Is UMD's ranking accurate?

[Anonymous]

Seems like they are a bit apple and oranges. UMD is a research university, UVA is more liberal arts focused. UMD is twice the size of UVA in a smaller state (27,000 undergrads vs. 14,600). UMD is about 25% less expensive in state and much less expensive out of state than UVA. It also depends what you are interested in studying. If it's the sciences I'd probably choose UMD. If it's history then UVA. If you are financially constrained then UMD may be a better value.

We are MD residents and are looking at UVA because it is more in line with what my DC is interested in. Cost is not a factor. But lots of DCs friends are looking at UMD, including kids who probably wouldn't have considered it 10 years ago (if they'd been looking at colleges 10 years ago). The profile and selectivity have definitely gone way up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Completely agree with PP, am a research physician who went to Ivy undergrad and med school, but if UMD is the best financial deal to avoid huge debt by the end of med school, then go for it, particularly if the other option is UVA, from a med school perspective in terms of admissions, no difference (only HYPS, MIT, Caltech,or that caliber private would give any leg up in terms of getting into med school with slightly less stellar grades). UMD honors college in particular is excellent, and loads of research opportunities at UMD itself, or at NIH or other local places can be a big advantage. UVA area nowhere near as rich scientifically.

This is the OP. Thank you for your post. We have a bright, hard-working child and want to give him the best advice possible. It would be sad if our inability to pay for (or qualify for FA) at the more prestigious schools were to cost him a shot at med. school. We can definitely manage UMD. I learned a lot from your post.
(by the way, we are not really considering UVA as it is OOS but we were wondering whether middle class kids in MD like ours are at a disadvantage compared to middle class kids in VA)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like they are a bit apple and oranges. UMD is a research university, UVA is more liberal arts focused. UMD is twice the size of UVA in a smaller state (27,000 undergrads vs. 14,600). UMD is about 25% less expensive in state and much less expensive out of state than UVA. It also depends what you are interested in studying. If it's the sciences I'd probably choose UMD. If it's history then UVA. If you are financially constrained then UMD may be a better value.

We are MD residents and are looking at UVA because it is more in line with what my DC is interested in. Cost is not a factor. But lots of DCs friends are looking at UMD, including kids who probably wouldn't have considered it 10 years ago (if they'd been looking at colleges 10 years ago). The profile and selectivity have definitely gone way up.

This is the OP - interesting point about the sciences vs. liberal arts and the research focus at UMD. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

UVA is better at the easy majors . Umd is better at the difficult majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA is better at the easy majors . Umd is better at the difficult majors.

I know. I know. And College Park is much nicer and safer than Charlottesville.

[Anonymous]

^^^^ you speak truth to knowledge ... Check the crime rates. Charlottesville is trauma central.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA is more prestigious in general, harder to get into, and superior to UMD for business or pretty much any of the liberal arts/humanities. UMD, however, has the edge in most of the STEM fields. A lot more science is coming out of UMD than UVA.

I'm a UVA grad in a hard science field. I agree with this. If my child was accepted to both, I would let her choose based on which on be she liked moire. They're both excellent schools.

[Anonymous]

if umd had uva's endowment, given its proximity to DC, the trend of students favouring schools near strong cities, UMD could be in the USNWR 20-35 range a la michigan, uva, unc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if umd had uva's endowment, given its proximity to DC, the trend of students favouring schools near strong cities, UMD could be in the USNWR 20-35 range a la michigan, uva, unc.

is that it then- the size of its endowment? They have so many Nobel prize winning scientists, I just don't understand why they are ranked in the mid-50s in the US News Report rankings.

[Anonymous]

I agree that UMD's reputation lags their reality, and it's a great school today.

That said, these rankings are supposedly very mechanical, in that the index is put together by taking certain specific variables and mashing them together with specified weights. None of this should be open to subjective variations because US News is stuck in the 70s and thinks it's still a party school. I haven't looked closely at the US News Index to figure out which of the variables might be lowering UMD's score, but endowment is one good possibility. Another might be graduation rates?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that UMD's reputation lags their reality, and it's a great school today.

That said, these rankings are supposedly very mechanical, in that the index is put together by taking certain specific variables and mashing them together with specified weights. None of this should be open to subjective variations because US News is stuck in the 70s and thinks it's still a party school. I haven't looked closely at the US News Index to figure out which of the variables might be lowering UMD's score, but endowment is one good possibility. Another might be graduation rates?

SAT scores and acceptance rates as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that UMD's reputation lags their reality, and it's a great school today.

That said, these rankings are supposedly very mechanical, in that the index is put together by taking certain specific variables and mashing them together with specified weights. None of this should be open to subjective variations because US News is stuck in the 70s and thinks it's still a party school. I haven't looked closely at the US News Index to figure out which of the variables might be lowering UMD's score, but endowment is one good possibility. Another might be graduation rates?

SAT scores and acceptance rates as well.

yes, but if umd was as wealthy as uva, scores and acceptance rates would rise and tumble respectively.

UMD would have the money to expand, increase quality of life, invest in major capital projects, have more money for tuition breaks to top students......all of these factors would raise the profile of the school and bring in stronger and stronger classes, thereby increasing rankings.

there are lac's 15 times smaller than UMD with double the endowment....that's how pitiful it is.

[Anonymous]

Sergei Brin could bridge the endowment gap with just a fraction of his Google stock.

Is he a donor to Maryland? If not, why not?

[Anonymous]

Hahaha yeah right keep smoking that crack rock , uva is a top school umd is good like gmu

[Anonymous]

I would have to agree with most of the comments that have been shared so far regardeing UMD being a stronger school for STEM programs and UVA for liberal arts (and this is coming from someone who has a BA from UMD). I do think that UMD's academic programs have improved greatly in the past two decades and that it's reputation has yet to catch up with it's value. When I went to Maryland, I was in the honors program and now, I don't know if I would be accepted at all.

I haven't done the research on crime stats but I will say that I think Charlottesville is much prettier than College Park. CP has improved since I went there but it has a long way to go. However, one thing that I loved about UMD was the wealth of internships that were available in almost any industry with easy access to the DC metro system. Obviously summer internships wouldn't be an issue if you live here but I interned during several semesters of the school year and it was really helpful when trying to find a job after graduation.

I think that UVA is more pretentious (and I don't really mean that in a bad way) and I know that I wouldn't have fit in there. I think that both are good schools for different reasons and your child should make their selection based on the best fit for them. I loved my experience at UMD, still give to the school and would have no problem sending my kids there. But I wouldn't mind if they chose UVA instead.