I love being a UMBC student. UMBC is a great school that has some awesome professors. It's a diverse university in terms of majors. It's not just a school for people who are majoring in STEM. As a liberal arts major I can say that UMBC has great professors and courses that offer diverse learning, from international politics, to law, you wont find a shortage of interesting fields to gain and expand your knowledge. The students are cool and the campus is relativity chill. I would highly recommend UMBC to everyone.

UMBC was an amazing, life changing experience for me. While college is a life changing experience for everyone, it was the interaction with my professors that really sets UMBC apart from other institutions. The classes are rigorous and challenged me in ways that pushed me to be a better student. Some students might complain that they aren't doing well or that classes are too big or too hard, but they aren't fully taking advantage of the UMBC experience. Getting help from TA's, professors, or any of the tutoring centers. I am glad UMBC pushed me to become the best student I could be and take pride in the rigor of the classes!

I spent 5 years at UMBC completing two BA degrees. For me, UMBC was amazing. The staff is absolutely engaged with students on an individual basis, wants them to succeed and grow, and gives every opportunity to strengthen and expand undergrad research skills, writing skills, critical thinking, and establish future opportunities off campus. Most students are extremely, extremely motivated to exceed and excel, and UMBC is ready to help them. Incredible lectures from extremely qualified, caring professors, and plenty of opportunity to establish a real relationship with them. There are plenty of opportunities to socialize and learn from others through clubs, and I was happy being a part of multiple. It is not a campus for people who want to slide through classes and party, and doesn't purport itself as one. UMBC is meant for those who want to really apply themselves to academia.

I had a fantastic four years here and would choose UMBC all over again. However, I think a lot of people get disgruntled with UMBC not for what it is, but for what it is not. If you are looking for a party atmosphere, you will not be happy. This is a nerdy campus for nerds, which means lots of focus on academics and less on the social aspect. I had a lot of freedom to chart my own course academically. Instructor quality varies, but I think that applies everywhere. Some of my instructors, including my adviser, were downright fantastic. Others were more absent. And yes, you can expect large class sizes in the 101 classes -- it's college! However, I never had an issue getting into office hours as needed. I went to my top choice for graduate school after UMBC, as is quite common for alumni. I lived on campus all four years. My fondest memories involve hanging out with a small group of friends in dorm rooms playing video games, and doing activities with a student group where I was an active member. Greek life exists but is not a huge deal here. There are no huge ragers like you see in the movies. Be forewarned. Fellow students who didn't do their research and expected Animal House, then complained when it was nowhere to be found at UMBC, were a huge pet peeve of mine. No shade if that's what you want -- Towson U is right down the street. Dorm quality varies widely, although I will say that all of the on-campus apartments I lived in have since been renovated. Some of the freshman dorms are much newer than others, although people say the social atmosphere in the older dorms is better. The food is... ehh. But again, most college food isn't great. I do wish UMBC had more of a college town around it, but its proximity to Baltimore and DC is great. Since I graduated, they added bus service to downtown Baltimore, and you can catch the MARC to DC. TL;DR UMBC is great for learning, less so for partying. What do you want out of college?

I had my undergrad at one of those top 10 engineering schools and I did a masters at UMBC (took quite a few years one class at a time). This school was great and located in a really good spot. Sure, this isn't the top engineering school in the country(yet), but it's located down the street from some of the best engineering talent in the nation, and I see only upside in making it better. The location is great in being close to Baltimore and DC (two great places to go visit). I see huge potential with UMBC, and may send my children there one day.