Transfer Clues

If only he visited our transfer website...

The process of transferring from one college or university to another should not be an arduous quest.  The transfer ‘mystery’ students might feel can stem from a perceived lack of resources and guidance during their transition.  Among others, UMBC has three clues that every prospective transfer applicant should see, especially if you plan on transferring from a Maryland community college!  Luckily, all three clues are on the same site.

1.) Transfer Website:

• Visit
• Course Catalog
• Academic Planning
• ARTSYS*
• Financial Aid
• Scholarships
• Application requirements/dates/deadlines
• Transfer Credit Evaluation
• Orientation
• Residential Life
• Off-Campus Student Services

2.) ARTSYS: the articulation system for Maryland Colleges and Universities is a great resource for transfer students from Maryland community colleges. Simply plug the different schools and course name/# to view the likely transfer equivalency at your new school (hopefully UMBC).

3.) College Partnerships: Our program-to-program partnerships with the following schools (with more coming) immediately takes all the mystery out of the process.  If you know each acronym, you’ll earn zero points, unless you click on the college partnerships link.

• AACC
• BCCC
• CCBC
• HCC
• MC

In addition to these program-specific partnerships with the schools above, UMBC has relationships with several other Maryland community colleges.  If any mystery still lingers, it’s time to contact your school’s transfer coordinator/adviser.  Their contact information is available if you click on the appropriate school under our college partnerships link.

 

Kickin’ the Fall semester off right

The first week of the Fall 2009 semester is almost over.  The campus has been a busy place all week, students seem really excited to be back.  Welcome Week has also been quite successful, just the other day Involvement Fest was taking over the Commons Terrace.  You can also check out this video from Monday’s Commencement program:

As the Fall 2009 semester gets going the Admissions Office is already thinking about next year’s incoming class.  Next week I will hit the road to start visiting high schools and attending college fairs.  I will begin my travels by spending a few weeks in North Carolina and then I spend October trekking around Virginia.  My colleagues, Ryan and Laura, will soon be traveling as well.  As I head south to slightly warmer climates they will visit schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut and New York.  Check out the following link for the college fairs UMBC will attend.  We’re looking forward to seeing you out there!

On another note, UMBC will be closed on Monday,  September 7 for Labor Day.  Enjoy the long weekend!

 

Allow Me a Moment to Pat Myself on the Back…

 

…because I work at a number one university!!!

Students, faculty, and staff were delighted to see the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings for America’s best colleges yesterday.  The report confirmed what we already knew:  UMBC is an outstanding institution.  We geniunely care about our students and strive every day to provide them with an honors education and an honors community.  Word is quickly spreading about our young university’s success, as the two honors U.S. News and World Report bestowed upon us prove.  According to their Best Colleges Guide released yesterday (August 20), UMBC ranks:

• Number one among up-and-coming national universities
• Number one among public national universities for undergraduate teaching.  Among all national universities in this category, UMBC tied for fourth with Stanford (Dartmouth, Princeton, and Yale were ahead of us).

The fact that UMBC has come so far in such a short amount of time (we were only established in 1966) makes these accomplishments even more meaningful to the campus community.  We’re excited about this recognition–we hope you are too!  So spread the word and if you’re thinking of applying to UMBC, come visit us and see why our peers  ranked us “number one”!

 

New Student Book Experience

Greg Mortenson realized failure was imminent.  He could not climb the second largest mountain in the world – K12, at the northern Indian border with Pakistan.  It took a harrowing rescue and a subsequent promise for Mortenson to surmount this failure.

“He was looking inward that afternoon, stunned and absorbed by something unfamiliar in his life to that point — failure.”

Mortenson and David Oliver Relin’s book, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time, chronicles Mortenson’s journey and his ultimate humanitarian promise.  All UMBC students and faculty are encouraged to devour the book and engage in a discussion that will reinforce the value of mindful reading and critical dialogue.

This #1 New York Times best-seller is literature worthy of our time. Hopefully you’ll find a few hours to encounter its worth and share your thoughts with peers and professors.  The first discussion will be held on Monday, August 31, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

 

UMBC Homecoming

This week’s Insights Weekly contained an announcement for UMBC’s Homecoming on October 15-18 so save the date!  Here are the details:

Homecoming – Retriever Fever (10/15-18)
Save the date for UMBC’s annual Homecoming celebration. This year’s theme is “Retriever Fever” and will be October 15-18. The lineup of events includes a campus bonfire, a student talent show, athletic alumni games and a 5K “Dawg Chase” around Hilltop Circle, a tailgate lunch and family activities, a men’s soccer game against Longwood University, an honors college reception, basketball’s annual “Midnight Madness,” a performance by comedian Demetri Martin and plenty more. If your department or program would like to include an event on the homecoming calendar, contact Stanyell Bruce in Alumni Relations at bruce@umbc.edu by August 10. Note that suggested available time frames to host events are: Thursday, October 15, 5-7 p.m., and Saturday, October 17, 2-6:30 p.m.

 

Summer Preview Day 2 on August 3

A few weeks ago Laura wrote about Summer Preview Day here at UMBC.  On Monday, August 3 we will be hosting our second Summer Preview Day which is another great opportunity for you to visit UMBC!  You’ll hear it time and time again from admissions representatives but visiting a campus really is the best way to get a feel for the school.  Summer Preview Day is open to any students interested in UMBC and you can register for the program on our website.  As Laura mentioned in her post, during Summer Preview Day you will have the chance to tour the campus, meet current UMBC students and visit with staff members from various campus offices.

If you have any questions about SPD feel free to email us at admissions@umbc.edu or give us a call at 410-455-2292.  Looking forward to seeing you on Monday!

 

Moving In!

It is hard to believe, but move-in day for new students is only a month away!  Pretty soon the campus will be full of students, Resident Asssitants, and parents lugging giant Rubbermaid containers, futons, and mini fridges into the Residence Halls.  There’s nothing quite like your first year of living on a college campus. 

As exciting as the anticipation of moving away from home can be, it’s also a little nerve-wracking for some.  Recently during an online chat for newly enrolled students, many were asking about what they should bring with them when they move in.  Fortunately the Office of Residential Life has a handy list of items to bring (and not to bring) to campus!  It’s not super-detailed, but they figure you can remember to pack your underwear on your own without them reminding you.  If that’s not the case, check out College Board’s Off-to-College Checklist.  Seriously, they list 21 pairs of underwear on there!  Just be aware that any lists of items to bring with you that you find outside of UMBC should be matched against ours.  Every university is different in terms of restrictions, especially when it comes to appliances!  Also, be sure to check with your roommate to see what they’re bringing (there’s not really enough room for two big TV’s in every room, for example).  My advice would also be to pay special attention to the toolkit listed on the College Board checklist.  You’d be amazed at how quickly you can make friends if you’re the only person on the floor in possession of a screwdriver!   Also, it’s a good idea to remember that if you live far away, you’ll want to be sure and pack clothing for cooler weather since you might not return home before fall kicks in. 

Once you get settled on campus, you’ll dive right into Welcome Week.  This week right before classes start is when you’ll be able to get information on all the clubs and organizations you might want to join.  It’ll also be full of social opportunities so you can meet new and returning students.  Newly enrolled and prospective students may want to check back to see the full schedule of events when it’s published.  Dont’ forget that there’s a special opportunity for new commuting students, as well, on August 29.  It’s a retreat at a ropes course.  Be sure to sign up if you’re a newly enrolled commuting student and you want to meet some fellow commuters!

New students, we’ll see you soon!  Prospective students, I hope it helps to get an idea of what awaits you if you join us next year!

 

Graduating with Honors…and Championships

Joy Adewumi (women's tennis), assistant athletic director for academic services Jessica Hammond, Cornelia Carapcea (women's tennis and co-salutatorian) and UMBC director of athletics Dr. Charles Brown

Women’s tennis  standout Cornelia Carapcea is the headliner for an unprecedented class of 2009 student athletes at UMBC.  Carapcea was the co-salutatorian of her graduating class after sustaining a 4.0 GPA with a double major in Financial Economics and Information Systems.  She earned second-team All-America East honors in singles and doubles tennis during her sophomore and junior seasons.  The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American is not the only UMBC athlete who visits the gym and the library.

Sarah Ball: former America East Rookie of the Year and Phi Beta Kappa member

Sarah Ball (volleyball) and Cliff Bridges (track and field) joined Carapcea in earning membership to the selective Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

Tina Cantwell (women’s swimming and diving) joined Carapcea in earning the America East Scholar Athlete award, and former America East Champion and Sportsmanship Award recipient, Cavell Johnson, graduated with fellow men’s basketball star Darryl Proctor.

The 2009 senior Retrievers are winners, champions, honorees, and graduates. They’re also a bit nerdy, and that’s just fine with us.

Cliff Bridges: Outstanding Graduating Senior in Mathematics

Cavell Johnson and Darryl Proctor

 

Traveling Admissions Counselors

As the summer chugs along here at UMBC we spend a lot of time welcoming new students to the campus.  Orientation is a great time for the Admissions staff to meet all the students we have been working with, but also a fun time for new students to meet their classmates.  The admissions world is never stagnate though, and as we welcome the class of 2013 to UMBC we have already begun to think about the students of next Fall.  It makes sense, doesn’t it?  The new incoming students have already applied, visited the campus and now they are signing up for classes.  They don’t need the Admissions Office anymore!  Don’t fret though, we’re not sad, we are actually excited for our new students and looking forward to meeting many more during the Fall.  The Counselors have even started planning out where they will be visiting students during the Fall.  Unfortunately we can’t be everywhere but that is why you are always welcome to visit UMBC.  If we are in your area come out and say “Hi!,” it is always appreciated.  Below is a listing of areas where the counseling staff will be visiting high schools and attending college fairs.

Josh: Virginia and North Carolina

Laura: Connecticut, New York, Delaware, Western Maryland, Eastern Shore of MD, Southern Maryland (Laura is basically our traveling Super Woman)

Ryan: New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Kelly: Transfer Advising Days (MD)

We will also have UMBC staff visiting students throughout Maryland and Washington, DC.

Hope to see you this Fall!

 

Summer Preview Day I is Friday!

So the Fourth of July has passed, which means summer is in full swing.  For many rising high school seniors across the country,  it also means it’s time to nail down some college visit plans to get that list of possible schools nailed down!  Hence, UMBC is providing the first of two summer visit days this Friday, July 10.  Join us for a Summer Preview Day and “preview” everything UMBC has to offer. 

Of course, we will have the standard campus tours led by current students.  We will also offer prospective freshmen and their families the chance to sit in on sessions about everything from academic resources to student life.  Faculty and students from departments across campus will be on hand to answer your questions about specific majors, as well.

Summer Preview Days are great for high school juniors who are beginning their college searches, as well.  They provide a great introduction to our campus! 

You can register online for this Friday’s Summer Preview Day or for the next SPD on August 3.  Alternatively, you may call the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to sign up.  That numer is 410/455-2292.  Happy summer and we will see you on campus soon!