I’m a Maryland resident who has been admitted to the University of South Carolina Capstone Scholar’s Program and admitted as a regular student at the University of Maryland College Park. Both are comparable in price after scholarships and such. I am ok with going out of state or staying in state, I see the merits of both styles. At USC I have been given my major, Business Management, but at Maryland I was put in Letters and Sciences (Undecided). At UMD the Business school is very competitive to get into, needing a 3.5 or higher to be in a good position to get in (you still have to apply with a resume and everything). This scares me a little bit that I may not get my desired major, which is the whole point of college. I am aware UMD is ranked higher, but I am unsure how much this is a factor in getting a job and getting internship opportunities and such. Can anyone offer any info on that, as well as the merits of Capstone at USC vs being a regular student at UMD, and lastly just overall thoughts/experiences at both schools? I just want to set myself up for success for the future.
I am also deciding between these two schools (USC capstone and UMD), and two others. However, for me, my problem lies in the high out-of-state tuition for UMD. I live in North Carolina and received significant scholarship to USC but not to UMD. If finances were not an issue, I would go to UMD in a heartbeat. Take advantage of your Maryland residency and go to UMD. But then again…USC has the top-ranked business school in the nation. Good luck! As a side note, if you know of anyone from out of state that has gotten residency their second year… How did they do it??? It is known that a dorm can’t be used as an address; however, living off campus isn’t an option either as it is required for freshmen to live on campus. I would appreciate any insight…
To claim residency, you usually need to show you’re financially dependent. This is usually rare, although in SC it may be different. @evxxee
^Residency is not related to where the student lives, since residency is where you pay taxes and thus for students the parents’ state of residence is used.
OP: Go with USC Capstone then. Smith is notoriously hard to get into. Why take the risk when you have an affordable solution at a very good business school (+USC has a top program for international business, which may not be of interest to you now but does open possibilities with exchanges etc.)
Yes, sorry, I meant they usually use the parents’ taxes, since students’ aren’t financially dependent. @MYOS1634
Although I do currently live with my parents, I have a part-time job and make enough where I could be financially independent in another state if necessary to establish residency. @newjerseygirl98
Also, in Maryland, I would plan to get a job and pay my own taxes @MYOS1634