<p>I'm a rising junior in high school and At the moment my top two appear to be Maryland and Southern Cal. I am going to visit both but I'd like to get some opinions from you guys as well. Some about my college preferences:</p>
<p>Planning on majoring in business
Prefer warmer weather
Nice dorms/food would be a plus
Nice athletic facilities (basketball courts, tennis courts, work out facilities, etc) for the entire student population to use
The cheaper the better (UMD is instate for me)
Good athletics (for watching and club/intramural for playing)
Able to drive there and back once a year to bring stuff there and back
Nice campus
Partying is existent but not a must
Good internship possibilities</p>
<p>I'm sure I left some out but that is certainly most of them.</p>
<p>Some about me:</p>
<p>3.9 UW GPA
haven't taken the SATs yet but I took a practice one as a freshman and scored around an 1800. So I'm hoping to at least break 2000.
8 APs and mostly everything else honors when I graduate
4 year varsity athlete (1 year captain)
300 community service hours
job one summer
not many other ECs unfortunately</p>
<p>I haven't gotten in or even applied yet, but based on this post and your own experiences, which do you think is better for me? I'll take any information you've got. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Generally speaking, UMD definitely seems like the more logical choice between the two given your criteria and also the price difference. Over 4 years, the difference in cost between the two schools, which may add up to as much (highest estimate) as 120K and, frankly USC isn’t worth that nearly that much more than UMD. Plus, UMD is a great school with a lot of offerings in many areas. </p>
<p>However, if you really are interested in USC or really get interested in the school over the next year, since you are a rising junior, there are things you could do to make it more equitable with UMD on the price side. USC offers a 1/2 tuition scholarship to students who are National Merit Finalists, so make sure you are prepared and do well on your PSAT this upcoming year. With that, the schools prices will be closer to the same.</p>
<p>Orange, to get NMF, all you have to do is score well enough on your PSAT this upcoming year to qualify as a National Merit Semifinalist. Once your a semifinalist, they just check your grades (will not be a problem for you) and as long as they are OK, they give you finalist status. </p>
<p>Now to be a semifinalist, your score on the PSAT needs to meet a minimum cutoff which is set based on the state you live in (Maryland and Virginia are more competitive than say South Carolina and Kansas and etc). Maryland’s cutoff score on the PSAT will probably be close to 220 (like Virginia) but this varies based on year and could be either lower and higher. Since you mentioned that you got a 1800 without studying for the test when you were in the 9th grade, I think a little bit of studying could get you in that range. From my experience, I took the SAT at the end of 8th grade (unfortunately it was a real and not a practice SAT, I was stupid to do that) and scored a 1300 old scale, which is pretty similar to your 9th grade score. But after some studying, in junior year I made the NMSF cutoff with 219 and got a 2300 (1500 old scale) on my SAT. I’m sure it could be the same for you too.</p>
<p>If you are interested in SC, id aim for NMSF, but remember there isnt a whole lot of pressure (outside of a few schools NMSF isnt worth anything) so don’t worry yourself about it or stress out. You’re lucky to have a great instate choice with Maryland.</p>
<p>Yikes, 8th grade? That must have been a pretty rough environment.
If a 219 is similar to a 2300, I’ve got some studying to do haha.</p>
<p>Luckily for both of us, Maryland and Virginia are both great state schools. How did you enjoy your first year at UVA? I visited and have done a few sports sleep away camps there. It is a very very nice place but unfortunately for me its not worth the extra dough over Maryland.</p>
<p>I’m not going to stress myself over the PSATs. I’m going to start studying at the beginning of the school year for the SATs and hopefully by then I have put in enough time for the PSATs. Luckily I am in a good enough financial situation to not have to base my decision solely on cost (my siblings went to WashU in St Louis and Rochester with little to no merit money) and my parents will cover the undergraduate costs. However, it means I would have to foot the bill for grad school if I decide to take that root. Half tuition would essentially be an equalizer though!</p>
<p>Barq45, I respectfully disagree with your statement that (outside of a few schools NMSF isnt worth anything).<br>
OP: both UMD and USC are very good schools. Depending on your family’s financial situation, USC, with the combination of merit and need base aid, can be a lower cost option to you. If you end up getting NMSF and eventually become a National Merit Finanlist, then there are many more options open for you and you shall take time to take a closer look at those opportunities.</p>
<p>Note: You shouldn’t call USC “Southern Cal”. “Cal” usually and traditionally refers to UC Berkeley, so “Southern Cal” may imply that USC is a public school or a branch/affilatecampus of UCB, which are both wrong. I personally prefer USC or “SC”.</p>