<p>Pick the school that you think is better in the following categories:
Pure Science
Engineering/Computer Science
Economics</p>
<p>For CS/Engineering:</p>
<p>UMCP >>>>>>>>>>>>>>GW Really, there is no comparison!!!</p>
<p>Donno about economics or pure science.</p>
<p>For engineering and other sciences Maryland is certainly top dog. Overall it's really a much stronger school. Now...economics...I'm not sure. I don't know much about that. In any case the cost/value of GW for ANY degree is going to suck. Haha.</p>
<p>bump...
my parents say i need "safety schools", except i personally am fine with ending up at UMD in the worst case scinareo. they say that all the hard work i have put into highschool will be thrown away if i do not go to a college with a national reputation.</p>
<p>Do most people (CCers are not most people when it comes to knowledge about colleges) think GW is way above UMD? and Will people recognize GW as a pretty good university more than UMD?</p>
<p>UMCP and GW are ranked just about the same. In my opinion UMCP has as good a reputation as GW. However, I live near College Park, so may be biased. Around here, people see no reason to spend a lot of money on GW or Hopkins when UMCP is so good. Student reviews (undergrad) of GW are not that great, either. However, it is good in finance, and my friend had a good experience in grad school in that field at GW.</p>
<p>UMCP just got rated as one of the top colleges with violent crime by the FBI. I am trying to find the full report, but WTOP radio had it on this morning.</p>
<p>Ppl seem to view UMD in two perspectives. First, that it's a very solid school with an overall good reputation. Second, that it's in the shadow of other better name universities, both public and private (including Hopkins, Duke, Georgetown, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UVa). </p>
<p>Take it for what you will.</p>
<p>
[quote]
...it's in the shadow of other better name universities, both public and private (including Hopkins, Duke, Georgetown, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UVa
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yes, but note that you did not include GW in the list of more prestigious universities in the region. I think you used good judgment. I live in that region, and I do not think that people here regard GW as more prestigious than UMCP. They do regard all of the universities on your list as more prestigious, however (and I would add William and Mary to your list).</p>
<p>To be honest, I think GW is a very solid institution also, but gets a s*itty rep b/c its "not as good as Georgetown". GW students also apparently have a ton of insecurities, especially since Georgetown is always regarded as the "real" university in DC. </p>
<p>GW's law school is very good in its own right. But I also noticed that a TON of GW grads end up going to Georgetown for their LLM b4 getting a job though.... (I think that one report from LSAC mentions that about 10-20% of GW Law School grads go to GTown to get their LLM right after graduation.)</p>
<p>Frankly, for the money, Maryland is a steal compared to GWU.</p>
<p>However, UMCP is in a so-so area. College Park is not a great city to go to school. GWU is in a DC and is in a great spot of DC as well. Thus, kids will have a very different experience going to college at GW than Maryland and in my opinion a better experience.</p>
<p>As for pure undergrad academics, I would think that Maryland is better than GW for most majors except political science or anything related to political science. GWU gets some top political leaders teaching there. If you want to work for Congress, you probably should attend GWU.</p>
<p>However, for the money, I can't understand why anyone would prefer GWU over Maryland.</p>
<p>I went to a pretty good high school in Maryland and here is my experience. Most people who got into UMD got into GWU and samething works backwards too. But there are a few cases where people that got into GW got spring semester at UMD and some people in at UMD being denied by GW. Now I know the majority went to UMD and lots of people didn't apply to GW because they would never go to GW over UMD. Like Taxguy, who happens to be from rockville like me, said the price difference is not nearly worth it. UMD and GW are at the same level so i don't know why someone would pay a whole lot more to go there.</p>
<p>Now i am a freshman at UMD and my expierence so far, as far as safety; Everyone knows not to go way to far down RT 1. Ofcourse, not everyone follows the rules. I went pretty far down one night but didn't feel too unsafe because I was with a group of people. Now some make it seem like you can't walk off campus without getting shot but that just isn't true. People say it isn't a college town but in the market areas and frat row off campus it feels like you are on an extention of the university. Now last saturday there was a shooting incident at the bars right off campus. I hear some people got in a fight in a bar and were thrown out and then the fight continued and someone shot a gun in the air. It happened at like 2ish and I was right there at 1:30. Most people aren't make a big deal out of it at all. I went there the very next night and didn't think anything of it. Outside of that one, but serious, incident i don't think i have heard of anything or felt unsafe at all. Granted, I have been here a month so I haven't seen everything there is to see.</p>