Reply to MD In-state options beyond College Park

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I wish my child liked SMCM better. They gave significant merit aid for in-state and it would be the cheapest of all accepted schools to attend. But, the location is a deal breaker for my kid who wants an urban setting. SMCM is a great school for the right kid.[/quote]

OP here. Thanks for the input. Do you mind sharing where you are looking instead? 
Are there any restaurants or retail walkable from the St. Mary’s campus? [/quote]

I honestly don’t think there is anything walkable. After we toured there, I looked in the GPS for restaurants and the closest was in a gas station about a mile away. There is a strip mall with typical stores (Target, grocery, fast food, etc.) about 10-15 minutes drive away. I went to an isolated college and loved it but my child wasn’t a fan. The campus is truly beautiful.

Schools accepted to include W&M, UMD, and a few smaller Catholic colleges in cities. [/quote]

Hi  OP, congrats on making it through 16 pages of this! I am the one with a kid at both UMD and St. Mary’s. The above PP is correct that there are no stores within walking distance (unless you count the gift shop and the cute new bakery in Historic St. Mary’s). This is why it is so important for your kid to figure out what they want in a school. St. Mary’s is bordered by woods, Historic St. Mary’s City, and the river so it is an amazing location for someone who wants to have close access to nature and beautiful places to walk around but is not the place for a kid who wants tons of walkable off campus dining and shopping options. As PP noted, there are plenty of shopping and dining options that are not that far away. My DS has a car now so it is very easy for him to make a Chipotle or Target run when he wants. Before he had a car, he never had a problem getting a ride with a friend into town. There are also shopping shuttles on the weekend and the school is on a public bus route that goes to Lexington Park.  The convenience store on campus carries all the essentials, students run the free store (kind of like a thrift shop where everything is free!), and of course there is always Amazon. One benefit of the lack of walkable dining is that my DS has spent very little of his money on food compared with my kid at UMD! Another benefit is that students at St. Mary’s tend to stick around on campus and hang out by the river, the fire pits, or the school pub which serves food late at night once the dining hall is closed. But again, your DS really needs to prioritize what is important so he finds a school in a location where he will be happy. [/quote]

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