Should DC apply to UMD? (and does it feel very "big")

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - Does UMD offer merit scholarships to OOS students? I would be really surprised to hear that.

They do. UMD is surprisingly generous to OOS kids for a state school.

[Anonymous]

For some reason, I'm not sure Maryland is the answer for your kid. It seems more like Binghamton than your daughter thinks it is -- very good school, but large, not pretty, not very personal.

I liked the suggestions of Pitt and Case Western. And I'll throw in Syracuse. Even though they are stingier on merit than they used to be, she'd probably still do pretty well. It's about 12,000 undergrads, has a traditional college feel, and I think they're really good about connecting kids with research opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree look at William and Mary or even uva. UMD is huge and is in a very run down and not especially safe part of the poorest county around the DC suburbs. It’s gross. I’m from Maryland, and at my school it was looked down upon to go to UMD. Your daughter can do much better.

I mean, this poster isn't wrong . . .

[Anonymous]

I've taken some classes on the UMD campus. I treasure my time there. It's a great, relatively affordable public institution with amazing programs especially but not exclusively in STEM, being superior to UVA in many of those respects.

That being said:

If your daughter is looking out of state for a school with a good "classic college experience," be wary. It's obviously not an ivy or SLAC, but it's also unlike a typical Big Football School. Perhaps due to its gritty suburban location, the feel on campus is less bro-y and "together" than somewhere like Ohio State.

Coupled with the fact that some near peer institutions have *much* better pre med advising, I would explore other options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've taken some classes on the UMD campus. I treasure my time there. It's a great, relatively affordable public institution with amazing programs especially but not exclusively in STEM, being superior to UVA in many of those respects.

That being said:

If your daughter is looking out of state for a school with a good "classic college experience," be wary. It's obviously not an ivy or SLAC, but it's also unlike a typical Big Football School. Perhaps due to its gritty suburban location, the feel on campus is less bro-y and "together" than somewhere like Ohio State.

Coupled with the fact that some near peer institutions have *much* better pre med advising, I would explore other options.

Which ones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree look at William and Mary or even uva. UMD is huge and is in a very run down and not especially safe part of the poorest county around the DC suburbs. It’s gross. I’m from Maryland, and at my school it was looked down upon to go to UMD. Your daughter can do much better.

I mean, this poster isn't wrong . . .

William and Mary and UVA are definitely worth a visit if thinking ED or at least an application. They are both within the outer limits of your 7-8 hours drive from Long Island. Delaware might also be worth a look. It's smaller than Maryland with a nice campus. They also just bumped up to FBS football as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've taken some classes on the UMD campus. I treasure my time there. It's a great, relatively affordable public institution with amazing programs especially but not exclusively in STEM, being superior to UVA in many of those respects.

That being said:

If your daughter is looking out of state for a school with a good "classic college experience," be wary. It's obviously not an ivy or SLAC, but it's also unlike a typical Big Football School. Perhaps due to its gritty suburban location, the feel on campus is less bro-y and "together" than somewhere like Ohio State.

Coupled with the fact that some near peer institutions have *much* better pre med advising, I would explore other options.

Which ones?

CWRU is much better and Pitt is better.

[Anonymous]

OP here and I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful replies. It's good to hear everyone's perspectives- some people think UMD is a good target for her, while others feel she wouldn't like it (and the experience wouldn't be that different from Binghamton) and it's not worth applying. It's also interesting how schools seem on paper compared to actual experiences. I really appreciate what everyone's saying, we will do our research, do more visits, and figure it out!

And if anyone has suggestions for schools not too far from Long Island, good campus life, target school for a high stats kid, possible merit aid, good for pre-med, etc. I will take them! 🙂 Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP had a good suggestion re. Pitt/Case Western. Both are smaller than UMD. I'd add all three to your list. We are in-state to UMD and all 3 of my kids went to UMD Honors Program. Classes are larger in intro classes, not unlike any other big state Unis. but much manageable after that. One of my kids just finished medical school and started residency. Pre-med advising office is pretty okay but not much held holding. Your kid will have to be a self-driven kid.

Congrats to your kid, can you tell me the major your kid did in under graduate at UMD and where did your kid go for medical school?

[Anonymous]

My only comment for you is that if your kid needs merit aid for undergrad and is considering med school, go in-state. Save any money for med school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is from Long Island. High stats, probably valedictorian. ECs are strong but no national competitions or anything. Wants to be a doctor.

I want her to be a comfortable driving distance away (under 7-8 hrs). She has plenty of reaches-for-all on her list. Lots of NE schools- she loves cooler weather and I love that they're not that far. She doesn't have strong opinions on the size of the school other than small LACs do not appeal to her, and mid-size sounds good.

I think she would be fine with the relatively larger size of UMD... I also think the size on paper doesn't always match how one experiences a campus.

For those whose kids attend(ed)- did it feel very big?
And just more generally... Do you think DC should add UMD to her list as a Target? If your kid went OOS (or was accepted), was merit aid offered? Thank you!

You have the best chance of being offered a scholarship if you are a valedictorian. In my oldest kid's year, I knew of three or four valedictorians who took the offer from UMD. One or two of them received the BK scholarship.

I also know a student who received merit aid. They are out of state and very high stats.

I attended and it did not feel too big to me. My kid -- and friends -- who attend say the same. You have to find a way to engage with people frequently to form those friendships. Joining clubs that meet frequently helps.

We have been very impressed with the UMD students and what they are doing with their summers. We live close to the university. When our oldest was accepted, people were wide eyed and impressed because it's not the easiest to get into and a lot of very good students are not accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My only comment for you is that if your kid needs merit aid for undergrad and is considering med school, go in-state. Save any money for med school.

I would say go in state if it's the cheapest option.

Sometimes, with need based aid and merit aid, the cheapest option isn't your in state schools. I know plenty of people in that situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've taken some classes on the UMD campus. I treasure my time there. It's a great, relatively affordable public institution with amazing programs especially but not exclusively in STEM, being superior to UVA in many of those respects.

That being said:

If your daughter is looking out of state for a school with a good "classic college experience," be wary. It's obviously not an ivy or SLAC, but it's also unlike a typical Big Football School. Perhaps due to its gritty suburban location, the feel on campus is less bro-y and "together" than somewhere like Ohio State.

Coupled with the fact that some near peer institutions have *much* better pre med advising, I would explore other options.

Gritty suburban location?!?

LOL 🤣

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My only comment for you is that if your kid needs merit aid for undergrad and is considering med school, go in-state. Save any money for med school.

I would say go in state if it's the cheapest option.

Sometimes, with need based aid and merit aid, the cheapest option isn't your in state schools. I know plenty of people in that situation.

I know; I really think she'll do well with one of the SUNYs.

Buffalo is soooo far away, but they're great for pre-med. And Geneseo offers the smaller, prettier vibe.

[Anonymous]

I find UMD kind of impersonal and College Park somewhat unappealing

It's for tougher kids. You come out a lot tougher and more resilient

I find both of above true. DD preferred UConn. But no reason to limit applications. Throw one in to UMD and see how your DD feels later, once she's comparing actual options.