UMD Reputation

<p>I'm from Maryland so UMD, for me, has never been thought of too highly because it's just my "local state school." What sort of reputation or prestige does UMD have outside of Maryland, just curious.</p>

<p>Well I’m from a school outside Boston, very few people got into UMD for the fall here…and of the people I know going from surrounding communities, they are VERY good students, athletes, members of the national honors society, etc. It has a good reputation at least in my area.</p>

<p>I’m from New York and U of Maryland- College Park has a great reputation here. I was accepted but can’t afford to go unfortunately, I would’ve loved going. I know a lot of really outstanding people who are going in the fall and others who have gone and graduated from around here. I know others who didn’t get in and it was very upsetting. So, here on Long Island, U of Maryland has a really decent rep!</p>

<p>My daughter got accepted to Brandeis, Berkeley, UC San Diego…4.7 gpa…and is going to UMD.</p>

<p>I turned down Johns Hopkins for UMD.
Our class saludictorian did not get in and is going to Columbia. (I don’t feel like that’s normal though)</p>

<p>Yeah, that local state school reputation thing is interesting. Remember, local students feel pretty much the same everywhere. We are from Virginia and my S felt that way about Virginia Tech and UVA, which are very well respected schools everywhere. Recommend you figure out if UMD is the right fit for you and don’t worry about reputation.</p>

<p>UMD’s has become more prestigious over the years. In NJ 20 yrs ago it was almost seen as a safety school for the rich kids. Today it is seen as a very competitive school. It is has become common that many of the kids put this on their reach list. In my mom’s neighborhood, people call her and ask her how our DS got in. This yr 5 of her friends grandchildren applied, 2 got in, 1 got spring, 2 got rejected. </p>

<p>In VA the kids that get accepted also get into UVA (number 2 in the nation), people who get rejected from UVA get rejected from UMD.</p>

<p>It is more competitive for OOS, since they only accept about 30%. Next yr with the economy in the mess that it is, I am sure more In State students will be applying and the applications will break another record number. LY they had 28K for 4 K spots, TY they were close to 29K, I am betting next yr it will be 30K. What that means to all of you is they will be taking higher academic students, and thus it will become more difficult to get into and thus more prestigious</p>

<p>Yeah I have heard it’s getting tougher and tougher to get in.</p>

<p>State schools are mixed bags. </p>

<p>There will be the out-of-staters there because it has a marginally better reputation than their own state school (I would say UMD has a better rep than most state schools, excepting of course the very well known ones - UMich, Berkeley, etc.). There will be out-of-staters whose state schools are relatively prestigious but wanna get away from their hometowns while not breaking the bank.</p>

<p>There will be in-staters who turned down Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, CalTech, MIT, etc. for big scholarships (or, in some people’s cases, barely any scholarship at all - but MD is still half the price stock).</p>

<p>There will be some stupid people who came to party and barely got in.</p>

<p>Certain programs at MD are especially renown (engineering, comp sci, being 2 of many) and will land you amazing starting jobs, even without amazing GPAs.</p>

<p>In the end, though, ask around about what department you’re interested in. Sit in on a few recommended classes. Think about if the educational and extracurricular opportunities are what you want. If MD is a fit for you, let me tell you it is prestigious enough - if you are a good student at MD, decently involved, with good test scores (if applicable), you will compete on equal footing with anyone in a similar boat at someplace more prestigious for grad school and careers. Undergrad prestige is not really useful, practically speaking. A good GPA is a good GPA, no matter where you get it.</p>

<p>If you are really interested in the numbers, though, you can compare avg. test scores for admitted students at MD with those at other area state schools (Rutgers, W&M/UVA, Penn State, UConn, UDel, etc.). You can look at rankings for your specific program. But I do not think employers look at these things. Name of the school doesn’t make the resume. MD is certainly not a no-namer, anyway.</p>

<p>Just added this university to high potential of applying list, I think it’s reputation is very good.</p>

<p>I think that it can be seen as good, but the people that I am generally around (living in MD of course) see it as a super-safety, not costing much money. I’m going here because family can’t afford to send three kids out of state. So the adults that I come into contact with, so many went to UMD and so many seem to think of it highly, but of the kids I’m around, they generally look down upon it, because it is the “state school.”</p>

<p>umcp11,</p>

<p>Thanks that’s great insight not only for UMD, but all state schools.</p>

<p>im from NY and UMD has a great rep here as a competitive and good school. I can see where people who are from MD dont look at the school as highly bc i do the same to my state schools.</p>

<p>I don’t know where in Maryland PresidentDunn is from, but not too many people in Maryland consider UMD a “super safety.” Lots of kids are surprised each year by their rejections and lack of scholarship money. Usually the very best students choose Maryland (College Park) or UM Baltimore County and the safer schools are Towson and Salisbury. Sorry, a bit off original post.</p>

<p>I would suggest people who are interested in seeing acceptances ranking go back and look at the acceptance/rejection thread, I bet many of you iS will be shocked at the rejection resumes! If you think UMDCP is safety, I would say re-visit this premise and see Towson as the safety.</p>

<p>I have said it before and will restate it again, within the last 12 months the stock market lost 30%, that means your parents who saved for 18 yrs have less funding for OOS or private, so where fo you go? IS! If the top of your class is applying than UMD will take them over you. Look at this is a pure imperical value. They will probaluy have 30K applicants for 4K students, even if they accept 10K students that means you need to be in the top 1/3 of your class. Are you taking all AP’s, what your EC’s like. The whole student is looked at.</p>

<p>UMCP’s reputation outside the state is strong and getting stronger. The Honors program is a huge success sending many students off to top graduate and professional programs. It’s international recognition is on par with UVA and UNC which puts the school in excellent company. The thing about UMCP is that it’s on a trajectory to become a top 10 public university and should get there within the next decade. </p>

<p>IMHO, Mote’s leadership has been a very good thing for the university. He has raised huge sums of money for the development of academic programs and has been able to attract top talent in both research and teaching. Our s and I recently had an opportunity to meet him and thank him for his efforts on behalf of the university. He took a genuine interest in talking with our s about his perceptions of the university.</p>

<p>Cal’s loss is our gain.</p>

<p>MD is the most prestigious state school in MD, out of quite a few. So of course it is not a super safety for the majority of people.</p>

<p>It depends on who your peers are, though. I was surrounded by the mentality that UMCP is a “super safety” in my classes, so I see where you’re coming from. After all, a good number of people in my class went off to Ivies. And others to CalTech, MIT, etc. However, many (including myself) got accepted into these schools but chose to go to MD instead. So, safety or not, the make up of the student body is not one of a “safety” school in terms of academics…but rather a “safety” school in terms of finances… </p>

<p>These people calling MD a “super safety” are usually quite snobby in my opinion. And the snobby will come off in job interviews, trust me, and it will be quite off-putting.</p>

<p>UMD is good, but well, it’s not at the top by any means.
If you’re looking for a good, solid school in MD it’s by far the best pick.</p>

<p>If you want to stay local the reputation is great, but more than 500 miles away you’ll start to have a recognition problem.</p>

<p>kill where are you from?</p>

<p>Recognition is a grad school thing.</p>

<p>For undergrad, degree, grades, resume, and interview skill is what matters.</p>