University of Maryland College Park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honors dorm - Prince Frederick - awesome
Food - awesome.

Freshman male engineer

He is not an engineer yet, mom. He has a long way to go to earn that title.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is the Honors college dorm? And the scholars dorm?

DC was in Pyon Chen freshman year as part of the Honors college. Dorm was amazing. The Y has great food choices.

Dual CS/math major. Third year, but a senior and will graduate this May (tons of credits going in). Amazing internships. Great friends. DC told me that 2025 was a 9 out 10. They are having their best life. Currently living in an off campus apt with a good group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dorms range from godawful to good. Food options pretty good. Huge campus (too much for one DC, fine for another). Very nice students overall.

You have to make a concerted effort not to get lost in a sea of students, but excellent outcomes are very possible for the students that do.

Is there a shuttle taking students around on campus? That big? Or is shuttle only to and from metro station?

There are several different shuttles. The Campus Connector shuttle has multiple stops on campus. Other shuttles go to metro, around CP etc.

[Anonymous]

It’s pretty decent. School’s about 40,000 kids so you’re sure to find your crowed there, no matter what. Foods decent. No ac in the dorm though


My kid is doing the sports management. Were from Baltimore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honors dorm - Prince Frederick - awesome
Food - awesome.

Freshman male engineer

My dd is in the honors dorms and they are very very nice! My other 2 kids who went to different schools say they are the nicest they have seen. Food is also very good compared to other campuses we are familiar with. Its a big school but compact. It isn't often that you will have classes more.than a 10 minute walk away. Social is good, the dow town area has come a long way, with lots.9f food options and DC is close and easy to get to for other things.
Cons: non honors dorms some are.older.
Dd is chemistry major, sophomore and has already been in 2 research groups. She has some.good.options for internships this summer. My other 2 kids who did not want to be close to home so went further now feel that they should have given Maryland a look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors dorm - Prince Frederick - awesome
Food - awesome.

Freshman male engineer

My dd is in the honors dorms and they are very very nice! My other 2 kids who went to different schools say they are the nicest they have seen. Food is also very good compared to other campuses we are familiar with. Its a big school but compact. It isn't often that you will have classes more.than a 10 minute walk away. Social is good, the dow town area has come a long way, with lots.9f food options and DC is close and easy to get to for other things.
Cons: non honors dorms some are.older.
Dd is chemistry major, sophomore and has already been in 2 research groups. She has some.good.options for internships this summer. My other 2 kids who did not want to be close to home so went further now feel that they should have given Maryland a look.

Honors programs are located in multiple dorms. Gemstone, the only 4 year program, is housed in Ellicott, one with no air conditioning. However, I believe its scheduled for installation.

[Anonymous]

My kid just finished his first semester at UMD. He like the engineering program, has a nice roommate, enjoys going to games with friends, and likes the clubs he's joined.

The only thing he's complained about is that the buses are not that convenient. He tends to bike or walk. When walking, he says he gets 25K-30K steps on class days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honors dorm - Prince Frederick - awesome
Food - awesome.

Freshman male engineer

My dd is in the honors dorms and they are very very nice! My other 2 kids who went to different schools say they are the nicest they have seen. Food is also very good compared to other campuses we are familiar with. Its a big school but compact. It isn't often that you will have classes more.than a 10 minute walk away. Social is good, the dow town area has come a long way, with lots.9f food options and DC is close and easy to get to for other things.
Cons: non honors dorms some are.older.
Dd is chemistry major, sophomore and has already been in 2 research groups. She has some.good.options for internships this summer. My other 2 kids who did not want to be close to home so went further now feel that they should have given Maryland a look.

Honors programs are located in multiple dorms. Gemstone, the only 4 year program, is housed in Ellicott, one with no air conditioning. However, I believe its scheduled for installation.

Yup. My kid was in Ellicot. Not having the AC was the only con. And not having an AC in the dorm room is only an issue for a month or so.

The beauty of Ellicott was that all kids became friends very quickly because they all hung out in the AC common rooms. One floor common room was designated party room and movie room, another floor was the quite study hall.

Another pro for Ellicott was that no one was having wild and crazy parties there. The 5-star dorms had parties (which the Ellicott kids attended) but the guests trashed it. There was a lot of drinking and puking every where. My kid was happy that Ellicott public bathrooms did not have a puke problem.


Anyways - for my kids who both doubled majored because coming from MoCo MCPS had earned them boatload of credits because of 12+ APs.

GOOD -
- CS, Physics, Math, Econ, Engineering (the ones that I know of)
- Very good food, many places to eat
- Honors college helps get in-college assitantship. Use their placements and counselors
- Amazing paid internships (my kid was in CS) all the years in DMV and beyond.
- Merit scholarships, also will give scholarships for NMS finalists. 8K over 4 years. Great group of really smart kids
- Nice off-campus apartmentsLots of cheapish eating places, boba tea, grocery stores etc near the apartments. Ikea closeby
- Large student body. Lots and lots of opportunities to try out new things, cultural events, games... etc

BAD
- College Park is improving but as someone said it is not a quaint pretty town.
- Pr Georges grittiness outside of college ...it is improving though...and attempts to make it prettier

UGLY
- I haven't seen the ugly yet. Maybe my kid and his friends were in a bubble and were not part of living or witnessing any kind of ugliness.

I do not know how it is for poor students, international students, Trans LGBTQ students, students with addiction issues, disability issues, immigration issues. These are the things that can make life ugly. I also do not know of suicides, deaths, bullying, rapes, trafficking, crimes. I am sure it happens. Always know that things can always go wrong and be vigilant and make good choices.

My kids do not hang out with 1%er kids. Most are instate and come from educated families from all walks of life. The vibe is liberal and progressive. I am sure there are Charlie Kirk followers too but my non-White kid did not face anything negative.

It is a familiar, comforting and beloved institution. It has given an excellent education to my kid and an amazing job opportunity.

[Anonymous]

^UMD was voted most LGBTQ+ friendly univ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bad: all the construction
Good: food is VERY good
So-so: dorms

DS is a sophomore physics major

Is that food on campus or along Route 1 and nearby areas?

On campus food is actually really good. The dining halls.

[Anonymous]

We're OOS and not super familiar yet with UMD.

How is the school spirit? Do kids actually go to games? (Doesn't matter which sport is the most popular one - DC will go watch ANYTHING, as long as lots of other kids are there.)

[Anonymous]

Worst college tour we were on by far. Turned my student right off and refused to consider their acceptance. Total bummer.

[Anonymous]

I’m laughing at all the complaints about AC. Wasn’t it all like that when we were kids? I’m fine with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Worst college tour we were on by far. Turned my student right off and refused to consider their acceptance. Total bummer.

What was it about the tour that turned your kid off?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're OOS and not super familiar yet with UMD.

How is the school spirit? Do kids actually go to games? (Doesn't matter which sport is the most popular one - DC will go watch ANYTHING, as long as lots of other kids are there.)

Yes! My kid attended football, men's basketball, and men's soccer games this past semester. He said lots of students attend those sports.