the campus. IMO, there is no comparison between the business programs at the two schools. I’m sure he can get a fine education at USC, but he also needs to take into account the environs, the ability to get internships between the two locales…and it IS in the middle of SC…a far cry from being able to hop on the metro and go into DC. I have no doubt that it will probably be cheaper to go to SC, but he should also look at the overall #'s of the incoming class in terms of overall GPA, SAT scores, etc. IMO, his opportunities are much greater at UMD. Partying and girl opportunities are similar, and from what I’ve seen when I’ve been near campus on weekends is that the girls probably wear about the same amount of clothing at either place on Saturday nights…!</p>
<p>When he goes to Columbia, make sure and find out what there is to do outside of campus.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! He did not apply to the SC honors program, but his GPA would have been a little short. We are instate for MD. OOS for USC. I am anticipating he will be offered Capstone for SC (which he is interested in, due to the better housing) and I am not sure about the international vs. regular business. He is weak in foreign languages, so the international business may be an issue. He wants to double major in business and tech. It seems like MD has it all, other than it’s not far enough away. </p>
<p>He did get into Va Tech, which has one major that incorporates Tech and Business, but they didn’t give enough money. It’s $42,000 a year for OOS with fees and room and board, and he got $6,000 the first year only (not renewable.) It would have been a great option if the money was there. </p>
<p>We have told him that if the money comes through for SC (which I’m sure it will) that we want him to go where he will be happy and complete his degree, and we don’t want to push him into MD if he won’t be happy there- but it does sting a little bit that he is giving up a better program for climate and distance. I’m actually a little surprised that he got into the LEP with his stats (3.2 GPA, weighted 3.9. 9 AP’s 31 ACT 1950 SAT). I was thinking he would get in, but to letters and sciences, which would make USC a more viable option for a business major. </p>
<p>So that’s where we are. </p>
<p>Good luck to every family making tough decisions in the next few weeks/months. Here’s hoping all of our kids are happy come August! :)</p>
<p>“He wants to double major in business and tech.”</p>
<p>In that case, UMD wins hands down. Here are some links to programs you may or may not be aware of that address the dual interest of business and tech:</p>
<p>The first one is a three-year honors program, that you apply to as a freshman - being in scholars would give him an advantage in this process, so he shouldn’t be so quick to give up scholars…only students from business, engineering and cmns can apply
[QUEST</a> - Robert H. Smith School of Business - University of Maryland, College Park](<a href=“http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/quest/whatisquest/]QUEST”>http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/quest/whatisquest/)</p>
<p>The second one is a living-learning program that is two-year program (Kevin Plank of UnderArmour fame is one of the famous alum of the Hinman CEOs program)
[Mtech:</a> Hinman CEOs Program](<a href=“http://www.hinmanceos.umd.edu/]Mtech:”>http://www.hinmanceos.umd.edu/)</p>
<p>I get the whole gloomy day visit thing, but I have to tell you we visited a couple of campuses on gloomy days last year. In my typical embarrassing mom fashion, I randomly stopped students and did on-the-spot interviews. At one school, the kids answers were a reflection of the weather and they generally did not seem happy with the school. At Maryland, it was like a ray of sunshine. Were the kids wet? Yes, but not miserable. They were very enthusiastically happy to talk about how much they loved MD and all that it has to offer. So, don’t worry about poor weather conditions. Students’ love of UMD will overshadow any dark clouds in the sky.</p>
<p>By the way, FYI, we are not so bad looking here! Tell him to check our dance team, maybe he’ll like it after all, haha!
Really, We Are A Happy School! Out Spirit is the Best! Besides, we have plenty to do on bad weather, that will not stop us. Clubs, Greek, short trips, games and yes, of course, academics. He has the best combination of research, academics, sports and fun. Terps Rule!</p>
<p>I think you should bring him to the Maryland vs UNC game tomorrow
School spirit at its best!</p>
<p>Obviously in terms of academics/opportunities MD is the better choice. I know from experience that a lot of kids want to get away (I did too). I understand it, the thing is though he probably isn’t thinking long term but instead he is thinking about the right now (as evidenced by girls being a big factor).</p>
<p>I would just try and explain to him why it is that he is going to college after all.</p>
