UMD or W&M

[Anonymous]

I mean, I think W and M would be a great fit for my kid, and he likes it, but there is at least one crazy W and M booster parent on here who is obsessed with arguing with anyone about how great it is. And that’s a little worrying!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I think they are equal in reputation so would let student pick which they prefer, assuming cost is similar.

They absolutely aren't

You're right. UMD is ranked higher (46) than WM (53).
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities

And yet, according to Parchment, when applicants are admitted to both, they choose W&M over UMD-CP 70% to 30%. Revealed preference tells us a lot more than pseudoscience rankings.

preferences can be about many things, and not necessarily about academics.

Yes, but what makes a university “better” than another if not the revealed preference of a population who can choose between them? What you think is important is NOT the only criteria in evaluating a university. And there is no way accurate way to measure the “academics” between the two in a way that you can say flatly one is stronger than the other. Sure UMD is bigger and offers things that W&M does not, but what W&M does do I think it does quite well.

Certainly, it depends on when and who took the survey, and what their majors are.

Harvard is the most popular on parchment, but a serious student would choose UMD over Harvard for CS.

Parchment also shows Michigan State as top 20 most popular. You think an Econ major would choose Mich State over W&M?

Also, the stats on parchment for the colleges are almost 10 years old. A lot has changed in 10 years.

You are utterly fooling yourself.

One of my kid's friend received BS, MS in CS from Harvard and is barely making $120k working for a small startup in NYC. He is struggling to find a better job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I think they are equal in reputation so would let student pick which they prefer, assuming cost is similar.

They absolutely aren't

Yes, UMD is better especially for CS or engineering.

The OP is interested in Economics. You are commenting on CS and engineering.

If you want to consider CS and engineering, it has been pointed out that W&M does not have engineering. For CS, UMD supporters have pointed out higher ranking, but W&M supporters showed a report from WSJ that shows W&M grads working in technology (where CS grads may work) have higher salaries.

https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/economics-rankings

Best Economics Programs:

University of Maryland--College Park
College Park, MD
#22 in Economics (tie)

William & Mary
Unranked

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I think W and M would be a great fit for my kid, and he likes it, but there is at least one crazy W and M booster parent on here who is obsessed with arguing with anyone about how great it is. And that’s a little worrying!

Agree, I think one crazy parent on each side and they can’t let up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they are equal in reputation so would let student pick which they prefer, assuming cost is similar.

They absolutely aren't

Yes, UMD is better especially for CS or engineering.

The OP is interested in Economics. You are commenting on CS and engineering.

If you want to consider CS and engineering, it has been pointed out that W&M does not have engineering. For CS, UMD supporters have pointed out higher ranking, but W&M supporters showed a report from WSJ that shows W&M grads working in technology (where CS grads may work) have higher salaries.

https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/economics-rankings

Best Economics Programs:

University of Maryland--College Park
College Park, MD
#22 in Economics (tie)

William & Mary
Unranked

That is a graduate program ranking, not undergraduate. W&M does not offer advanced degrees in Economics.