College Guide: University of Maryland University College

Choosing a four year school that meets your needs is often a time-consuming, challenging and overwhelming process. The maze of finding the right school for you can sometimes be compounded by living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. I know, I speak with a voice of experience.

Not too many years ago, I was in the same boat as you. Upon completing my Associates Degree at a local junior college, I was looking for a four-year school where I would transfer to finish my Bachelors degree. My search to find the right college for my needs focused on these four important criteria. The school that I transferred to needed to be located in the state of Maryland, offer Communications as a program of study, be financially affordable and provide students with flexibility in the scheduling of classes.

No matter where I completed my degree, it was very important that I make the best choice to increase my chances for learning, personal growth and long-term success. As I continued in my search to find the best four year college for me, little did I know, that the perfect college for me was only a short, twenty-minute commute from my house!

After applying online to the University of Maryland University College, I was thrilled to be accepted as a transfer student for the Spring, 2001 semester. Much to my surprise, not only had I been accepted, but all of my credits transferred! Maryland's acceptance of all of my coursework at my junior college was due to a reciprocity agreement which existed between UMUC and each of the junior colleges in the state of Maryland.

When I was a student at UMUC, forty-seven undergraduate degree programs were offered. The degree programs focused on five different areas of study. Available areas of study included: Business and Management, Communications, Arts and Humanities, Computer Information Systems and Technology, Legal Studies and Criminal Justice, and Psychology, Science and Social Science.

Similarly, UMUC offered many different course formats. UMUC was one of the first four year colleges in the United States to offer students the flexible and convenient option of completing entire degree programs online. For those students who are best served by instruction in a classroom, many face-to-face courses are available as well. As a student with a disability, I found the small class sizes and individual attention from professors to be a very important part of my success.

As a result of the faculty's care and dedication to my success, I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, graduating with a B average in my major coursework! I was so thankful to finally earn my college degree after eight years of persistence, patience, dedication and hard work! This important accomplishment was achieved, despite my learning disability in math!

If you are looking for a school with a variety of majors, small-sized classes, and individualized instruction UMUC may be the perfect fit for you! For more information, please visit UMUC's website at: www.umuc.edu. It is hard to believe that the summer is almost over and another school year is right around the corner! May you have a fun and successful school year!