Hey Guys,
I am new to the forum. So, I have been accepted to both of the universities UMD and UMBC, got about same financial packages but I got into the Gemstone Honors Program for UMD but nothing from UMBC. I want to pursue a pre-med track with bio degree. UMD is 45 mins of drive while UMBC is 5 min from my home. I will be commuting. I generally like both schools. PLEASE HELP!!!
If you’re commuting, 45 minutes is a lot of time. College don’t do block scheduling either, so it would be a lot of sitting around/wasting gas if you went to UMD.
UMBC might be further down in the rankings, but I don’t think you’d be sacrificing much by choosing to attend - both schools have placed graduates in very respectable med schools. Keep in mind that prestige doesn’t matter as much for med school admissions as GPA and MCAT score. Pick the school where you think you will perform the best!
If you think that the 45 minute commute will affect your GPA, go with UMBC. If you think the sheer size of UMD will affect the attention professors can allocate to you, go with UMBC.
Conversely, if you think that UMD will provide more opportunities for learning, a better MCAT score, etc go with UMD.
Similar costs mean that the choice is really up to you, go to the admitted students events, see what feels right. Good luck!
What if I live on campus for UMD then would it be better?
@confused002: If you live on campus at UMD, and the added cost is not too much of a hindrance, I would go with UMD, personally. But you can’t go wrong with either one.