Commute to school, practice, morning workout, class, quick lunch, practice, study hall, quick dinner, night class, commute back home, repeat.

This was the routine for history teacher Jim Fendryk while attending UMBC.  “Overall, my experience at UMBC was great, even though there was little downtime to do much besides athletics and academics,” he said.

Fast Facts:

• Public University
• 18:1 student to faculty ratio
• 9,656 full time enrolled students
• Acceptance rate of over 70%.
• MD Resident Tuition: $8,872
• Non-MD Resident Tuition: $18,213
• Room and Board: $9,050
• UMBC contains five residence halls
• Continuous occupancy is available for students who need to stay on campus during breaks.
• UMBC is recognized as a national leader in higher education by the U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Colleges Guide.

What it offers:

UMBC is in the NCAA Division I for athletics. Fendryk played for the men’s soccer team.  His best and worst times at UMBC revolved around soccer.  “The time I spent with my teammates was probably the best overall experience of college. At UMBC, I spent almost every waking minute with the guys on my team,” said Fendryk.

Although Fendryk didn’t live on campus, he had friends who did.  “The newer apartments were great, but the older facilities definitely needed some work,” he said.  The food that UMBC had to offer was “surprisingly good. Whether it was at the dining hall or the commons, the food services did a great job providing a wide selection of foods,” said Fendryk.

The only aspect  of UMBC that Fendryk didn’t like was the class sizes.  “Class size seemed to be a bit large for my liking. Smaller classes could enhance the academic experience for all students. In a large class setting, it is very easy to feel lost in the crowd,” he said.

Math teacher Rob Torres, who also attended UMBC said, “The only thing I didn’t really like was that they didn’t have their own track, which they ended up getting a few years after I graduated.” Torres was a member of the men’s cross country team at UMBC.

“The college was on the rise academically, so I knew when I graduated, I’d be in good shape in getting a job,” said Torres.

UMBC offers 42 majors, 41 minors, and 17 certificate programs. Areas of study include Arts, Business/Management, Education, Engineering, Historical & Cultural Studies, Human Services, Humanities, Language & Communications, Policy/Government, Pre-professional, Science & Math, Social Sciences, and Technology & Computing.

Another option is to design your own course of study.  UMBC also has a study abroad program, which allows students to build a global outlook and develop the cross-cultural skills necessary to live in today’s world.

“I liked what I got out of it and I have nothing to complain about,” said Torres.

Contacts:

Address: 1000 Hilltop Circle

Baltimore, MD 21550

Phone: 410-455-1000

Web: www.UMBC.edu

Elisabeth Tauber can be reached for comment at [email protected].