MTAP Updates Sept. 2013

The online application form for MTAP, the Maryland Transfer Advantage Program, is now available on the UMCP website: www.admissions.umd.edu/requirements/MarylandTransferAdvantageProgram.php

Students may enroll in MTAP between now (September) up to the deadline of this Nov. 15, 2013.  Any student who applies now may participate in MTAP benefits this coming Spring 2014 and beyond.

Who should NOT apply?  Any student who has applied or who plans apply to transfer to UMCP this Spring 2014 is not eligible to join MTAP - MTAP is not open to students who want to transfer to UM in the following semester.  Students who plan to apply to transfer to UM in Fall 2014 SHOULD apply to MTAP now!

When will students hear of their enrollment in MTAP?  MTAP applications will be processed after the Nov. 15th deadline.  Students will hear of their acceptance 6 - 8 weeks after Nov. 15th (very late Dec/January).  If you are working with a student who wants to take a course at UM this coming Spring 2014, please inform one of us (Anne, Joan or Jeri) so that we can alert UM and ask them to process the student's application earlier.   Taking a course is open only to students who have completed 12 or more credits at MC prior to Spring 2014.

Who is a good candidate to take a course at UM?  Typically, students who are in majors where enrollment at UM is necessary to stay on track - Landscape Arch, Architecture, Animal Science, Computer Science, some types of Engineering, Journalism, etc.  A key tip-off is when the ARTSYS RTP shows courses with asterisks *ANSC 110, *CMSC 131 etc, indicating that no equivalent course is available at Montgomery College. 

Do students have to reapply to stay in MTAP?  No - once a student has received a "Welcome to MTAP" e-mail, they are considered to be in the program until the actually transfer to UM.  Students who are in MTAP receive special consideration of their transfer applications only if they apply by the Priority Deadline for transfer, either March 1st for Fall or August 1 for Spring. 

Who should apply to MTAP?  ANY student who is considering UM as an option in the future should enroll in MTAP.  MTAP does not commit a student to attend UM, but it keeps the door open for a possible admission later on.

Does MTAP guarantee admission to LEP's?  No - however, we recommend that all students in all majors apply to MTAP to cover guaranteed admission if students change their minds about majors.

What is the MTAP Guarantee of Admission?  Students who complete 30 or more transferable credits which must include EN 102/109 and a College-level math, along with a 3.0 overall GPA, are guaranteed admission to Non-LEP majors, but they MUST apply by the Priority Deadline of either August 1 for Spring or March 1 for Fall.  See LEP majors here:  www.lep.umd.edu

What if a student doesn't have all 30 credits finished at the time they apply to transfer by March 1 for Fall 2014?  This is the case for current freshmen who are in their first semester at MC this Fall 2013.  If they enroll in MTAP for Spring, they will indicate that they are in MTAP on their Transfer Applications for Fall 2014, and UM will hold their applications for a final review in late May, with notification of admission coming in late June/early July after Spring grades have been received and reviewed.  Students who don't have 30 credits showing as completed on their transcripts at the Priority Deadline March 1 for Fall or August 1 for Spring will still have to send SAT and high school transcripts to UM to make their applications complete, but the decision to admit will be based on MC grades.

Are MTAP students better off transferring prior to completion of 60 credits at MC?  Not at all.  Although they may apply and transfer @ 30 credits, many students in competitive majors like Business or Engineering find it to their benefit to get great grades in 60 credits at MC.  UMCP does not give preference to students who have transferred earlier for competitive majors - competitive admission into LEP majors is based mainly on excellent grades, and smaller classes at MC are usually a good place to get the best grades possible.  The other advantage of staying longer at MC is that students will have met 34 credits of General Education requirements if they fulfill our Gen Ed Program (taking a 3-credit Health) - this means that they will only need to take 2 more Gen Ed courses after transfer, an upper level ENGL writing course and one other Gen Ed at UM. 

What about Shady Grove?  UM offers a similar Guaranteed Admission Program to Shady Grove students - Terp Transfer Program (TTP).  Majors in TTP are Biological Sciences, Communication, and Criminal Justice, soon to be joined by Business.  Refer prospective TTP students to Justin Edgar, jedgar@umd.edu - he is also on MC Rockville & Germantown campuses weekly.   TTP Information:   http://shadygrove.umd.edu/prospective-students/transfer-access-programs/usg-ttp   Students may apply to both MTAP and TTP.

What if a student doesn't meet that exact 3.0 GPA?   UMCP continues to honor the Maryland State transfer agreement that says that a student who has earned an AA or AS degree with a 2.0 or higher "will not be denied admission to a Maryland public institution."  UM accepts AA/AS degree holders into non-LEP majors on the condition that the Associate's degree must be stamped as completed on the transcript by one of the two priority transfer application deadlines, either August 1 - Spring or March 1 - Fall. 

How will students be informed that MTAP is now accepting applications?  We are sending out e-mails to students in MyMC, and we hope that you will also let them know about MTAP!

Final Bonus Question:  What are the two UMCP Priority Transfer Applications Deadlines by which applications must be completed in order to qualify for both MTAP and the Guarantee of Admission based on completion of an AA/AS degree?  If you answered "August 1 for Spring or March 1 for Fall", then you no longer need to Fear the Turtle!  And yes, UM continues to accept Spring applications until Nov. 15 and Fall applications until June 1, but space availability is limited and the MTAP/AA degree basis of acceptance is not assured for students who apply after the Priority Transfer Application Deadlines.

Advancement to College English Testing and Important Updates - Spring 2014

That is, new RD-exempt students who place into EN001 or EN002 should be informed about their ACE eligibility in their intake interview with a counselor.

Repeated Attempts- Limited attempts

If a student fails or drops ACE once, he/she may retake EN 101A a second time- and is restricted to ACE sections only.  If the student is not successful, the student must go back to his or her original placement.  This is important for counselors to note, as they are most likely to see students for a rpt override.  ACE students should not be give a third attempt at En 101A ACE.

Attached are the new ACE fact sheets for counselors/faculty/departments and for students that reflect the changes and updated information.

Resuming the Writing Sample

We would like to resume offering the writing sample after October 1, 2013.

Please see the attached student and faculty/staff FAQ sheet (located on I:\ drive). Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions related to our program. If you would like me or an ACE representative to come to a department meeting to share information, please let me know.

Samantha Streamer-Veneruso

Professor of English

Coordinator Advancment to College English, Rockville Campus Montgomery College- Rockville Campus

Office: 240-567-7940

FAX: 240-567-7410

NEW Transfer Articulation Website - Fall 2013

First and foremost, you may want to bookmark the Transfer Agreements page:  www.montgomerycollege.edu/agreements(or www.montgomerycollege.edu/transfer), if you haven’t already.   See: “Suggested Transfer Pathway” --  It provides a list of courses for students to take at MC that transfer to the four year institution.  

USG UMCP Biological Science Program - Fall 2013

Please review the changes below to the UMCP USG Biological Sciences Program.  The changes include:

1. Changing the “area of emphasis” within the major of Biological Sciences from General Biology to Physiology and Neurobiology. This does not affect the requirements to enter the program.
2.  Determined that it is in the students’ best interest to only admit students to the program in the fall semesters. There will be no more spring admission to the BioSci program at USG.

Changes to the UMCP Biological Sciences Program:

   We are changing the “area of emphasis” within the major from General Biology to Physiology and Neurobiology to better meet current students’ future goals and hopefully attract more students to the program at USG.

Within the Biological Sciences Program (the “major”) on main campus there are different “areas of emphasis” (Cell Biology, Microbiology, Ecology and Evolution, etc.).  Main campus students can choose which area of emphasis they would like to pursue, and it affects which upper level science courses they are required to take and which upper level science courses they can choose to take and have count towards the “area” requirements. Here at USG we are too small to offer the many courses it would take to allow students to choose different areas of emphasis; we only have one. When the program was first conceived, it was decided that offering the General Biology specialization (GENB) was the best idea to be able to provide a variety of courses and to attract the most students.  It is now clear that most of the students who enroll in the program at USG have the same goals as most of the students in the Biological Sciences Program on main campus: to attend medical, dental, pharmacy, physical therapy or physician assistant school after graduating with their four year degree. Therefore, offering the Physiology and Neurobiology specialization (PHNB) in place of the General Biology specialization is a much better fit for the students’ goals. This in no way changes the requirements to enter the program.

  The USG UMCP Biological Science Program will no longer be admitting students in spring semesters.

There is a course taken in the fall of junior year, BSCI 330 Cell Biology, that is a pre-requisite for most other science courses. If students enter the program in the spring, and therefore do not have this pre-req, they have too few science classes they can take that spring semester and therefore too many to take the following spring semester. Only allowing fall admits is best for the students. This only applies to the BioSci program at USG; main campus BioSci will still admit in spring.

Dr. Beth Parent

Program Director

Biological Sciences Program

University of Maryland College Park

The Universities at Shady Grove

301-738-6009

parent@umd.edu