| FYI, many kids from my DD mcps school last year did get into Penn State, and not UMD. UMD way more selective. |
Could you give a little more detail about how it is “much happier”? DS is considering both. |
So you're going to write off the entire school because of one horrible mistake? It wasn't the entirety of Penn State that committed the atrocity. I'm very sorry if you or someone you love was impacted by this, but it's not a reason to imply that no one should choose PSU over Maryland, which has had its own problems. Same for Michigan. And UVa. And Dartmouth. Etc... |
I will apologize for the agenda comment. There are many who come to this website with goals that have nothing to do with discussing the issue at hand. Your comment was written in such a way that it sounded like one of them, and I mistakenly assumed you were not being sincere in your motives for commenting. |
UMD is a cold university. The administration could care less about the student body and actively does things to make things harder and things are cut throat. Even simple things like dorm selection (which is done in the middle of midterm exams during the spring, and the process is hard nosed- you better not make a mistake because once you sign you are committed). You have to apply for a minor at UMD, write an essay etc, can’t switch from STEM to business school. Just try calling the university to get help and you’ll see it’s night and day difference. The administration at PSU really loves the students and they do everything they can to make the environment “happier”. You’ll never find a student at PSU wearing another school’s sweatshirt but at UMD it’s common- much less school spirit. That being said my daughter is in one of Scholars programs at UMD and she’s found her tribe there. UMD is a great school but their administration is terrible. |
I am writing it off. It was an institutional and widespread coverup by the organization as a whole. It speaks to the values of the institution. I have many smart friends/family who went to Penn State and they are good people, loved their time there, etc. But, to me, there are many other options out there where I don't have to question the integrity, morality, safety of the school. Also I did not say "no one should go there." I said (in another post) other people are free to make their own choice about Penn State. Ours is we will not consider it. Finally, I really and truly feel like you are minimizing what happened there when you say things like other colleges have their own problems. This seems to equate the same gravity to what happened at Penn State. Some are, yes (Michigan). But not all. Any school that sacrifices children (or worse, children at the university as part of a charity program) to sexual predators in order to prop up its football team is not a school that we will pay money too. You can go right ahead and do so but we will not. |
| PP again- individual professors are probably equally a mixed bag. |
This is true. Even after one of the ex-frat bros leaked documents about the fraternities' abominable practices, the school did little to crack down on them. Tim Piazza was killed after Penn State knew what was going own in the frats. |
ONE HORRIBLE MISTAKE? That place was rotten to the core. It included and enveloped the entire administration. Nope, would never send my kids there. If you think they are magically reformed, you are really naive. |
You're entitled to your opinion and your choice of how to spend your money. There are tens of thousands of students there in any given year who would tell you they're having a great experience. |
| PSU alum and grew up in PA but if UMD was in state I would send my kid there. PSU is a much nicer campus, literally a large university placed in the middle of nowhere but unless your kid was going for a specific program I'd save the money. UMD/PSU are comparable in state experiences. I'm hoping my kids want to go somewhere in state when they get older. |
My kid had a similar delay in submitting the SRAR. Will this application still be considered for EA? |
Fine. I would not be able to sleep at night sending my kids there. So a big "no" from us. |
No this is not true. MD accepted my friends son 2.3 gpa OOS. And MD has a high OOS acceptance rate unlike say UNC. The Maryland acceptance rate is 44 percent. Out of every 100 applications, 44 are accepted.May 11, 2022 The acceptance rate at Penn State is 49.1%. For every 100 applicants, 49 are admitted. |
| UMD has much higher SAT/ACT scores |