Maryland Residents - What are your in-state safeties?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Here are our public 4-year colleges. At our house we are pretty stumped about which would make worthwhile safeties. (I've noted why in parens after each name.)</p>

<p>Bowie State University (no challenge)
Frostburg State University (no challenge)
Coppin State University (no challenge and HBCU)
University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (no challenge, HCBU)
Morgan State University (no challenge, HCBU)
University of Baltimore (no freshman)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (tech focus, not social sciences, commuter school)
University of Maryland, College Park (way way way too big, but could be a last resort)
Towson University (our alma mater, bleh)
St. Mary's College of Maryland (most likely the best of the bunch for son, but located in the middle of nowhere)
Salisbury University (seems OK to me in a plain and simple way, but H is [irrationally] against it based on his bro's bad experience in the '80s)</p>

<p>So, if you live in MD are you using any of these as a safety? If so, which one(s)? And why?</p>

<p>As far as I know, none has an auto-admit policy for kids with a minimum SAT and/or GPA and/or class rank. So nothing is a sure thing here. I wonder if any of our publics are guilty of rejecting over-qualified kids when they can tell the app is for safety purposes. </p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

2

<p>UMCP was our S's safety and in spite of getting accepted to some top ten universities chose to study at MD.</p>

<p>If your s is a top student, he'll undoubtedly get invited to the Honors program which will make the university seem much smaller. They are also very generous with merit $ and AP credit.</p>

<p>edit: I doubt that UMCP will reject any "over qualified" student. They didn't reject ours.</p>

3

<p>There was no way on Earth I was going to UMCP ("way way way too big"), so my only safety was UMBC.</p>

<p>It has great Scholars</a> Programs, a -much- smaller campus and student body, an apparently top in the nation chess team, and a very proactive President, among other things of course.</p>

<p>I actually applied early to UMBC to be eligible for the Scholars Programs. All my friends thought I was crazy - telling them it was a safety to which I applied early. :p</p>

4

<p>Dougbetsy: another low-cost option that may or may not be a safety for your son could possibly be SUNY Binghamton in NY....they are actively seeking OOS students and is approx $25,000/year all in for OOS.....check the numbers, but it may be a better fit than those mentioned....</p>

<p>If stats are not competitive for Binghamton, you could look at the other SUNY colleges as well.....</p>

<p>FYI, do not look at the stats for in-state students; much higher criteria in-state than OOS.....PM me if you want more detailed info; we are in NJ and I have specific stats that were admitted from our school....about 6 students will be attending next year....</p>

5

<p>Yeah, that's the problem with Maryland. Outside of UMCP, there's really nothing. Some schools have specialties but offer no brand name: St. Mary's for liberal arts, Towson for pre-professional, UMBC for science, Salisbury and Frostburg for education.</p>

<p>Although Maryland Higher Ed offers a lot in need-based aid that can be used at JHU, Loyola, St. John's and Washington.</p>

6

<p>I using UMCP as a "fallback" (Mom made me choose an instate public college) because it has a physiology major and good East Asian courses. It was the only college that is evenly distributed in my areas on interest (biology/physiology/anatomy) and East Asia in Maryland. </p>

<p>As a "fallback", I'll go there ONLY if I don't get in to any of my schools in California (preference) or Brown, Harvard, Amherst (or if they don't give me enough money).</p>

7

<p>[url=<a href="http://www.vjc.edu/?%5DStevenson"&gt;http://www.vjc.edu/?]Stevenson&lt;/a> University - Home<a href="Formerly%20Villie%20Julie%20College,%20VJC">/url</a></p>

8

<p>Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I see we're not the only ones in this boat. </p>

<p>We'll look at the suggestions you made. Although, I have to say Stevenson is a very long shot. It's only a few miles from home, so despite its efforts to the contrary, we still consider it a girls-commuter-school-for-horsey-type-wannabes. Plus my employee just got a masters there and regretted every minute of his enrollment. Poorly run.</p>

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<p>My friend is actually a girl there...who does army ROTC. LOL. I totally see what you mean though. I know a guy who goes there...that must suck for him! LOL</p>

10

<p>S1 used UMD as his safety, both academic and financially, but it was a school he was also willing to seriously consider attending. (He followed the love thy safety rule and applied it to everywhere he applied.) UMD is VERY eager to take top-notch kids and offers lot of merit-based FA to attract them. When we were at their love-fest last September, the admissions person told us that roughly the top 25% of their applicant pool gets at least some merit $$. S was accepted at two top ten schools and got a full ride from UMD -- they are not going to turn away strong candidates based on whether or not they think you'll come -- they are too interested in building their reputation. Remember that in order to be considered for scholarships, you must get Part I in by 11/1 and Part 2 by 12/1.</p>

<p>Funny you should mention St. Mary's College of MD...S2 (a rising junior) and I visited recently. It was his first college visit. They are very interested in recruiting IB students and are quite generous with credits and scholarships specifically for IB certificate or diploma candidates. S2 thinks he might like small LACs, so this was a great way to establish a benchmark in his mind for visits to other schools. This might turn out to be his academic/financial safety, as his stats are likely to fall above their 75% range.</p>

<p>He will probably apply to UMCP, but thinks it's kind of big for him. However, it's early in the game and he may decide that he can find what he wants there. Heaven knows we know plenty of kids who are there with merit money and advanced standing who absolutely love it.</p>

<p>RE: Salisbury -- our neighbors have a D at Salisbury and she loves it. Her brother will probably follow in a year.</p>

<p>Krypton -- we know several kids who applied to UMBC early in order to be considered for Meyerhoff and the other merit awards. They were happy to have an early admittance, and the Meyerhoff student we know is VERY happy.</p>

11

<p>The Marylander's dilemma...besides the price of crabs, and who cares about gas?</p>

<p>We are evaluating these and like UMBC as our commuter school. It has a good reputation, is pretty competetive, and is a financial safety. Towson is closer for us, but for a variety of reasons, UMBC is a better choice for D. I do know someone who has lived on campus, but was an athlete.</p>

<p>I am hoping my D will like St. Mary's. I know it is remote, but both DH and I went to remote schools and made lives for ourselves, and she is pretty outgoing and can probably make it fun. I would not consider it a safety for us, based on the stats I've seen from her independent hs, but I <em>think</em> she will get in, her stats are higher than the average who got in this year.</p>

<p>Salisbury...many kids I know, great kids, who did not get into UMCP, are going there and are very happy. My husband has the old 'rep' in his head. Still thinking about this one...it would be a 'safety' she might be really happy with (what is not to like about being near the beach?) Financially, it is a safety for us also.</p>

<p>UMCP - my D liked it...it is on our list. Very big, not appealing to DH and I. From the data from her HS, it looks like she has a high likelihood of getting in. So, I guess that is a safety, but with the economic situation being as it is, things could get even more competetive next year and I could be wrong.</p>

<p>As for rejecting overqualified kids, I saw some strange things on Naviance. I did see a few inexplicable red x's in strange places in scattergrams for UMCP. Not the highest, and surely the lowest, but some oddballs in between. For St. Mary's, I saw some odd waitlist symbols...like the applicant with the highest stats was a waitlist. But, I have no idea what courseload that person took. Nothing strange on the Towson graph, or the Salisbury graph, or the UMBC graph. No data for Frostburg, UMES, Bowie, Coppin, or Morgan.</p>

<p>Also, for UMCP, several were accepted for Spring, not Fall.</p>

<p>Hope this helps a little.</p>

12

<p>I agree.
Bleh, Maryland Schools.</p>

<p>I'm only a rising junior, but I think I'm going to apply to Salisbury as a safety. I visited there with my older sister this spring and overall, I thought that it was okay. Nothing bad about it but nothing great about it either. I also briefly visited Frostburg (aka drove by and stopped for like a minute) and thought that it was pretty below mediocre. Something about the mountains and the typical weather is just depressing.</p>

13

<p>I had this dilemma too, but ended up applying to UMCP as my safety. As for the concern of it being too big, I definitely felt that too, but I know two of my friends ended up attending the University of Maryland Honors College (one on full scholarship!) which provides a smaller atmosphere and carves you a place in the larger campus.</p>

14

<p>What about Loyola, Goucher, College of Notre Dame of Maryland?</p>

<p>UMCP honors program...now that is a fine program to be accepted to.</p>

15

<p>Another option Maryland families should consider is your local community college. Montgomery, Frederick, Anne Arundel, Howard CCs have very good reputations and active honors programs. Each system sends a lot of kids to the Beacon Conference, an academic symposium for Mid-Atlantic community college students. Most of the CCs offer guaranteed transfer programs and unique scholarship opportunities with UMCP, UMBC and Towson.</p>

16

<p>
[quote]
What about Loyola, Goucher, College of Notre Dame of Maryland?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Oh, we have private schools on the list of possible safeties. Definitely Washington College, Mt. St. Mary's, and Loyola (safety/matchy). I think those would be plenty if we could only find a public safety to love. </p>

<p>I thought CND of Md is a women's school. Not anymore? Interesting.</p>

<p>Goucher does nothing for any of us.</p>

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<p>College of Notre Dame is female-only for its day programs</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Another option Maryland families should consider is your local community college. Montgomery, Frederick, Anne Arundel, Howard CCs have very good reputations and active honors programs. Each system sends a lot of kids to the Beacon Conference, an academic symposium for Mid-Atlantic community college students. Most of the CCs offer guaranteed transfer programs and unique scholarship opportunities with UMCP, UMBC and Towson.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Absolutely a viable option. The beauty of CC is that he wouldn't have to take action on applying/registering until spring of senior year. By then he'd have his answers from 4-yr schools and know whether CC is necessary. </p>

<p>We're in Carroll and I believe CCC is pretty good, too. They even have an exchange program with Frederick CC and (I think) MSM. No, wait. Maybe McDaniel (like Stevenson, also in our backyard) has the exchange with MSM. </p>

<p>:-)</p>

19

<p>I used UMDCP-</p>

<p>Alot of people I knew from high school used, and ended up at towson-It seems lke a pretty cool college town, decent academics, etc...</p>

20

<p>For anyone else who is looking at Maryland privates...a friend's D went to CND -- absolutely loved it. Had average SAT scores, decent grades, wanted to play her sport. She started on varsity all four years, graduated summa cum laude, and has been doing fabulously well in a highly competitive, male-dominated industry.</p>