My daughter is all about having quaint stores and such for when she has free time.She doesn’t care about bars. She does however love local mom and pop restaurants… We have a visit planned for the middle of October.
@Absdad, we are curious about this, too. Hope you post after your October visit!
Well, it’s no Happy Valley (Penn State) for surrounding area, but it has begun the long process of much improvement/redevelopment…still a long way to go to complete the full vision, but it is definitely on its way. I wouldn’t say quaint stores are coming in as much as places to eat and hang out. However, DC is a metro ride away (15-20 minutes) and DC has every type of store, restaurant, and museum you can imagine, with the added bonus of political celebrity sightings galore.
However, to answer the fun factor question, there is no place like the University of Maryland!!! It is unquestionably an amazing school that really provides the quintessential college experience. The student body is fabulous - very diverse, friendly and welcoming! The school spirit is palpable. Academics are challenging but not a cut-throat environment. A plethora of unique opportunities and experiences. The proximity to DC provides unique access to the heart of the nation and all that it offers. I cannot say enough good things. I say this not just as an alum, but as a parent of a recent grad. My son loved his time there (and yes, he is gainfully employed and self-sufficient immediately after graduation), and I had no complaints as a parent (other than having to paying out-of-state tuition, haha).
We may even try to go next week, on Thursday if we can. If we do, I will let you know our opinions.
Thursday would be fine, but as a head’s up, if you plan to go next week, you should know that the Fall Career Fair is being held Tuesday and Wednesday https://careers.umd.edu/fall-career-internship-fair
The admissions programs really are outstanding and worth attending, but I would sign up now to insure a spot because registration is required, and they do fill up https://www.admissions.umd.edu/visit/dailyvisits.php.
The other thing that is really important to do, that was the icing on the cake for me (when my kids were looking), is to interview random students on campus. These are kids that are not signed up/trained in recruitment in any way, shape or form. You get a more genuine sense of the school in this way. I played the role of most embarrassing parent by doing this at every college campus we visited. It was really very telling. There was one campus that had a great presentation, but when I did the random interviews, the impression we got was VERY different and not in a good way. At Maryland, the presentation was great (like a well-oiled machine without being institutional) and every single student we stopped was very enthusiastic about their experiences at Maryland. The day we went and I did the random interviews, it happened to be raining. Despite the gloomy day, all the kids were happy to talk to us and had only great things to say. Yes, I am an alum and a huge Maryland cheerleader, but I had absolutely no control over how the students would respond to my questions. Hands down, Maryland students were the best…
Have a great visit!!!
Just to follow up on @maryversity 's post, UMD is a Great School. It’s large, diverse, and spirited, with terrific academics and opportunities. Enjoy your visit!
So, it turns out my wife’s nephew goes there. His mom said it is very city like, and with lots of construction going on. Now we have a November 20th visit scheduled.
Awesome! Just note that if your daughter is planning to apply this year (not sure if she is a junior or senior?), she needs to do so by the priority date of November 1st. That’s the only way she will be eligible for merit money and special programs…
It is pretty close to Washington, DC where there are a variety of quaint neighborhoods to explore.
@Absdad, city like is good in our book . . . hope you enjoy your 11/20 visit!
@AbsDad My daughter is a freshman at College Park and we have visited her a few times already! There are shops and mini-strip malls right outside of campus on route 1/Baltimore Avenue. We especially love the row of small asian restaurants where you can get bubble tea, vietnamese noodles, spicy sichuan food and sushi! Not too many smaill quaint shops to look around; for those take a quick trip to DC neighborhoods. There are chain restuarants all along route 1 but we enjoy the mom and pop. It’s always been Sunday for lunch so it feels completely safe.
@tigermomsrule - My D (a senior) likes those same restaurants. My own preferences are Busboys and Poets, and Hard Times Cafe, but these are not within walking distance.