Its not really, just my kid feels like its a commuter school. Although she did like it when we visited in 2024.
You can find your way into engineering with just a grad degree in engineering, but every engineer I know has recommended that if you think you might want to be an engineer at the time you are starting college, you should try it out then. You are not committed but it is just easier that way and sometimes you just get your undergrad degree and are on to a successful career.
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I mean, over 4K live on campus - and it’s not a big school.
At many schools, kids live off campus after first year.
UMD has 9600 beds. I don’t know if all are undergrad but if they are and there’s 30608 students - 31%. UMBC 29%.
I don’t know the school well and I’m sure it’s a more local crowd than UMD - but statistically it’s not really any different.
In the end, study what you want - and where it’s affordable.
Did the student look at SUNY ESF? It seems like it’d be up their alley…
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Accept a spot on the waitlist and hope that W&M underyields overall and for students like you (same major, etc.). Waitlist admission should be considered a high reach.
What major is your preferred one? If somewhat undecided, or looking at a school where you are not in your preferred major, investigate how difficult it would be to change into your preferred major or others of interest.
Yes, they considered and now have regretted not applying to SUNY ESF. So I guess off the table now.
Right, UMD and UMBC are similar schools and eng is good at UMBC. These are all close & familiar. We can always check out UMBC again before we make a final decision.
I am not normally in favor of premature transfer discussions, but in this particular context, I would note that undergrad engineering programs are usually pretty intense with the engineering kids having lots of bonding experiences, and I suspect the experience at UMBC would be pretty satisfying IF they ended up liking engineering.
If they then didn’t like engineering and were not very excited about UMBC otherwise, they could likely consider transferring at that point, to a St Mary’s or whatever at that point made sense for their evolving academic interests.
Of course they could also go to any of UVM, RPI, or Pitt, but they are obviously all quite a bit more costly.
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Why is it off the table.
You can apply RD.
That’s why I mentioned it.
Application priority filing date is Feb. 15
Most high school students apply to ESF under Regular First-Year Admission. The Admissions Committee begins review of the application only after all supporting materials are received, so submit all required items as soon as possible after applying. Applications received after Feb 15 will be considered on a space-available basis.
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Thanks! We def will check out ESF again, though not sure we would get a response before May 1.
I think wherever they go, they will likely figure it out & end up enjoying being there. We arent trying to transfer. Just trying to figure out where is best.
some schools respond in a day…same day…so you never know. Toss it in, see what happens.
But I love the attitude - and you’re right - any student can be happy at multiple schools.
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My question, how are you planning to pay for those schools? The max you can take out in student loans is $27k. Are your parents able to pay 200k plus to go to one of these schools? That amount of money could financially strain doctors and lawyers. For undergraduate, the bank account tells you where you’re going.
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OP wrote this.
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Good question, all schools may have $5.5k loans, but not sure. Pitt at current price is too high.
I will have them look into ESF though I think they will says let me just chose from what I already have.
For what it’s worth, I was up at UVM this past weekend with my admitted son (Biomedical Engineering) and I will say that the situation with downtown has definitely improved over the last year and a half or so. I even talked to a few business owners to confirm. We walked all over and saw very little of the homelessness/drug use issues that were rampant a few years ago. I think it’s making a swing. I am a '00 UVM Alum and absolutely loved my time there. It’s a great school, and they did an awesome admitted student day w/ engineering lab tours, etc with my son. Just something to keep in mind. Best wishes!
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Every US student is eligible for federal loans if they filled out fafsa, it’s not school dependent.
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Thanks! We are headed to UVM in a few days for an admitted students event for engineering… I also have been to Burlington recently, it seemed OK?
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I believe this is true for most schools, except for William and Mary. Since 2020, William and Mary has offered guaranteed spring admission to every waitlisted student who enrolls in community college or studies abroad through Verto in the fall. My daughter has chosen this path and is thrilled about studying in Spain. She even received a grant to cover the costs. A friend who lives in another state and was waitlisted at the University of Tennessee is also going through this process.
Here are a few institutions that offer direct channel admission to waitlisted applicants: Boston University, Case Western Reserve University, Lehigh University, Loyola Marymount University, Southern Methodist University, Syracuse University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Pittsburgh, University of Richmond, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of South Carolina, and William & Mary. Richmond and Syracuse University also extended this offer to my daughter.
The only difference is that William & Mary offers it to all waitlisted students, including an option in every letter and a link to enroll. Without the assistance of this forum and perhaps her initial invitation from Syracuse after being waitlisted, we may have inadvertently overlooked the significance of this offer. This isn’t one of those cases where someone is trying to dispute that many of these institutions are simply rejecting students. I do believe they are, but I also believe there is no space, and it’s really just a way of minimizing lawsuits for qualified students. It’s more nuanced, especially for these 30 institutions on the Verto website, particularly William and Mary. The waitlist isn’t a rejection; it’s really a redirection to a different path or college experience.
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Deleted.
Thank you for this. I will let my child know, though I think they may already be aware of it. It does sound like a good way to enter a school you were waitlisted at!
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We are thrilled and we will be flying to Virginia this Friday. We sent emails to her regional advisor and the Financial Aid department, and they invited us to visit William and Mary. Their responsiveness to our emails and inquiries has been truly commendable.
If you want to know more ample information is available on the William and Mary website that explains the process and the rationale behind Verto. We scheduled a one-on-one meeting with the liaisons for William and Mary and Verto. She was exceptionally helpful and responsive to our questions. Additionally, there is a representative for students taking the community college Spring Pathway.
This partnership is truly wonderful, and I never felt that our daughter was not an integral part of the William and Mary Spring Pathway process. Although she will be transferring her grades and technically considered a transfer student, she does not need to reapply or redo her Common App as other transfers.
In May, for students who were not removed from the waitlist but plan to participate in the William and Mary Spring Pathway, they will be required to sign a non-binding agreement stating their intention to enroll at W&M in the spring. The only stipulation is that they must maintain a 3.0 GPA and complete 12 credits. They are also allowed to drop classes as long as they have 12 credits remaining.
In rare circumstances, students can transfer with less than the standard requirements. It is advisable to reach out to them for further information.
Furthermore, in November, after midterm grades are submitted, students who participated in William and Mary’s Spring Pathway will receive their William & Mary acceptance letter, which is separate from the Spring Pathway and predates regular transfers. My daughter was particularly thrilled to receive this news. After students receive their November acceptance letters, they will also have the chance to choose housing and potentially select their roommate. By the way she also received her Fall acceptance letter via email for the William & Mary and Verto abroad program. My daughter also thought it was cool.
I firmly believe that William and Mary view waitlisted students as an integral part of the enrollment process.
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Very helpful! Sounds like I need to plan a trip to Williamsburg in the next two weeks!
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