WHERE are you getting this??? I’ve never heard of any college not admitting gap year students! In fact, they like gap students - they give the college a more diverse and mature student body. (Perhaps you’re thinking about deferred enrollment - when a student takes a year off after accepting an offer of admission . . . but that’s something entirely different from what you’d be doing!)
And, frankly, I cannot imagine any scenario in which you wouldn’t be admitted to a Maryland college, even if it’s not College Park.
If you’re counting on honors college scholarships to help pay your costs at UI, you’d better find out the value of those scholarships. I saw several listed, but could not find the amounts.
And I’m going to be blunt here . . . your parents led you straight in the wrong direction by insisting that you apply to unaffordable out-of-state schools. And now they’re saying that a gap year is out of the question? I guess my only question is who’s paying for that exorbitant UI tuition - you or your parents? If they’re expecting you to take out private loans to cover that cost, then it’s time for you to put your foot down and say “no”! Even though they’d have to cosign, your name on those loan papers puts your future at risk. If they’re covering the cost themselves, then I guess they can make whatever stupid decision they like. But if they’re expecting you to pay for it, you need to think twice about what you’re getting yourself into.
Um, the criminals in Baltimore won’t be migrating to College Park 30 minutes away. You’re not an international, so that you don’t know that is bizarre.
What county are you in? All of the community colleges in Maryland are very good, and some are positively excellent. If you don’t want a gap year, then go to one of the community colleges that you can commute to, and transfer later to UM-CP or UM-BC for Comp Sci or to Towson, Salisbury, Frostburg, or St. Mary’s for something else.
Happykid hated UM-CP because of the size, and didn’t care much for UM-BC because of the location. She transferred to Towson after two years at Montgomery College-Rockville and was very happy there. Her high school friends who ended up at other MD public universities were very happy with their choices. There is no reason whatsoever for you to feel like you have to flee Maryland just to get a college education.
1.) I mentioned a list of gap year friendly colleges in a post I made on August 25.
2.) My parents and I are going to talk to my guidance counselor. My dad believes that I may have a chance of getting wait-listed at UMD - College Park for this fall semester. I, on the other hand, think that I will have to take a gap year and apply for the spring semester.
Despite how much I don’t like living in Maryland, I am now aiming for UMD - College Park because of its cheap in-state tuition and good computer science program.
On the slight chance that I do not get accepted into UMD - College Park, I might study at the University of the Philippines because of how I don’t have to pay for my education. (UP is paid for by the government.)
The reason why I said “might” is because there is also a chance that I will be denied from that school. (I do not meet all of the general admission requirements.)
If I have no more options, then I may only end up with a high school degree. T___T
If I understand you correctly, you’re saying that there’s no way for criminals in Baltimore to get in the College Park area because they’re kept in the Baltimore prison. 1.) Criminals can go wherever they want to once they get out and 2.) Baltimore criminals are not the only ones Marylanders are looking out for. Like I mentioned earlier, there were kids in College Park that had drugs and guns.
I’m not trying to sound harsh, so I apologize if it does sound that way when you were reading this comment. It’s just that I’ve pretty much lived in Maryland my whole life and know what happens here. In fact, the most recent crime that happened other than the Freddie Gray riot is how my teachers got robbed outside my school.
2.) I don’t know what you mean by this: “You’re not an international, so that you don’t know that is bizarre.” What are you referring to? And yes, I am not an “international”; I am a “Marylander.”
BTW, that listed you posted (and it was APRIL 25, not August 25! ) pertains to deferral policies for students who have accepted an offer of admission, but choose to defer their start date for a year. It has NOTHING whatsoever to do with post-high school gap years for students who have not yet accepted an offer of admission. A deferral of enrollment and a gap year are not the same thing.
And if you’re able to start it College Park in the spring, that’s just a one semester delay . . . also not the same thing as a gap year. And you wouldn’t be alone - there are a number of universities that just don’t have space for everyone in the fall, and require some students to wait until spring.
So glad your parents were willing to reconsider!!!
I think the closest CC to my house is CCBC. I have looked at the website to see if there are admission deadlines, but I found no information on that. I will call them after school to see if I can still apply there.
The main reason why I am aiming for UMD - College Park is because I want to equip myself with the best computer science education I can get and hopefully get opportunities both in-state and out-of-state. (My dream is to work for big companies like Microsoft, Google, or IBM.)
CCBC will probably let you enroll up until the end of the first week of classes. But get in touch with CCBC RIGHT NOW!! They may have some merit-based scholarships available that there still is time to apply for. Happykid had one at MC that covered her tuition and fees for two years. CCBC also has a program where students attend CCBC classes on the campus at Towson, and live in the dorms at Towson.
Yeah, don’t plan for Stanford. Not a good idea. How about you give Iowa a chance? You may like it. When transferring to elite colleges like Harvard, you need to provide a specific reason as to why you would have a better educational experience there as oppose to Iowa. It needs to be specific and compelling. You can’t just say you want a more prestigious school.
Per crime, if you grew up in the US, you should know that crime in the US is very localized. College Park may not be great, but the UMD campus should be OK.
@CaliCash - The truth appears to be that the family can’t afford the out of state publics. Someone wasn’t looking at affordability at the beginning of the process. That is why the student is re-considering in-state options. If a spring admit to UM-CP isn’t workable, there is a well-worn path from all of the MD CCs to UM-CP, so CCBC to UM-CP is entirely do-able.
1.) My new plan involves waiting for University of Maryland - College Park’s acceptance letter to come.
2.) As of May 1, I have deposited my fee to the University of Iowa while declining the other colleges I was accepted into. Those colleges include the following:
-Florida Institute of Technology
-Hofstra University
-Iowa State University
-Mount St. Mary’s University
-University of Nebraska - Lincoln
-University of Oklahoma
-Saint Peter’s University
3.) I was accepted from the waitlist of three colleges:
-University of California - Riverside
—I can apply for in-state tuition, but the process will take approximately one to two years.
—I can stay in my family’s house while attending Riverside. (It is fifteen minutes away from the university.)
-Clemson University
—One of the closest colleges from my house
-University of Arizona
—Great computer science program
I will hold onto these three colleges until I hear back from College Park.
4.) I applied to the University of Iowa’s Honors College, and will be applying to Clemson University and the University of Riverside’s Honors College sometime soon. These are just backup options just in case I do not get accepted into College Park.
5.) My parents and I have been contacting an admissions counselor from College Park. That counselor sent us discouraging e-mails, saying that it is highly unlikely that I will get accepted because of how late I submitted my application. We have been e-mailing the counselor to continue to consider me for acceptance since then.
6.) CCBC (and any other community college in Maryland) is out of the picture. If all else fails, I can apply for some colleges in the Philippines (since I have dual citizenship in the Philippines and the U.S.). This is an option that my parents would choose over community college because I can still get a good-quality education while paying absolutely nothing in the best Philippine colleges. Plus, it’s convenient that my family’s house is located near the top Philippine schools. Travel expenses from the U.S. to the Philippines does not matter to us, and I know that I am eligible to apply to colleges such as the University of the Philippines and Ateneo University.
Looks like you joined this thread a bit late, but that’s okay.
I am no longer considering Stanford University because of the cost and the low acceptance rate.
My parents and I are willing to pay for UIowa if I choose to go there as my final decision. But for now, I am reserving a spot in UIowa while waiting for College Park’s reply.
