From Vacation to Orientation- Summer is Almost Here!

It’s been almost a week since my extended Memorial Day vacation ended. After spending the past two weeks on the picture-perfect beaches of Hawaii, I’m ready for summer.  Though I’m slightly depressed that I won’t be waking up every morning and climbing mountains that overlook the crystal-clear Pacific, I’m super excited that ORIENTATION IS LESS THAN ONE WEEK AWAY!

(Not a postcard) Took this gem myself!

Yes, this is one of our favorite times of the year as we get to reconnect with the favorite familiar faces of our incoming students and your families. We’ve read your applications, welcomed you to our community at New Student Day and now you officially begin the next chapter of your life as a UMBC Retriever at orientation.

For those of you who still haven’t signed up, time is ticking away and we wouldn’t want you to miss out on this great opportunity to get to know your future classmates and select your courses for the fall. You’ll meet with our OPA’s , take your first crack at belting out our fight song, and if you so choose, leave the day with a souvenir to commemorate your experience!

If you’re reading this thinking that orientation sounds fun but you can’t wait until September to begin your UMBC experience, check out our Freshman Excursion.  Complete with campfires, caving, and plenty of time to connect with your future classmates and some of the coolest people at UMBC (our orientation staff), this will be an experience that you will not forget. This three day program runs from July 23^rd- July 25^th and spots are filling up quick!

For information on how to sign up for these experiences visit our orientation site here!  

See you soon!

-Lisa

Graduation Season!

The weather in Maryland can be pretty crazy. In fact this is the first week around here that I think we can all agree has truly felt like May. The combination of ninety degree weather, the sunshine, and the slight breeze has all of us in the office eating lunch outside and craving summer activities.

With the rain and chilly weather last week it was hard to believe that it was already late May. Which means that, like most years, graduation snuck up on us! Our latest class of graduates walked across the stage last week and are now preparing for their futures after UMBC. Some are staying in the Baltimore-DC area to begin jobs, internships, or graduate school, while others are taking off across the world to begin their futures.

Check out some of the amazing things our graduates are doing by checking out the Class of 2013 website. We’re certainly proud of all of our grads and wish them the best of luck in their futures. And to those of you who are graduating from high school in the coming weeks, congratulations!! You’re well on your way to an amazing future. And we’re here to help you get there.

 

New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania (Oh My!)

What a week! As usual this month is shaping to be very busy for us in the Admissions Office. I’m currently writing from Long Island where I just met many of you this morning (and will continue to meet you all throughout the next few weeks!).

I’m having a bit of déjà vu as I was just here last week. A bunch of us from the office traveled to New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania to greet those of you from those areas. We heard a lot of great stories and questions and had a lot of fun at the receptions. Some of you are prospective students and some of you are already admitted to UMBC. Here are some pictures of the admitted students from the receptions with our director, Dale. Make sure you stop by our table at the various fairs throughout the next few weeks and say hi!

Dale and the admitted students in New Jersey.

Dale and the admitted students in New York.

In Pennsylvania we had the reception at the Mercer Museum, which looks like a castle. It was really cool to walk around the interior and learn about some of the local history. I would definitely recommend it if you are ever near Doylestown, PA!

Mercer Museum/Hogwarts

Financial Aid Packages Now Available for Fall 2013 Students

Are you a Fall 2013 admitted student? Did you apply for financial aid using the FAFSA by February 14? Yes?! Well then I have some good news: the Office of Financial Aid has posted financial aid award notifications. Your financial aid information can be accessed via your myUMBC student account, and if you have any questions feel free to connect with your Financial Aid Counselor.

Happy Spring!

So I know I haven’t written in a few weeks, but I swear it’s for a good reason! We’ve all been traveling a lot to college fairs throughout our different regions and – more recently – inviting you to campus for several events! The spring is always a fantastic time to get to know colleges better and we’re here to answer any questions you might have.

In the spirit of celebrating the admissions life, a bunch of us went to the opening night of the movie Admission starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. This was most definitely not a documentary about our career field, but it was enjoyable anyway. Here’s a picture of us acting goofy before the show began:

Kena, Jaime, Julie, and I all thought we were on a roller coaster.

We were of course super organized about this whole thing and all of us had our pre-printed tickets ready to go BEFORE we got to the theater. It was a fantastic time and the camaraderie really reminded us of why we love working in this field.

By the way, if you’ve seen the film, know that it’s not the most accurate representation of how colleges review applications. I can only really speak for our process, but we do review applicants as a whole person and most definitely do not drop them through trap doors in the floor. If you haven’t seen the film, it is a typical romantic comedy (which we here love), so we’d recommend it.

Happy spring and enjoy your Spring Break!

Summer 2013 Orientation Registration Now Available

Just wanted to check in with a short announcement: Orientation and Placement Testing registration is now available to all Fall 2013 admitted students! Admitted students can access the Orientation registration through their myUMBC accounts, or by clicking on the following link: https://secure.vzorientation.com/UMBC/

I would encourage students to take a look at our Orientation website. On the Orientation website you’ll also find a link to the UMBC Class of 2017 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UMBCClassOf2017

UMBC Closed March 18-20

Due to UMBC’s spring break, the university and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will be closed March 18 to March 20. We hope our students have a restful and safe spring break!

Transfers – Priority Deadline is TODAY

This is a last minute reminder for Transfers.  The priority deadline is today, March 15.  Why apply by the priority deadline?  A few reasons include, but are not limited to, hearing back from us earlier in the year, having more time for planning, and if admitted, you will receive your transcript evaluation before Orientation.  Applying early can not hurt you.  It can only help you.

Once everything is submitted, make sure that you receive the following three email confirmations from Common App to ensure that we have all the documents we need to evaluate your application.
.       Confirmation of Payment
.       Confirmation of Supplement
.       Confirmation of Application

Once your application is complete, you will be hearing from us in three weeks.  Please note that complete means that all three sections of the Common App were successfully submitted, and we have official transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended.

http://www.umbc.edu/ug/apply/transfer.html

Class of 2017- Welcome to Facebook!

Your admissions packet has arrived in the mail and you are on your way to becoming a member of the UMBC Class of 2017- Whats next? Besides making plans to attend New Student Day on April 13th (see Hollin’s spectacular post below), you should take the first step in connecting with your future classmates on our Class of 2017 Facebook page!

Meet new friends from far away or close to home, find your future roommate and tell us why you are looking forward to coming to UMBC in the fall! Also check out the” Meet and Greet” section of the page. There have been a lot of great conversations in this thread so far and we hope to see more soon.

You can also use this page as a resource for any important updates from the Office of Admissions and Orientation in addition to the other offices on campus. Check out Laila’s post for information on the College Success Institute-a six week long summer program that allows first-year students the chance to experience life at UMBC prior to the fall semester.

For all of you social media enthusiasts out there- Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @UMBCadmissions and say hi to Josh!

As a self-proclaimed Facebook and Twitter addict I have learned that these resources can be used for more than just fun.  I even met my current roommate Tina and her adorable dog Roofus through a mutual friend on Facebook!

 

I hope all of you find similar success as you begin to connect with other members of the class of 2017!

-Lisa

 

 

So you’re an admitted student, now what?

I remember those pre-college jitters: Will I make the right choice? How do I know which school is right for me? Although my choice was relatively easy at the time, I know there are many of you starting to receive letters from several institutions and the choices you make are monumental. Why not be proactive and get the facts to help you make the best choice for YOU!

In the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, we try to help students with that decision making process. This time of year, everyone in the office is busy working on projects, speaking with students and their families, and getting ready for our annual Spring events. New Student Day (Saturday, April 13th!!) is a wonderful day for admitted students to learn more and get excited about UMBC before finalizing the decision by May 1st! Your day will start off with a continental breakfast and a Campus Activity Fair, which I began planning a few weeks ago. We already have several clubs and organizations enthusiastic to teach to you more about how they keep active in the UMBC community! The rest of the day is scattered with special presentations on topics of interest including: “The Shriver Center,” where students learn how our nationally recognized Shriver Center prepares students for real world internships, cooperative education and community service, and ”Getting Your Dream Job After UMBC,” learning how your UMBC experience will prepare you for a wonderful career after graduation! Other topics cover: financing your education, honors college, international experiences, campus living, athletics, student life, meet and greets with the Deans of UMBC, and more! Join us for this event, book a Black and Gold tour (http://www.umbc.edu/undergraduate/visit/) or call our office to speak with one of our wonderful counselors!

-Hollin