<p>I'm a senior from PA who's getting ready to apply to both colleges. In fact, I will probably submit my UMD app tonight before Hurricane Sandy potentially knocks the power out! My two top choice schools are Penn State and UMD. I have visited both campuses and love many things about each one. Here are my pro's and con's of each college:</p>
<p>PSU:</p>
<p>Pro's
-Huge campus
-Beautiful campus
-In-state tuition
-Party School
-Largest alumni base in the world
-Great school for career recruiting
-Sports (Especially football and baseball)
-Marching Band
-Well known in Northeast</p>
<p>Con's
-Not located near any major cities
-Crappy dorms (So I've heard)
-Possible bad rep because of the scandal</p>
<p>UMD:</p>
<p>Pro's
-Huge Campus
-Beautiful Campus
-Party School
-Well known in Northeast and South
-Easy access to DC
-Sports
-Marching band
-Free off-campus housing for me (Campus Apartments' Mazza Grandmarc)
-Can have my car at my off-campus housing</p>
<p>Con's
-College Park is not a good college town
-Dangerous neighborhood
-Heard that Terrapin football is sub-par</p>
<p>So which one would you choose? My major is going to be Economics with a pre-med track. I would just like some new perspectives on my situation</p>
<p>If I remember, you have unusually low SAT scores and a shortage of challenging courses. You may be talking about a branch Penn State campus rather than University Park, at least for the first two years.</p>
<p>And, if I remember, you also need high financial aid. Maryland is out of state for you; can you afford it?</p>
<p>Please keep looking, including the HBCUs we discussed earlier. You need a school that will be supportive to help you build the life you want. A large state school may not have that for you.</p>
<p>I’m not practicing my Halloween act. I know how hard you’ve had to work to get this far, and I really want you to do well.</p>
<p>Wordworker (still haven’t lost PECO power tonight)</p>
<p>@BeanTownGirl No. I’m not ready to commit to any colleges yet. I’m basically asking what would you people do if you got accepted into your top 2 universities. How would you ultimately decide on which one to choose?</p>
<p>@WordWorker I actually have been looking at some HBCU’s. Howard, Hampton, and Del State have been the main ones. Maryland will most likely be about 3,000 more than it costs to attend Penn State for me, so I don’t know about “high” financial aid, but I will definitely need some. Also, Penn State and UMD aren’t completely out of the picture. I do have a 3.8 GPA and good EC’s, it’s just that SAT score that’s holding me back. I’m going to take the SAT a second time this Saturday. Thanks for your wise words, as usual!</p>
<p>P.S. I haven’t lost PECO power yet either! Just a few flickers here and there.</p>