<p>I got accepted to both of the programs at UMD and UMBC.
For UMBC Meyerhoff, I got into the first round, but since I haven't made my decision to go to one of which school, I'm not sure if I should continue to do it or not.</p>
<p>I'm not sure which one is better.</p>
<p>By the way, I am planning to major in science and/or math.</p>
<p>Help?</p>
<p>OP, have you visited both campuses? They are VERY different places. Do you want the full college experience? How important is cost? It all depends on how you define “better”. All other considerations aside, it’s no contest. Maryland is a top research university with a worldwide reputation.</p>
<p>First off, have you visited both? To me UMBC had a totally different feel than UMCP. If the typical college campus is important to you that is one point for UMCP. If you want team spirit that is another point in UMCP’s favor. </p>
<p>Overall UMCP offers a better education in my opinion but if money matters than you can also get a good education at UMBC and have money left over for grad school.</p>
<p>I was impressed with the 60 minutes interview of UMBC’s president recently and do feel like they are committed to their students and their education. They are trying very hard.</p>
<p>^^^ slower than Plumazul but obviously we have the same thoughts on visiting. It is a must.</p>
<p>You should probably visit first!</p>
<p>Free at UMBC is really hard to pass up imo. UMCP is not better than UMBC for your majors.</p>
<p>For science and math, you can not beat the UMBC offer of the Meyerhoff as far as cost, support and opportunities. Much more involved than UMCP’s honors. As the others said, visit both schools, if possible, try to do an overnight. They ARE two very different vibes for different types of students, You need to determine which program will fit you better, and which is the one you feel is the better financial value. </p>
<p>I would not recommend dropping out of either program until you do that research.</p>
<p>I think the Meyerhoff is a great opportunity and Meyerhoff students go on to get Ph.D.s in very impressive numbers. You would also be in a very cohesive supportive group with the opportunity for close relationships with your professors. I would visit and talk with other Meyerhoff students and take the offer very seriously. On the other hand, if you are offered a B/K scholarship and like a larger pond with nearly inexhaustible opportunities and a more classic college experience UMCP would be hard to pass up. This is, I think, especially true if your interests in Math are strong. The Math dept at CP is amazing with world class professors.</p>
<p>I have visited both campus, so I do know how both schools are like.</p>
<p>I just want to know which one would be the better program for me!!!</p>
<p>Gburg- What are your priorities in a school? </p>
<p>Cost?
Sports/Team Sprit?
Academics?
Size of he school?
Fit?
Dorm accomodations?
Food?
Something else?</p>
<p>When you visited the schools, which one did you like better, and why? What did you not like about BOTH schools?</p>
<p>Curious, do you go to Wootton?</p>
<p>The Meyerhoff program is very good, but so is UMD Honors. My daughter didn’t apply to Meyerhoff, but she received about a 75% scholarship at UMBC. She is more interested in UMCP though. </p>
<p>Check out this 60 minutes video about Meyerhoff, UMBC, and Hrabowski.
[Hrabowski:</a> An educator focused on math and science - 60 Minutes - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7388127n]Hrabowski:”>http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7388127n)</p>
<p>vlines- for now, i just want to know about academics. which program has more to offer me.</p>
<p>MDdad2012- I go to school in gaithersburg. I got some scholarships from UMBC too, and I have been more interested in UMCP too, just because it is a more difficult school to get in than UMBC. But now, I thought it would be a good idea to figure out which program can offer me more. & thanks for the link, I earned a lot of new info!</p>
<p>My D is a freshman at UMBC. She has a number of friends who are Meyerhoff Scholars, including a VERY BRIGHT student who graduated from high school in Gaithersburg last year. He is already involved in doing research this semester. He plans to eventually get his PhD. From what I have learned about the Meyerhoff program, it is truly an outstanding opportunity. To learn more about it, watch the 60 Minutes segment from last fall featuring Dr. Hrabowski, the President of UMBC.</p>
<p>UMD is a reputed research university, but do we know who is teaching the undergraduate classes? Sometimes, that could make a big difference. Some universities have many classes taught by TA or by foreign teachers, whose accents are incomprehensible (I am not questioning their knowledge). This is one factor that I would take into account in weighing between UMD and UMBC.</p>
<p>I would like to address the previous statement regarding TAs and foreign instructors teaching undergrad courses. My D did NOT have any TAs teaching any of her courses her freshman year at UMBC (with the exception of a comp sci discussion section). She had several “foreign” teachers her first year at UMBC. All had no problem whatsoever with language skills. Three of her courses were taught by full professors. One was taught by the Associate Director of the Honors College. Several of her instructors/professors taught at the college level for over 20+ years. She has two faculty mentors. Both are PhDs who graduated from Harvard.</p>
<p>One should also take into consideration the difference in class sizes when comparing UMBC and UMD. As a freshman, my D’s largest class was 45 students. Her smallest was 10. I know for a fact that many freshman classes at UMD have several hundred students in them.</p>
<p>I guess that depends on the major. When I last looked at the Rate My Professor website, a common complaint at UMBC was the high number of foreign teachers with heavy accents, particularly in life sciences and physical sciences. I was going to check it again, but the website is undergoing maintenance.</p>
<p>Also regarding the class sizes at UMD. That seems to be true for the lower level classes, but not as true in the upper level. Additionally if a student is in Honors, the H-level classes are much smaller.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>I am not familiar with the life sciences department. My D is majoring in comp sci and math. I assume that both those departments tend to have a higher percentage of foreign teachers. As I mentioned in my previous post, she has not had any problem with foreign teachers that were difficult to understand. However, she does get instructor recommendations from her faculty mentors, as well as other students, before selecting which class section to enroll in. By doing this, she can avoid some of the instructors with a reputation for being difficult to understand. She also reads the ratings on Rate My Professor. These can be somewhat misleading. One of her favorite instructors (physics) received absolutely abysmal ratings on Rate My Professor.</p>
<p>fyi, ourumd.com generally has a lot more info on UMD profs than Rate My Professor. It’s not good for comparing two schools, but seeing the statistics on grade distributions, etc. is very helpful. Remember that people are significantly more likely to go to the effort to sign on and complain than they are to praise, so that’s why you have to take them with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>@umdclassof80
Thanks for the information! And I have watched the video last time and it was great! I am still looking forward to visiting both schools again, and specifically ask them about these two programs. But the real experience stories from both programs definitely help a lot!</p>
<p>UMD Honors vs. UMBC Meyerhoff?? </p>
<p>I don’t understand the title of this thread. They are apples and oranges. There is no program like Meyerhoff at the flagship campus. Meyerhoff has a mission and method and if you think you or your student could benefit from the method, then by all means look into it. But it is NOT for everyone. I would have suffocated in a program like that. Others need the close contact and structure and will thrive in Meyerhoff and programs like it. So my advice is: Instead of comparing programs that DON’T compare, make sure you understand your own needs fully before making a life changing choice.</p>