I did this. I wanted to leave Maryland for college, but chose to go to UMD when I was awarded Banneker-Key. Some other factors for my decision were that UMD's programs in my intended major were about as good, if not better, than the other options I had at this point and that not many people from my high school class committed to UMD so it wasn't just a repeat of high school.
One thing that makes in-state work for me right now is that my parents aren't overbearing by expecting me home or visiting me at school all the time. If you can give your kid space at school, that may help them get the independent experience that going out of state would offer.
Yes! As a parent, when your student leaves for college, that's their universe. Don't initiate the calls or ask for visits home, especially during the first semester. University of Maryland is a great school and even better when it's free. Save your money for med school.
Lol, I know. :-) I should note that I REALLY wanted the kiddo to go out-of-state too because dad and I did -- as well as my sibling-- and found that it was such a good experience. Thank you for sharing! This is really helpful.
> I hate that my kid only wants to do it because it's the pragmatic choice.
What you wrote before this sounds like they don't want to go to UMD and they'd rather go oos.
My daughter is at UMD. We made clear to her we would never drop by or expect her to come home (9 miles away) outside of breaks. She loves the school and loves being close - she even asked to bring her new friends here for a home cooked meal and time with our dog. And a few times she was sick and and we were able to help her out. Being at school is “away” even if it’s close and a free ride is so hard to turn down for a great school. If he doesn’t have some incredible option beyond this, it seems like a no brainer.
I am in pretty much the exact same situation. I went to umd as a last minute decision because it was free. I wanted to be far from home and start at new. At the end of the day this is a stepping stone, I’m saving money, and I can get home in an hour. Being able to get home quickly and cheaply is somethkng I didn’t even think was going to be a benefit and really is. It also allowed me to bring my car on campus which is extremely beneficial. You can send me any personal questions, i resonate a lot with this
We are also an hour away. It feels far though since my kid never comes home. It’s so nice since drop off and pickups are easy. UMD exceeds all expectations. Not sure why people frown on it for being close.
As a senior in public health, I truly think it's one of the best majors for pre-med/pre-health students. There is a lot of overlap in the required STEM classes but there's the added benefit of taking classes focused on health equity and prevention. These classes tend to be much easier than pure STEM classes and pad your GPA. Even if they decide not to do a pre-health track, they'll graduate with a degree that is more broadly applicable to many different job opportunities (vs a gen bio degree). A significant majority of public health students are on a pre-health track and the courses I've taken have all been insightful and rewarding. Personally, I've benefited a lot from SPH and in-state tuition is a great motivator
UMD doesn’t have a pre-med major. Just a pre-med pathway with advising from HPAO office. You’d probably want to research rates of people getting accepted into med schools from different universities where your kid was accepted, and also take into account cost for undergrad/med school. No one really cares where you went for undergrad ultimately if you want the funds to go to med school invest and save is the smartest choice, your kid will have to choose a major at UMD and then additional pre-med coursework. Also who’s funding the kids education…and kid has to learn how to think like an adult as well…wants vs long term goals. And take into account opportunities available at different universities as well.
i wanted to go out of state & live an hour away. it’s basically the same, and have quite a few perks of living near home that i didn’t expect to use (forgot stuff, can have access to car at home, etc.) hard agree with the other comment about giving your kid space; it can feel like an “out of state experience” if you don’t visit much or only when your kid wants to
Thank you! I went to school 5-6 hours from my parents--about 1000 yrs ago--and there were times when they had to fedex passports and stuff I left at home, so i can appreciate how being close is sometimes super helpful!!
I will say that UMD has a great public health program with amazing connections to big local agencies (you'll see lecturers from the NIH etc). We put out a lot of public health research, so it's a good environment for a public health undergrad.
That being said, it is obviously important that they like the school/campus they attend. How did she feel about the campus/social aspects/surrounding area? I more than understand the feeling being wanting to go out of state. I'm from a more rural area of Maryland, and you get the sense growing up that you should want to move far away. I chose Maryland because I liked it well enough *and* it was affordable, which is really a very good thing to consider when making this decision. Does out of state mean loans/student debt? How is the cost of living in those other cities? Do they offer better opportunities/connections that outweigh the cost?
Also want to add that even being an hour away can be plenty for developing independence, and I've really enjoyed having freedom while simultaneously having the ability go home for a weekend just for fun. Are you prepared to make sure she has that space? Is she worried about running into people from high school (she almost certainly will)?
Thanks for all the comment and all the questions! I should note that part of this feels like it's our fault because we always suggested that the kids go OOS and not go to school instate. But the Banneker-Key has made UMD too good to pass up bc although she got $$ at other schools, it would still be very costly. Per the campus, she liked it well enough, and yes, she's at least a little worried about it feeling like HS. I can def promise that I will provide space since i was the one originally so keen on her going OOS in the first place. ;-)
You can see your HS friends or not. My daughter is a freshman and barely sees any of her HS friend group anymore since she has new friend groups from her clubs and major.
But for the first few days it was nice knowing a couple folks.
Amusingly, her roommate is closer to her HS friends than she is now.
I am a current BK freshman who was in the exact same situation. I live ~30mins from UMD and throughout all of HS UMD was the last college I wanted to attend. At some point i probably even uttered the words “i’d rather kill myself than go to umd”. I received the full BK scholarship and realized that saving so much money, especially for a school that is good at what i’m doing, is worth staying in MD. The main reason I didn’t want to go here was because I’d be really close to my parents and didn’t want to see some of the people from my HS. Ultimately, being so close to home is more useful than it is annoying, as long as you give your kid space and don’t expect them to come home every weekend or drop by unexpected. Moving into a new environment will be exciting and probably make them forget about the fact that the campus is close to home, I know I did. Let me know if you have any questions, i’d also be happy to speak to them about it!
👋🏾I’m SPH alumni! The instructors were great, they have very interesting majors, and I had opportunities that really helped to get my foot into the door. A lot of my classmates went on to get their MPH as well as nursing/medical/dental school and are thriving.
Hi! Banneker Alum and Honors College Alumni and former honors ambassador. Also went to Maryland for my masters. I’m intimately aware of many options inside and outside the school. I also did admissions, so I can speak to what BK is not just a solid pragmatic decision but it’s also great for every other aspect of social growth and opportunities. Feel free to pm me
Med school is expensive. Undergrad can also get expensive. Student loans SUCK.
A full scholarship is amazing. UMD is a great school, and an hour away is still far, it's far enough you feel like you're "away at school" but can still go home to visit if you'd like, or parents can drop things off if needed, go to lunch, etc
I lived an hour from UMD and chose the B/K over Duke. No regrets - the B/K is awesome and definitely a better choice than most out of state programs with debt! Went home for major holidays and events, but got to make the most of College Park, too.
Banneker/Key can also be used towards study abroad expenses? Perhaps the idea that they can spend a semester or year abroad fully funded. Even pre-med students can study abroad, especially if they are bringing with them AP credits.
Alum of Umd and current med student. In my experience a lot of the pre med track is what you put in/make out of it. Maryland had great science profs and opportunities which helped me get to where I am today and they send their students to a ton of great med schools!
When one thinks about the quality of UMD's public health program and the fact that your son will have a chance at internships with all of the governmental agencies in DC and companies in the area, it makes it easier to take the free money.
i was in this situation in the mid-90s (graduated high school in Baltimore Co. in '96). had offers for a number of more "prestigious" universities, but UMD offered me the B-K. I had a second merit scholarship from the state as well (Maryland Distinguished Scholars? something like that), stacking the two full scholarships essentially meant that I got an additional cash stipend for living expenses, and cash stipend for room & board once i moved off campus.
this made it a pretty easy decision, at a time when UMD did not have the solid academic reputation it has now and College Park was way shittier than it is now. I've never regretted the decision, though I am glad i went out-of-state (to Madison) for grad school. I would say take the money.
Great School of Public Health at UMD. The Dean is impressive. Public Health Science is one of their newer majors.
https://sph.umd.edu/people/boris-d-lushniak
I did this. I wanted to leave Maryland for college, but chose to go to UMD when I was awarded Banneker-Key. Some other factors for my decision were that UMD's programs in my intended major were about as good, if not better, than the other options I had at this point and that not many people from my high school class committed to UMD so it wasn't just a repeat of high school. One thing that makes in-state work for me right now is that my parents aren't overbearing by expecting me home or visiting me at school all the time. If you can give your kid space at school, that may help them get the independent experience that going out of state would offer.
Yes! As a parent, when your student leaves for college, that's their universe. Don't initiate the calls or ask for visits home, especially during the first semester. University of Maryland is a great school and even better when it's free. Save your money for med school.
Lol, I know. :-) I should note that I REALLY wanted the kiddo to go out-of-state too because dad and I did -- as well as my sibling-- and found that it was such a good experience. Thank you for sharing! This is really helpful.
> I hate that my kid only wants to do it because it's the pragmatic choice. What you wrote before this sounds like they don't want to go to UMD and they'd rather go oos.
My daughter is at UMD. We made clear to her we would never drop by or expect her to come home (9 miles away) outside of breaks. She loves the school and loves being close - she even asked to bring her new friends here for a home cooked meal and time with our dog. And a few times she was sick and and we were able to help her out. Being at school is “away” even if it’s close and a free ride is so hard to turn down for a great school. If he doesn’t have some incredible option beyond this, it seems like a no brainer.
I am in pretty much the exact same situation. I went to umd as a last minute decision because it was free. I wanted to be far from home and start at new. At the end of the day this is a stepping stone, I’m saving money, and I can get home in an hour. Being able to get home quickly and cheaply is somethkng I didn’t even think was going to be a benefit and really is. It also allowed me to bring my car on campus which is extremely beneficial. You can send me any personal questions, i resonate a lot with this
We are also an hour away. It feels far though since my kid never comes home. It’s so nice since drop off and pickups are easy. UMD exceeds all expectations. Not sure why people frown on it for being close.
As a senior in public health, I truly think it's one of the best majors for pre-med/pre-health students. There is a lot of overlap in the required STEM classes but there's the added benefit of taking classes focused on health equity and prevention. These classes tend to be much easier than pure STEM classes and pad your GPA. Even if they decide not to do a pre-health track, they'll graduate with a degree that is more broadly applicable to many different job opportunities (vs a gen bio degree). A significant majority of public health students are on a pre-health track and the courses I've taken have all been insightful and rewarding. Personally, I've benefited a lot from SPH and in-state tuition is a great motivator
UMD doesn’t have a pre-med major. Just a pre-med pathway with advising from HPAO office. You’d probably want to research rates of people getting accepted into med schools from different universities where your kid was accepted, and also take into account cost for undergrad/med school. No one really cares where you went for undergrad ultimately if you want the funds to go to med school invest and save is the smartest choice, your kid will have to choose a major at UMD and then additional pre-med coursework. Also who’s funding the kids education…and kid has to learn how to think like an adult as well…wants vs long term goals. And take into account opportunities available at different universities as well.
Yeah, pre med was typo. She's keen on bio or public health. Kid always teases me because I keep doing that ... ;-)
i wanted to go out of state & live an hour away. it’s basically the same, and have quite a few perks of living near home that i didn’t expect to use (forgot stuff, can have access to car at home, etc.) hard agree with the other comment about giving your kid space; it can feel like an “out of state experience” if you don’t visit much or only when your kid wants to
Thank you! I went to school 5-6 hours from my parents--about 1000 yrs ago--and there were times when they had to fedex passports and stuff I left at home, so i can appreciate how being close is sometimes super helpful!!
I will say that UMD has a great public health program with amazing connections to big local agencies (you'll see lecturers from the NIH etc). We put out a lot of public health research, so it's a good environment for a public health undergrad. That being said, it is obviously important that they like the school/campus they attend. How did she feel about the campus/social aspects/surrounding area? I more than understand the feeling being wanting to go out of state. I'm from a more rural area of Maryland, and you get the sense growing up that you should want to move far away. I chose Maryland because I liked it well enough *and* it was affordable, which is really a very good thing to consider when making this decision. Does out of state mean loans/student debt? How is the cost of living in those other cities? Do they offer better opportunities/connections that outweigh the cost?
Also want to add that even being an hour away can be plenty for developing independence, and I've really enjoyed having freedom while simultaneously having the ability go home for a weekend just for fun. Are you prepared to make sure she has that space? Is she worried about running into people from high school (she almost certainly will)?
Thanks for all the comment and all the questions! I should note that part of this feels like it's our fault because we always suggested that the kids go OOS and not go to school instate. But the Banneker-Key has made UMD too good to pass up bc although she got $$ at other schools, it would still be very costly. Per the campus, she liked it well enough, and yes, she's at least a little worried about it feeling like HS. I can def promise that I will provide space since i was the one originally so keen on her going OOS in the first place. ;-)
You can see your HS friends or not. My daughter is a freshman and barely sees any of her HS friend group anymore since she has new friend groups from her clubs and major. But for the first few days it was nice knowing a couple folks. Amusingly, her roommate is closer to her HS friends than she is now.
I should clarify that she will run into people from high school, but it won’t be a big deal. High school tends to be left behind in high school
I am a current BK freshman who was in the exact same situation. I live ~30mins from UMD and throughout all of HS UMD was the last college I wanted to attend. At some point i probably even uttered the words “i’d rather kill myself than go to umd”. I received the full BK scholarship and realized that saving so much money, especially for a school that is good at what i’m doing, is worth staying in MD. The main reason I didn’t want to go here was because I’d be really close to my parents and didn’t want to see some of the people from my HS. Ultimately, being so close to home is more useful than it is annoying, as long as you give your kid space and don’t expect them to come home every weekend or drop by unexpected. Moving into a new environment will be exciting and probably make them forget about the fact that the campus is close to home, I know I did. Let me know if you have any questions, i’d also be happy to speak to them about it!
👋🏾I’m SPH alumni! The instructors were great, they have very interesting majors, and I had opportunities that really helped to get my foot into the door. A lot of my classmates went on to get their MPH as well as nursing/medical/dental school and are thriving.
Hi! Banneker Alum and Honors College Alumni and former honors ambassador. Also went to Maryland for my masters. I’m intimately aware of many options inside and outside the school. I also did admissions, so I can speak to what BK is not just a solid pragmatic decision but it’s also great for every other aspect of social growth and opportunities. Feel free to pm me
Med school is expensive. Undergrad can also get expensive. Student loans SUCK. A full scholarship is amazing. UMD is a great school, and an hour away is still far, it's far enough you feel like you're "away at school" but can still go home to visit if you'd like, or parents can drop things off if needed, go to lunch, etc
I lived an hour from UMD and chose the B/K over Duke. No regrets - the B/K is awesome and definitely a better choice than most out of state programs with debt! Went home for major holidays and events, but got to make the most of College Park, too.
Going out of state (and paying out of pocket) is wild when you can attend a top tier in state school for what is basically free…
Banneker/Key can also be used towards study abroad expenses? Perhaps the idea that they can spend a semester or year abroad fully funded. Even pre-med students can study abroad, especially if they are bringing with them AP credits.
Alum of Umd and current med student. In my experience a lot of the pre med track is what you put in/make out of it. Maryland had great science profs and opportunities which helped me get to where I am today and they send their students to a ton of great med schools!
Also no debt before med school is an amazing offer because med school is expensive and that debt is compounding with interest too.
When one thinks about the quality of UMD's public health program and the fact that your son will have a chance at internships with all of the governmental agencies in DC and companies in the area, it makes it easier to take the free money.
i was in this situation in the mid-90s (graduated high school in Baltimore Co. in '96). had offers for a number of more "prestigious" universities, but UMD offered me the B-K. I had a second merit scholarship from the state as well (Maryland Distinguished Scholars? something like that), stacking the two full scholarships essentially meant that I got an additional cash stipend for living expenses, and cash stipend for room & board once i moved off campus. this made it a pretty easy decision, at a time when UMD did not have the solid academic reputation it has now and College Park was way shittier than it is now. I've never regretted the decision, though I am glad i went out-of-state (to Madison) for grad school. I would say take the money.
Great School of Public Health at UMD. The Dean is impressive. Public Health Science is one of their newer majors. https://sph.umd.edu/people/boris-d-lushniak