1. Diversity

Coming to UMBC, you meet a multitude of different races, sexual orientations, gender identities and personalities. Although you may hear that UMBC is a primarily STEM school, you will find strong ties in arts and humanities. You will find a Bio major who is a part of the Musical Theater club or an English major who is a part of the Astronomy club. At UMBC, diverse is the word and we love it.

2. Transit

Can I just say that our transit system is pretty awesome? You can go into the Inner Harbor for free. Yes- that’s what I said. No parking fee, no bus fee- free! We have so many routes that will take you everywhere from Giant in Catonsville to the Arundel Mills Mall. (Not to mention, the buses are pretty clean.)

3. President Freeman Hrabowski

He’s pretty much a celebrity on campus. Everybody wants to meet him. Everybody wants pictures with him. I mean- come on. President Obama appointed our school president to Chair of the newly created President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. He’s also been on the list of the top 100 Most Influential People in the World.

4. Size

While some people may love living on a huge campus, I find solace in the fact that I can wake up 10 minutes before my 10:00 a.m. and still have time to get ready before I have to walk to class. Also, it’s so easy to make connections on campus when you see a lot of the same faces day-to-day. You get to sleep in and make lots of friends. Who doesn’t want that?

5. Belief in Student's Abilities

When I was looking at colleges, I’ll admit UMBC was not my first choice. I loved the idea of going out state. However, when weighing UMBC against other in-state schools, it was the one that caught my attention. Unlike any of the other schools I visited, UMBC emphasized that education is about the individual and not the population as a whole. They highlighted the amount of resources we have on campus to help students (Math Lab, Writing Lab, Tutoring, etc.) and how accessible they are. UMBC wants every student to succeed- not just for the numbers to look good.

When I chose to go to UMBC, I was hesitant. It wasn’t my first choice. Now, it is the only school I can see myself at. When you walk on campus, you almost always walk by at least one friend. You notice how diverse the student body is and how each student is dimensional in their interests. At UMBC, you can be who you want to be- not who you were in high school or who society thinks you should be. At UMBC, everyone has a place to call home.