UMBC Campus Visit

This is the second campus I've visited (first one was College Park), so I'll do a quick run down of first impressions and some comparison to College Park, since they are both part of the University of Maryland system. Think about what YOU want in a college, then form an educated opinion!

Why UMBC? Price (public state school), location (near Baltimore inner harbor), size (medium sized)
I'm interested in...media & communications ( an extremely new major to UMBC's curriculum!)
It's kind of different...there are no rolling green hills, Greek life isn't huge, and sports aren't huge (homecoming = soccer, they made it to the "Final Four" of chess last year)
BUT you are guaranteed a quality education and many support resources!

This is probably a horrible way to start off this post, but we couldn't take pics outside because it was raining all day. But as mentioned, this is not your typical green, quad based campus. I'd call it "industrious" and the buildings are very business like. Walking through the campus was refreshing because of all the diversity (both College Park and Baltimore push this aspect SO much). Most kids were casually dressed, and a lot of yellow UMBC hoodies brightened the otherwise very dreary day. This is going to sound so shaky, but it seemed like all the nerdyish kids seemed completely comfortable at UMBC. I could imagine finding a good group of friends here.

Walking's not much of a problem, seeing as most of the academic classes are conveniently placed in "Academic Row." The smaller classes have seats like traditional high schools, and the lecture halls are pretty nice (not as nearly as big as College Park). The overall atmosphere was chill (maybe because it was a rainy day??) and you really feel like as if you're in a semi-knit community.

Now on to the very few pictures my dad took...
This is the entrance to the gym. The gym facilities were not very impressive...in fact they were pretty dinky. The basketball court reminds me of North Point's gym, except bigger. If you're into physical activity, there are plenty of things to do, but the facilities aren't top notch at all.



Now on to dorm life! In my opinion, these dorms are better than College Park. The rooms are more spacious and no community bathrooms! If you're in a double room, you share a bathroom with the room next to you. Each room comes with a wardrobe since there is no closet, a microfridge, 2 twin beds, and a sink. Each floor is co-ed and has your standard commons type room.


Awh, man I forgot the name of this library. It has a coffee shop, a computer lab, areas for free tutoring/assistance, and of course books! They just added a digital photo database too. In terms of having access to materials, you're bound to find something revelent. But the library budget got cut recently (as well as College Park). Well actually, it seems like everyone's budgets are getting slashed these days.


The last stop was The Commons, a place for students to eat, play, and chill.

Beyond the campus you can take the MTA bus to the Inner Harbor or drive yourself wherever (freshmen can have cars in a satellite parking area).

Final shot:
UMBC didn't have that "wow" factor like College Park had. BUT I'm quite the introvert - the laidback atmosphere of the campus would really suit me. The size of the campus, its classes, and all the effort this school puts into making sure their students are on the right track are big plusses for me. Their Media & Communications track may be new , but I'm completely excited about the course load. They might not have the most prestigious journalism program or brand new facilities (like the Knight Building at College Park), but I don't think I'd mind going here. For now, I'm still pushing for that classic experience - feeling overwhelmed, football games, & school spirit .

My only irk is that their newspaper, The Retriever, sounds like it's written by rookies, almost like high school!