UMBC: easier to get into than College Park?

<p>Anybody know students at UMBC with less than stellar SAT's? Any info on UMBC, in general, would be appreciated. The last time someone posted in the UMBC thread was last August!</p>

<p>No doubt, it is easier to get into UMBC than UMCP...then again, there seems to be quite
a big difference between the schools.</p>

<p>What would you like to know about UMBC? I have a couple friends who go there so maybe i could help</p>

<p>We were there for their visit day, and my son dug it big time ha! Any info at all would be great...things that you can't tell just by walking around on campus, positive and negative. Biggest question of all: are most students happy there? If so, why are they?</p>

<p>A common mis-conception with out of state students - University of Maryland, College Park and University of Maryland, Baltimore County are not related, not regional/satelitte campuses. They are their own institutions, they just share the University of Maryland name. </p>

<p>UMD is a highly ranked national univeristy, UMBC is a 3rd tier rising university. Very popular among MD students as a secondary choice if they don't get into college park or don't want to go there.</p>

<p>I know some people who love it...and others who really hate it. It is typified as a "nerdy" school frequently and also that people go there because it offers much better financial packages than College Park does. Some people I know who go there love the close knit environment of the honors college and feel that their professors really care.</p>

<p>In Maryland (and from people I knoew who go there) UMBC is known as a commuter school. I'm sure it isn't true for everyone, but alot of people will stay at home or live in the city.</p>

<p>It is also known as a very good school especially for the sciences, premed, etc.</p>

<p>UMCP has the bigger name and it's harder to get into than UMBC. </p>

<p>However, consider this. Most of my HS goes to University of Maryland campuses. And in terms of the kids I know that went to UMBC, and those that went to UMCP? I don't see any obvious differences. I think the student body is just as smart and high-achieving at UMBC as at CP. UMBC attractd a lot of talented kids who are paying their way through college/don't have as much money because the scholarships and finaid are much better. It is just a totally different environment. It's less of a sports/party school, smaller, and more close-knit. Some people say it's a commuter school, but that has been changing rapidly in the past years. I know many people who live in dorms there and of course there is campus life for those that want it...however it's more typical to see a small group of students gathering in an apartment for a few beers there than the screaming, raging party scene in the frat houses at CP...of course, because CP is the flagship school, the difference in terms of student life aren't just defined by parties. With CP, more on campus programs/clubs are offered, and its easier to get into DC from CP than it is to get into Baltimore from UMBC for the nightlife/activities there.</p>

<p>As a freshman at UMBC, I can vouch for everything that inaslump said- I have definitely gotten a better, more "at home" impression from UMBC than CP. Why? Yes, we are a commuter school, I admit, but it has been changing- more and more people do stay at the dorms here over the weekends, and there are parties- just not as many as CP, and they are largely contained over to the apartments (but don't let that discourage you--you can have a social life outside of drinking). </p>

<p>In that regard, UMBC is much quieter than CP, and if you're one who prefers a more relaxed environment to having people screaming in your dorms at three in the morning (as my CP friends attest to)- you may want to consider us. Plus, don't let anyone ever say that CP's programs are academically superior to UMBC's---if anyone has any evidence of this, I'd love to see it.</p>

<p>The requirements from UMCP is higher and the acceptance rate is lower than UMBC. However, it doesn't mean that everybody who gets into UMCP are smarter than people from UMBC. Some people find it better to fit in in smaller schools than bigger schools. I know a friend who was accepted to both but chose UMBC with a special scholarship and he likes the program of study there more.</p>

<p>i know two friends who applied early action
my friend who got 16__ on the SAT was deffered but she got a 320 on math.
a friend who got 17__ got accepted tho.
so above 17__ to be safe
but hey,
also know a friend who got 1500 on SAT and accepted into Carnegie Mellon University. He was an amazing artist though!
so anything can happen!</p>

<p>The truth about UMBC and College park is that, yes they are indeed very different schools, but mind you they are under the same “University of Maryland system”.
I graduated from UMBC last year and currently i am in Harvard medical school.
I did a lot of searching before I decided on UMBC. College park is for student who are mostly computer science…their engineering program is very well as well as their business school. But for pre-meds, please please please do yourself a favor and do not go there because the admission to med schools is very tough now, and you can not move on with the limited amount of information you learn at college park’s lousy excuse for pre-med. UMBC’s pre-med, as in biology major (there is no such thing as pre-med) is much harder. I had friends who were taking organic chemistry at college park, and when i saw their work, i had to laugh. Their exams were our warm ups.
Also, you have to take into account that college park who is about 150 or something around that, while UMBC is only about 40 years old, yet when it comes to academics, they tie heads. That should tell you something about UMBC’s future.
Choose UMBC if you are going to actually study because there is no way around it (YOU CANNOT MISS CLASS!) and you are focused; on the other hand, if you want to experience college life to its max and if you have the engineering/ business/ comp majors, choose college park.
About which is easier to get accepted to, well, times are changing, so I would not know. But I got a full scholarship from college park and also got a lesser scholarship though was a Maryorhoff at UMBC. And I will tell you this much, UMBC played a major role to where I am standing now.
Best of luck :)</p>