UMD Honors vs GMU for Nova kid wanting to be near home?

[Anonymous]

UMD Honors will be hard to get in. Super high stat kids. Your DD has almost perfect stats?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

4-5 kids (that we know of) from my kid's FCPS HS class are attending UMD. He was in the only 4y honors LLP. Quit after one year. Just wasn't for him. However he LOVES UMD. Currently a junior. He's had internships each summer (including summer of 2026). Pretty generous with APs. Will end up with a major in CS along with minors in philosophy and math. He didn't apply to Mason. Good luck!

PP - If you don't mind sharing, what did you son dislike about the UMD Honors LLP? Sounds like he had no problem integrating with the school after leaving the Honors track, so that's good to know.
He is a CS major. The 4y research project didn't really jive with what he wants to do in college. Although he quit after a year, the program was great for him socially. Still good friends with others in the program. BTW his LLP, Gemstone, is housed in one of the non air conditioned dorm. Fortunately he survived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Helping my DD research. She is good student with strong stats (so far.)

How would you compare these for someone who is social and wants the “college experience” but also would like to know that home and parents are not that far away?

(She is our second. First kid was like bye c ya later!)

4-5 kids (that we know of) from my kid's FCPS HS class are attending UMD. He was in the only 4y honors LLP. Quit after one year. Just wasn't for him. However he LOVES UMD. Currently a junior. He's had internships each summer (including summer of 2026). Pretty generous with APs. Will end up with a major in CS along with minors in philosophy and math. He didn't apply to Mason. Good luck!

PP, I am not OP, but I have a kid interested in UMD physics, music and, perhaps minor in philosophy. Can you comment on UMD philosophy? We are in NOVA, and originally thought that UMD is just too close to home. But physics of UMD nationally ranked among the top public, way ahead of UVA, GMU or VT. This is why my kid is interested.

PP. Unfortunately don't know alot about the program. 6 classes with minimal prerequisites. Probably 3-4 will likely be STEM related ethics type classes. Believe its a fairly popular minor. He seems to enjoy the two classes he's taken thus far.

[Anonymous]

JMU has a great honors program and is a quick drive.