马里兰大学帕克分校（University of Maryland， College Park. 简称UMCP）是一所美国著名的公立研究型大学，坐落于美国马里兰州帕克市。该校成立于1856年，根据2016年的数据显示，该所学校共有1813名全职教职员工、675名兼职教职员工，师生比例为1：16，共有27443名本科生以及10697名硕士及博士生。马里兰大学帕克分校作为美国中西部知名的十大联盟成员之一，其学生综合满意程度为95%。毕竟公立学校综排又不高，一直在60左右。但是实际上，马大理科中实力很强的是物理，天文和气象，数学，地质，地理（尤其以地理信息系统）很强（详细信息见下图），较冷门的农学和食品科学也还可以，比较弱的是生物和化学。工科中实力最强的是CS，EE和AE，另外ME和Civil Engineering 也不错，ChemE和MSE实力较弱。Google的创始人之一 sergey brian就是那里毕业的。Facebook搞虚拟现实收购的oculus创始人也是从umd辍学的。商科比较有名的是under Amer的创始人，是他们alumni。犯罪学全美也是第一，不过冷门专业，呵呵。大一些的学科跟附近的政府部门有很大关系，比如马里兰大学的很多理科院系多跟NIH，NIST, FDA, USDA等政府研究机构有合作，文科一些院系则和一些政府部门和智库联系比较紧密。
但是，马大这个地方生活上的确是让人爱恨交加。最最不满的就是学校的治安，因为学校在黑人区。这里所说的黑人区不是指像费城底特律那样的每晚枪战的黑人区，主要是指学校周边都是黑人人口占多数的社区，如果晚上比较晚的时候在校区外围街道独行，被打劫的可能性比较大，下面是一个毕业学生对学校的几点总结：
· 马里兰大学在一个黑人区
· 马里兰大学的理工科极强。
· 近水楼台，附近有各政府实验室，资源丰富。
· 在华府旁边，政府机关一大堆，很多免费的博物馆，提高文化水平。
· 极多networking机会，校内校外的。
说了这么多，喜欢不喜欢自己看了，我们接下来看申请了，马里兰要通过CAAS系统申请，有一点要非常关注，这个学校喜欢EA，它是这样描述的：
1. For priority consideration, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the early action deadline where applicable. Freshmen who apply by November 1 for the fall semester will receive priority consideration for admission to the university, merit-based scholarships and invitations to special programs. Transfer students who apply by the early action deadline for the fall semester will receive priority consideration for admission to the university and merti-based scholarships. The early action deadline is non-binding; these applicants will have until the date listed in the "Enrollment Confirmation Deadline" column to confirm their enrollment.
2. Applications received after the regular deadline will be considered on a rolling, space-available basis.
3. Freshman students who apply for the fall semester are automatically considered for spring admission.
4. Students with non-U.S. academic records and/or are non-U.S. citizens or non-U.S. permanent residents (those who hold or intend to seek an F-1 Student or J-1 Exchange Visitor visa to study in the U.S.) should apply as international students and are encouraged to review the International Applicant Requirements. All other students should follow the regular application instructions for freshman or transfer admission.
这里面看出几点来，
1. 一定要申EA，EA还可以考虑给你奖学金。到了RD阶段结束后，是滚动录取， 录满了，就不考虑了。
2. 有可能会发春季录取的offer。
3. 暗示在美国学习的学生可以当做国内学生考虑， 不算国际生。读美高的好处妥妥体现在这里。
马里兰大学还贴心告诉你，他们考量的26个因素（AO好心的赞一个！）
· High school achievement
· Grades in academic subjects
· Progression of performance
· Breadth of life experiences
· Geographic origin
· Gender
· SAT I or ACT scores
· Work experience
· Recognition of special achievements
· Extenuating circumstances
· Socio-economic background
· Written expression of ideas (as demonstrated in the essay)
· Rank in class (actual or percentile)
· Extracurricular activities
· Special talents or skills
· Community involvement
· Community service
· Demonstrated leadership
· Learning differences
· Quality of coursework
· Residency status
· Race
· Ethnicity
· Family educational background
· Academic endeavors outside of the classroom
· English as a second language/Language spoken at home
（这个不翻译了，大家自己看看吧，大多少美国学校都会这么看只是主次而已）
马里兰大学的AO还贴心的告诉你申请的评审方式（AO好心的赞一个！）
In keeping with this philosophy, the admission review factors listed above will allow the Admission Committee to identify those applicants, who as individuals and as a group, will enrich and benefit from the campus learning environment, and thus benefit the entire student body.
The undergraduate admissions process is rigorous and individualized. As the university must make fine distinctions among large numbers of highly qualified applicants, the ability to assess consistently all information presented in the application becomes increasingly important. Therefore, the university employs a holistic review process that engages the expertise of professional educators whose judgments—based upon consideration of each applicant’s credentials measured by all admissions criteria—build an entering class that will best complement the existing student body and meet the university’s mission objectives.
In this context, academic merit is assessed on the basis of each applicant’s achievements and potential in a broad range of academic categories, as influenced by the opportunities and challenges faced by the applicant. These categories include:
· Educational Performance
· Potential for College Success
· Potential to Promote Beneficial Educational Outcomes and to Contribute to Campus and Community Life
· Students’ Persistence and Commitment to Educational Success.
这些基本官话，大家看看就好了，不翻译了，挑重点，有学术奖学金（MERIT BASED）主要考评成绩，进大学后潜在的成功可能，对学习和学校以及社会活动的可能贡献，学生的专注度等等。
最后讲下马里兰要的托福分数，注意，不接受拼分，差口气的，努力了。详细的信息如下：
English proficiency Tests and Scores
For students applying for Fall 2020 admission, we recommend the following scores:
· (TOEFL)
- University of Maryland passing score: 95
- Maryland English Institute score: 94 or lower
(At this time, we are not accepting TOEFL superscores, also known as MyBest™ Scores.)
· (IELTS)
- University of Maryland passing score: 7
- Maryland English Institute score: 6.5 or lower
客观说，理工科的学生去马里兰学校，是个不错的选择，语言要求它不算太高的，有考虑的冲下，做个保底，真的去了，我觉得不算吃亏。
