I’m thinking about going to the University of Maryland next spring, once I get my AA. It’s apparently in College Park, between DC and Baltimore. So basically right now I know they offer the courses I want, and I think DC and Baltimore are cool cities. So tell me more about it. Should I go? It’s near water, which is very important. Is it a good school? Are there fun things to do around there? Are DC and Baltimore the rockin cities I think they are, because I’ve only been to DC once and I didn’t get to see much of Baltimore. What’s the weather like?
I personally hate UM with a passion, but you’re right, Baltimore is a rockin’ city. Don’t go to DC unless you really want to be shot. If your courses are being offered at Towson University, go there instead, unless you really like 200 person classes taught by graduate students, then by all means go to UM.
The parts of DC worth hanging out in are every bit as safe as the parts of Baltimore worth hanging out in, if not safer.
I wouldn’t give up on UMCP just for that–once you’re done with prerequisite classes (which it sounds like seaworthy may be), classes are usually of quite a manageable size. Or they may not be that terrible to begin with, depending upon the department. Also, I hate to say it, but if you’re looking at recognition, College Park edges out Towson on most stuff. I don’t consider this terribly important, but it may be another thing to think about.
As far as it being a good school–well, what do you want to study? In general, it’s been my impression that if you’re willing to put in the work, you can get a really first-rate education in most subjects. On the other hand, it is a really big school, and if you drop the ball there may not be anyone there to care whether or not you pick it up again. Like most places, it’s all what you make of it.
UMCP (I think) has a lovely campus. The town of College Park itself is kind of a hole, but Baltimore and DC are excellent cities with plenty to do. The campus has its own stop on the DC metro, which is quite a handy feature. No trouble getting around.
Oh, and yeah–what Mr. Moto said about safety. Neither city really has a leg up on the other for safety. Both have areas you really, really don’t want to end up in, but as long as you exercise some common sense you shouldn’t be in any danger.
UMD is full of drugs from what I know. One of the reasons my ex-gf didn’t go there is all her drugie friends went there. The few people I know who went there are huge drug addicts, way more so than where I go, Illinois. I’ve never seen anything worse than coke here, but some of my friends at UMD do heroin and meth.
Of course, that’s just my impression. I don’t go there. If you are into a different scene I’m sure drugs won’t be a big deal.
A couple of the posts on this thread are simply nonsense. Weirddave is a nice guy in person, but I wish he’d quit his habit of knocking D.C. as a way of praising Baltimore. He’s really obsessed about it. D.C. and Baltimore are no more dangerous than most American big cities if you’re middle class. There are some not so nice neighborhoods in both, but it’s unlikely that you’d ever enter them. (For that matter, you’re no safer in an American small town than you are if you live in a middle class neighborhood in or near an American big city.)
I have no idea what micahjn is talking about. I suspect that all his friends are into drugs. I don’t think there are any more drugs at the University of Maryland than at most colleges.
If you want to come here to check out the campus, let us know. We’ll even put on a Dopefest to welcome you. I only live about two or three miles from the campus, but I’m afraid I can’t offer to let you stay at my place. My apartment is a crowded mess.
Where do you live now?
The U o MD College Park is my alma mater (class of 81). The following advice is based on my experiences between 1977-1981.
It’s a very good school if you’re mature enough to deal with a very large campus and student population in the tens of thousands. Like any school the departments range in strength and UMDCP has some world class departments. Adademic quality is top notch across many disciplines and mediocre in others. Overall, it has a very good reputation academically.
What it doesn’t have is a small college sense of intimacy, which may be good or bad depending on your inclination. It’s more like a small city unto itself and in real terms I suppose there is less of the sense of “connectedness” to the institution you might feel in a smaller college. You do, of course, feel connected to the people and teachers you form relationships with there, but the “school” itself is more of a large amorphous mass.
It’s BIG and can be overwhelming if you need nuturing and intimacy as part of your everyday school experience. You will NEED a bicycle or a car to get around campus.
You get out of it what you put into it.
Maryland is BIG. I recall it used to be around 25,000 students (which may include all grad students), your college guide should have more current numbers. It’s very easy to get lost in the crowd.
I was never part of the drug scene at Maryland. I would expect it’s no worse there than at any other major college.
“Near water” is a bit iffy, depending on your meaning of “near.” The ocean is about 2 - 3 hours away.
The tourist areas of DC are pretty good, and the Smithsonian Institution museums are all free.
Scuba Ben, ECON '95, UMCP. Go Terps!
What are you planning on studying, seaworthy?
Also, what Wendell said.
I’m planning on studying history, foreign language (French now, German and others later) and education.
I don’t care about the ocean, Chesapeake Bay is good enough. I don’t want to swim, I just need to see a vast expanse of water. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, FL, so I’ve never lived more than 15 minutes away from water. That’s why I decided not to go to the university of Pittsburgh- rivers don’t cut it.
Not worried about the drugs, I don’t feel tempted by heroin. Whiskey is fine for me.
I don’t think large classes will be a problem. I’m at a tiny little college now, and it’s nice that my marine biology professor remembered me from anatomy, but I don’t need that. Any large school loses that intimacy, so that’s what I was expecting.
I was thinking about taking a little road trip up there this summer. I just felt like a road trip, but then I thought I could do the responsible thing and check out the campus. Maybe then I could get some money out of my mom for it, haha. But a dopefest would be awesome.
Hey, Scuba Ben, you and I were there at the same time! I’m a 1994 EDUC grad.
I loved going to Maryland and thought it was one of the best experiences of my life, even though I really didn’t want to go there when I applied. I wanted to go to William & Mary, a small liberal arts college and my brother’s law school alma mater, but my father nixed the idea when I got a full scholarship to UMCP. I ended up loving the huge amount of people, diversity, events, activities, clubs, variety of classes, and community. I grew up about 45 minutes away, but I lived on campus. I’m a D.C.-area native, so I was already familiar with D.C. and Baltimore. We always ended up in D.C. far more than in Baltimore - much more accessible via Metro (the College Park station opened up when I was there) and easy to drive to. Baltimore seemed like a lightyear away.
Maryland is know for its political science, journalism, education and engineering schools. It also has quite a good agricultural program. It’s no Ivy League, obviously, but you can get a very solid education there.
I would give up the idea of seeing water if you go to Maryland. My best friend in school grew up in Ocean City, Maryland. She had a huge “water withdrawal”. You probably won’t bother to make the trip to the bay or the ocean…it’s just too far away.
UMCP does have a beautiful campus. My husband went to a university in Australia that there, is compared to Oxford. Very old school, traditional campus and set-up. When he saw Maryland’s campus, he thought it was the prettiest school he’d ever seen.