What’s the essence of UMBC? According to one UMBC junior, in the latest edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges, “We’re focused on doing big things and being influential people.”
“At the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, you can be king or queen of your academic world,” notes the 2017 Fiske Guide to Colleges, in UMBC’s chess-filled university profile. “Students here are given access to academic and social resources usually reserved for those attending mammoth public institutions or pricey private colleges.”
The Fiske Guide to Colleges is one of the most well-regarded resources for college-bound students seeking an inside look at top colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. The annual guide profiles each selected university in detail, examining academic offerings, cost, social climate and extracurricular opportunities.
What do insiders says about UMBC? It’s all about community.
“UMBC encourages exploration and expects students to support one another and the community at large,” writes Fiske. One English major shares, “The academic climate is more collaborative than competitive, but intense.”
The Fiske Guide highlights numerous UMBC academic departments and programs, including biology, information systems, visual arts, psychology, engineering, interdisciplinary studies, Asian studies, Africana studies, and global studies. It also notes the strengths of UMBC’s Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, Shriver Center, Career Center, study abroad opportunities and support for undergraduate research and creative achievement.
“Students here tend to be on the nerdy end of the spectrum,” writes one senior, “but we embrace it.”
Fiske notes that UMBC capitalizes on its status as a medium-sized national research university “by providing students with intimate learning communities, solid academics, and ample resources on a manageable scale.”
With UMBC now approaching its 50th anniversary year, one junior shared, “I would say that UMBC is a school just coming into its own.”
The Fiske Guide to Colleges was created by Edward B. Fiske, an expert on college admissions who served for 17 years as education editor of The New York Times.
