University of Maryland College Park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

They do. -DP

[Anonymous]

How much is Greek life a factor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much is Greek life a factor?

Anything on CDS? There's definitely Greek but with a student pop of over 40k you expect that

[Anonymous]

It’s been a great experience! I have one graduate and one senior. My senior is a business major who will work for Deloitte after graduation. He had no issue whatsoever getting great internships. He’s enjoyed a great social life and received a great education. My graduate had a similarly good experience though is an introvert. Still they found their people. They both liked their professors (mostly) and the dining hall (though wish the dining hall had longer hours). The one major complaint is that some of the dorms are pretty old and as of 2 years ago there were a few without AC. At the same time, there are also some really gorgeous newer dorms if you’re lucky. Most dorms are in between. We have visited a lot of schools between 3 kids and feel like this was typical of many schools.

[Anonymous]

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

NP. They didn't "complain". Simply acknowledged. Posters brushed off as more of an inconvenience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This poster nails it.

A couple more things. There were a couple of years during the peak construction of the Purple line and the improvements of Route 1 that construction around campus was truly unbearable. With Rt 1 fully finished, and the Purple line for far behind, construction is pretty normal for a healthy, non-stagnant town.

Athletics is currently a dumpster fire. Some games are well attended, but the teams are currently so bad, that the majority are not. Some top recruits are coming next year, so there's some hope that things will start turning around.

Overall it is a great university, with some programs top of the nation (CS, physics, criminology). College Park is nothing like a decade ago, and now has one of the best concentrated food scenes in the area. The university and students have events non-stop, and the city also started organizing some goofy events that add even more life to the town. It is still not a charming college town, but I'd say that with all the pros above, and proximity to DC, it is a truly good school.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know when the train running through campus is expected to be done and where it will go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know when the train running through campus is expected to be done and where it will go?

That would be the Purple line, expected to start running on Jan 2028, and it will connect UMD with Silver Spring and Bethesda to the West, and New Carrolton to the East.

https://www.purplelinemd.com/overview/

[Anonymous]

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

Our tour was also so bad (which wasn't the tour guide's fault, it's just not a well-thought out tour) that DC refused to even apply. It didn't help that we were there on a gorgeous school day and the campus was completely dead. It would have been understandable if we'd gone when school wasn't in session, but it was kind of baffling and just made the campus feel too big and completely lacking in energy.

[Anonymous]

How is their Bio Psych programs?

[Anonymous]

DD engineering major/scholars. Graduated 2 years ago and is now a professional engineer. She had a great experience. Dorm was fine (BelAir) then off campus housing for 2 years. Lots of activities and social life focused on Theta Tau the professional fraternity.

[Anonymous]

Great education at a great price.
Good size to find your people
Kid loved the business school
great for DC connections /networking
Great diversity
old dorms
wish campus had better lighting at night (but i think that for many schools)

[Anonymous]

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

New ones near football stadium very nice. Older ones are near Tawes and nice but older.

[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?

Campus food very good. Students and parents love the “Y” (Yahentamitsi Dining Hall) and South Campus dining hall.

I’ve eaten at both several times.

[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. Especially football and basketball. Not many attend soccer or gymnastics.