Karen A. Hott, Hott off the Press, October 2024

UMD Counselors Day 2024

The University of Maryland has been growing alongside the construction of the new Metro Purple Line through the center of campus. But the worst is over; last summer when I visited it was much harder to navigate around the construction. Soon you’ll be able to board the Metro right outside the Stamp Student Union to ride the subway into the heart of D.C.

Counselor Day at UMD

Rosemary Martín Edwards, associate director of admissions, greeted counselors October 9 for a day of learning about just some of what the University of Maryland has to offer. Foremost, they wanted us to know of their strong commitment to student success through research, internships, study abroad, service learning, and living-learning communities. 

Counselors could choose to attend a mock application review, a session on financial aid and merit aid, a session on pathways to UMD for transfers, or a session on Living Learning Communities. I went to the financial aid workshop first (covered in a separate article) and selected the walking tour next, and we did a LOT of walking. It’s a big campus, but it is walkable (if your heart and knees are in good shape)–and beautiful. 

Campus, Old and New

The College Park campus has been growing alongside the Purple Line, with an additional 34 labs and a great hall for chemistry that opened in the spring and an interdisciplinary engineering building expected to be completed in 2026. Students enjoy the food at the 2-year-old Yahentamitsi Dining Hall (that’s Algonquin for “a place to go eat”) on Stadium Drive, filled with light from floor-to-ceiling windows. Despite all the new construction, the quad, ringed by tall old oaks and classic red brick buildings with white pillars remains a stately view for Testudo at the top of the hill.

Applications are UP

For the incoming UMD class of 2028, Maryland saw 60,000 applications for a class of 4800. An additional 3000 transfer applications came in for 1850 spots. The pool was filled with students typically earning A’s and B’s in rigorous classes, boasting “unique and impressive” extracurriculars. Maryland remains test-optional for spring and fall 2025. Half of the incoming class applied test-optional.

Apply by Nov. 1, or else!

Admissions personnel emphasized multiple times the importance of getting in ALL of your materials by the November 1 Early Action deadline. Ninety percent (that’s 90%!) of the incoming class is selected from the EA pool.

Your official SAT or ACT scores must land at UMD by that November 1 deadline if you want them considered. Don’t count on the money you spend on rushing your score to do any good if you wait till the last minute. To be safe, you should have the testing agency send your scores two weeks in advance. Make sure you indicate “University of Maryland, College Park” so that it doesn’t go to UMBC or UMES. (The code for the SAT is 5814, for ACT 1746.)

You must also send official transcripts. Make sure you’ve told your guidance counselor you need your official transcript sent.

If you’re applying to the University of Maryland, College Park, get in 

• your application
• your official transcript
• your official SAT/ACT (if not applying test-optional),
• your teacher recommendation, and 
• your counselor recommendation 

before November 1.

Another reason to apply by November 1? That’s the cut-off for consideration for the Living-Learning programs and merit scholarships.

Once you’ve submitted your application, look for the email from UMD that will set up your Terps admissions portal. Then you can log in to check which materials have and have not been received.

What They Look For

The first thing they’ll read is the transcript, the second, the counselor letter. The essay is important: be sure to tell them about yourself. One admission representative said, “I’ve never denied someone due to the essay, but I have admitted them because of it.” Tell them more about yourself! Take advantage of every spot on the application to show who you are beyond your transcript.

Decisions, Decisions

If you’re admitted to UMD, you will be admitted to either the fall or spring semester. Those admitted to the spring semester will get information about Freshman Connection, a way to start at UMD in the fall by taking afternoon and evening classes while living on campus. Some students don’t mind the late start because it gives them the chance to wake up late.

Home of the Do Good Institute

https://dogood.umd.edu/news/do-good-has-nice-ring-it

The new Thurgood Marshall School of Public Policy, located near Rte. 1 at the bottom of the long slope of the campus, houses the Do Good Institute. Director Bob Grimm said Maryland is the nation’s first do-good campus. The idea is to take your passion and create the biggest impact now. “Inspiring Action. Powering Impact.”

In the Do Good Challenge, about 100 student teams compete for grant money that seeds ideas that can have a positive impact now. One winner was the Food Recovery Network, now on 200 campuses, rescuing food that would be thrown away. (See www.foodrecoverynetwork.org: “a student-led movement to fight waste and feed people.”) By recovering surplus food, they’ve saved over 5 million pounds of food from landfills and fed thousands of hungry people.

SCOTUS Updates

Though race can no longer be used as a factor in the application review, “the impact of a student’s race can be considered as it relates to an individual’s identity and challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned.” In other words, it’s OK to talk about your race in the context of your identity or life lessons. College recruitment and yield activities “can be designed to impact racial diversity.”

EDGE and STARS

EDGE–Experience Diversity Growth and Excellence

STARS–Small Town and Rural Students

EDGE is a program for Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous students to connect with each other. STARS reaches out to and engages with students in small towns and rural areas, helping them to explore pathways to higher education. The STARS College Network began with UMD and has since grown to include 32 colleges and universities. 

Go, Terps! 

The University of Maryland, College Park, continues to innovate. It’s a great value for Marylanders. Many of my students who got into more selective schools, like UVA or USC (the one in California), couldn’t see paying three or four times more than their flagship when UMD offers so much. Honors, Scholars, FIRE, Limited Enrollment Programs, and more all make the school of 30,000 more manageable and valuable. What’s more, my UMD kids are all truly happy to have chosen College Park. Go, Terps!