Your experience with BWI airport and Maryland interview timeline

[Faefly]

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Well, I tried to ask this question on Maryland thread but I got no answer.

I have an interview at Maryland and they say it ends at 5 pm, but the only viable flight I can schedule is at 6:13 pm.

According to Google maps, BWI airport is 15 minutes away from school.

But how busy is BWI airport there? I mean where I live, it takes around 10-15 to do the TSA and about 5-10 minutes to check in the bags ( but I'll do the check-in online so 0 minute for check-in). But on their website, they say come 2 hours earlier before your flight!

But when I went to Rutgers, Newark airport was busier. There were like 300 people in line, but the TSA there was pretty fast. They even didn't ask us to take off our shoes or sperate the stuff from our bags, so we were done in like 30 minutes.

However, now with the gov shut down, TSA workers are calling in sick, so they have a shortage of staff!


My question is: Was it possible to leave earlier than 5 pm on Maryland interview? ( I know at Nova they let the people who had earlier flights to interview first and finish first)
I think I can make it if I leave around 4:30 pm or so, but at 5 pm it's stretch.

FYI: I am travelling with Delta.
Let's hope the flight is delayed for an hour, so I can make it!

 

[artist2022]

No idea about the airport, but I think *most* schools will let you interview first and leave early if they know in advance you have a flight to catch. I remember they allowed this at my UCLA interview- there was a guy who had a flight to catch at 3 or 4 ish maybe, he interviewed first, and left, skipping the lunch and the tour, in order to get to LAX on time.

 

[Faefly]

No idea about the airport, but I think *most* schools will let you interview first and leave early if they know in advance you have a flight to catch. I remember they allowed this at my UCLA interview- there was a guy who had a flight to catch at 3 or 4 ish maybe, he interviewed first, and left, skipping the lunch and the tour, in order to get to LAX on time.

Thanks a lot. From what I read, the interview is the last part at Maryland which is a good thing because if they allow people to leave early to catch their flights, then that would be very convenient.

 

[The_Redwood]

I interviewed at Maryland in November. They just had a recap at the end of the scheduled events and stated that anyone who needed to catch a plane/train/bus was free to leave at ~ 3:45 - 4:00 pm. I don't have any info regarding how busy BWI is though (I drove in).

P.S. Good luck! I'll be attending Maryland this fall, maybe I'll see you there!

 

[Faefly]

I interviewed at Maryland in November. They just had a recap at the end of the scheduled events and stated that anyone who needed to catch a plane/train/bus was free to leave at ~ 3:45 - 4:00 pm. I don't have any info regarding how busy BWI is though (I drove in).

P.S. Good luck! I'll be attending Maryland this fall, maybe I'll see you there!

Thank you so much, this is extremely helpful.
Congrats on getting into Maryland. Thanks for your encouragement, hopefully, I do well on the interview 🙂.

 

[rebecca_chatul_tov]

Well, I tried to ask this question on Maryland thread but I got no answer.

I have an interview at Maryland and they say it ends at 5 pm, but the only viable flight I can schedule is at 6:13 pm.

According to Google maps, BWI airport is 15 minutes away from school.

But how busy is BWI airport there? I mean where I live, it takes around 10-15 to do the TSA and about 5-10 minutes to check in the bags ( but I'll do the check-in online so 0 minute for check-in). But on their website, they say come 2 hours earlier before your flight!

But when I went to Rutgers, Newark airport was busier. There were like 300 people in line, but the TSA there was pretty fast. They even didn't ask us to take off our shoes or sperate the stuff from our bags, so we were done in like 30 minutes.

However, now with the gov shut down, TSA workers are calling in sick, so they have a shortage of staff!


My question is: Was it possible to leave earlier than 5 pm on Maryland interview? ( I know at Nova they let the people who had earlier flights to interview first and finish first)
I think I can make it if I leave around 4:30 pm or so, but at 5 pm it's stretch.

FYI: I am travelling with Delta.
Let's hope the flight is delayed for an hour, so I can make it!

BWI is a main hub for military to deploy out of, so my experience going in and out has always been to catch a connection. I know that as of 2015 there were no connections for military after 7pm/1900. Once we clear customs we either get a room or sleep at the USO and get a flight the next day. I don't think BWI is as busy as Dallas or Ohare, but it's small. I don't think it has a lot of terminals that are spread out so as long as you are good at getting through security you should be good with an hour to get to your gate from check in.

 

[Kawasaki21]

I lived in Maryland for a couple years so I have some experience with BWI. The TSA line is generally relatively empty and moves at an above average pace as far as airports go. Last time I departed from BWI I believe it took 30-45 minutes to check in, get through TSA, and get to my gate.
The timing for your flight would be cutting it close, but I think it’s possible if you make sure you plan ahead and have all your stuff already printed.

 

[Faefly]

BWI is a main hub for military to deploy out of, so my experience going in and out has always been to catch a connection. I know that as of 2015 there were no connections for military after 7pm/1900. Once we clear customs we either get a room or sleep at the USO and get a flight the next day. I don't think BWI is as busy as Dallas or Ohare, but it's small. I don't think it has a lot of terminals that are spread out so as long as you are good at getting through security you should be good with an hour to get to your gate from check in.

Thanks a lot for your help. Yeah, the other day our airport was full of people from the military, this is the first time I see this., but again I don't use the airport that much.

 

[Faefly]

I lived in Maryland for a couple years so I have some experience with BWI. The TSA line is generally relatively empty and moves at an above average pace as far as airports go. Last time I departed from BWI I believe it took 30-45 minutes to check in, get through TSA, and get to my gate.
The timing for your flight would be cutting it close, but I think it’s possible if you make sure you plan ahead and have all your stuff already printed.

Good to know that. Thanks a lot.

What do you think of Maryland as a city. I always loved Baltimore without seeing it, its name is so beautiful and now when I tried to book a hotel, the pictures are so beautiful, but pictures are pictures. The reality is always different. I heard it is unsafe.
But again, they said that about Newark, and I actually liked Newark! I love such cities.

 

[Kawasaki21]

Good to know that. Thanks a lot.

What do you think of Maryland as a city. I always loved Baltimore without seeing it, its name is so beautiful and now when I tried to book a hotel, the pictures are so beautiful, but pictures are pictures. The reality is always different. I heard it is unsafe.
But again, they said that about Newark, and I actually liked Newark! I love such cities.

Sorry for the late reply as I haven’t logged on for awhile. Maryland is a good state to live in; however, Baltimore can be a bit sketchy. Baltimore is just like any other metro area, you’re going to have your high income areas and your low income “ghetto” areas. If you do end up going to UMBC dental school, just do research on where you’re looking at for housing

 

[murfee]

I fly through BWi almost everytime I fly (I live right next door), and I would definitely budget a much time as possible... especially if youre flying Delta. Traffic is usually the worst part - getting to the actual terminal to get dropped off is really crowded and inefficient, esp at night. As far as TSA goes it depends on the time of day you're checking in and how many security checkpoints they have open. in my experience it can take anywhere from 20 min to 1.5 hours to get to the terminal, check a bag, get through security and get to the gate

 

[Faefly]

Thank you all for your replies.

So, I am gonna explain what happened, so everyone knows for future flights at BWI.

I ended up finding a much cheaper flight at 7:45 pm and I chose that instead of the one that was going to fly at 6:13 pm

I finished the interview day at 4:30 pm ( could have finished earlier but I wanted to stay until the end)
by the time I called uber to go back to the hotel and change into comfortable clothes, it was around 5 pm.
The drive to the airport took around 25 min.
Checking in ( 10 minutes because I decided to upgrade my seat) and TSA took around 25 to 30 minutes or less.

So, I was done at 6:05 pm sharp which means I would have run to the gate and find my the gate closed had I chosen the earlier flight.
.
But of course, I could have made it if I had chosen to take my luggage to Maryland school directly, and change my interview attire at the airport restrooms and not to upgrade my seat.