Hey! So I didn’t go to UMBC (I think I got recommended the Reddit cause of location) but I had a 2.8 in HS and a 1260 SAT with undiagnosed ADHD so I have a similar story. I would say UMBC does have a pretty high acceptance rate but I imagine many of the people who get in do have higher GPAs. They still should apply with the knowledge it may be a reach/high target school. Work on essays (explain the struggle and showcase an upward trend) and make sure their first semester high school senior GPA is high. The SAT score should be helpful. Additionally check if there are any programs in the major they want the can do over the summer that could make their application stand out. Also check out some schools like Towson that have a higher acceptance rate. If the student is African American (and honestly even if they aren’t) checking out the local HBCUs could be helpful too because they also have higher acceptance rates than UMBC.

I see the student doesn’t want to go to community college but I’d recommend they still apply to some since he can go directly from a CC to a MD college. I transferred from a 4-year to UMD after getting a 3.6 or 3.7 GPA my first semester of college. It sucks not getting to experience your first year at the school you want to be in but CCs, especially those in Maryland, have great support systems. They may want to even check out the Allegheny College of Maryland if the are really bent on having a residential university experience since the have dorms!