DS hasn’t accepted yet but does anyone know if Honors College has a separate orientation or just separate advisors for class registration? OOS so next visit would be Summer Orientation.
Yes, there are separate Orientation Sessions for Honors College Students. There should be a few sessions, but I think there may be some differences in which majors they cover.
You can use this link to find the dates for your son’s major
Hi! I’m an OOS student (currently a UMD Honors College freshman), so maybe I can help with any questions you or your daughter might have about UMD from the out of state perspective. Feel free to DM me at any time! I would check out the orientation dates link that SoofDad sent for a better understanding of how orientation dates work (at any university, earliest is better!)
It’s actually my son and we are still going to visit two more schools but this is his #1 so I think this is where he’ll be attending. I will definitely take you up on your DM offer if we have any more questions.
@whenyoubelieve , @SoofDad , @maryversity , or anyone who can answer . . . . My son and I will be visiting campus on 4/13 for the first time for an Admitted Student Open House. We will be on a whirlwind tour of admitted student days and will be flying in from CA late on 4/12, leaving MD again on the evening of 4/13. I plan to have a car and drop my son off wherever he needs to be at 8am on 4/13 because it will seem like it’s 5 am for us and I don’t see us having a ton of leeway in the morning. We will also be driving around when the Open House ends. We have spent time in DC but have never been to UMDCP.
Here are my questions:
- Is there a most efficient way to get into campus to drop him off?
- Are there places (specific streets/intersections) you would suggest driving to after the Open House that would be most likely for a UMD student to go, like restaurants? It seems like a big campus and I don’t want to miss a good area just because we drive the wrong way. (I’m aware that the surrounding area is one of the most appealing things about the campus, but I I imagine some adjacent areas are better than others.)
3). Will he be able to see inside the Prince Frederick dorm on the Open House day? If that’s not a standard part of the Open House, would you suggest contacting housing to try to get access? The dorm is actually a big deal to him, and he is wanting to compare the living situation to dorms at schools he is very familiar with in CA.
- Do you have any tips on making the most of the Open House day?
Thanks in advance!
Where will you be staying? While it’s more expensive, The Hotel at Maryland is directly across from campus and is an absolute delight. I stayed there for the first time for Homecoming this year (it’s brand spanking new), and I didn’t want to leave! However, prior to its construction, I was always comfortable staying at The Hampton Inn. I am a terrible judge of distance but I think it’s a little less than a mile from campus on Route One and is next to an IHOP.
Also important to know, for advice purposes, is what your son will be majoring in. That will make a difference in what areas of campus he will want to see and to get a sense of distance from his dorm. For example, my son studied engineering and his freshman dorm was in the Cambridge Community, so he basically got to roll out of bed to go to class and the gym was also right behind his dorm. After that, he moved to South Campus Commons, which is near Prince Frederick dorm, and he took a bike to school (not because he couldn’t walk the distance but because he’s a sloth and liked sleeping as late as possible, which made the bike helpful when he was running late).
Re #1 While there are several entrances, I always prefer the main entrance of Campus Drive (off of Route 1). This will be the grandest entry because you go past the M circle. It is easy to identify now with the construction of the Iribe Center (Computer Science) in progress at that corner.
Re#2 My favorite place to eat is Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville, which is down the road (about a 10 minute drive). For something within walking distance (as in right outside the campus on Rt 1) I love Nando Peri Peri (Portuguese grilled chicken). A long-time traditional local (very good) pizza place is Ledo’s. While I haven’t eaten there myself, I’ve heard MilkBoy Art House (also Route 1 right outside of campus) is pretty good. FYI, the Cornerstone is more of a hangout and the food is meh. (It is the site of a former favorite dive bar in my day known as The Vous (short for Rendezvous)).
Re #3 I would call housing and see if they can arrange access/tour of that dorm. I have always found Maryland extremely accommodating if you request in advance.
Re #4 Stop students on campus to talk to them about their experience at Maryland. Seriously, do this at every school you visit. These are not the student volunteers who are obviously happy about the school or professionals. You get much more honest insight. Take notes at the presentations (or at least use your phone to capture any slides with info) so you remember things later because I can guarantee your son won’t, lol.
There are phone apps with the map of campus to help you find your way around when you are on your own. I forget what they are called but maybe something like Terp Nav(igation)…?
Let me think some more on #2 and #4.
We went to the Admitted Students Day in March. It was well done. You have a chance in April to have gorgeous weather and flowering trees!
My advice: drive in main entrance, go past “M” circle, go up hill and drop your son off at the Stamp Union. There was a cute welcome line with some band members, cheerleaders, balloons, etc!
The day is busy and I advise getting a campus map head of time, and planning your schedule. We didn’t and my DD wanted to see many things. We logged 15,000 steps!
Also, eat in the cafeteria, they give you a discount coupon.
Have fun! My DD will be attending UMD in the fall.
@pickledginger - I agree with @maryversity and @Astro77 that the Campus Drive entrance, past the “M” is the more scenic entrance, but they may have signs directing people to the Stadium Drive entrance for “Event Parking”. Download mobile phone apps and maps as they recommended, and maybe even print one out. It’s a big Campus.
I will second Busboys and Poets as a place to eat. There is free parking in a lot behind it, but it often full, so we just use meter parking on the street. It’s about 3 miles south of UMD on route 1 and on the left. I also like Ledo’s. I’ve eaten at other Ledo’s locations but not the one in College Park. It’s a short walk across Route 1 from South Campus Commons.
I would expect the Dorm tour to be one of the standard High Rises on North Campus, since that is where most Freshmen end up. We didn’t do the Dorm Tour when we went to Admitted Students’ Day, since we had done an earlier tour.
The Hotel at UMD is awesome, but we won’t be staying there until Graduation in May… Since we are somewhat local, we haven’t stay at any hotels near UMD.
While driving on Campus, be aware that pedestrians have the right of way, ALL the time.
@maryversity , @SoofDad , and @Astro77, you all are great! Thanks for the excellent advice. We are using points and staying at a Marriott in Silver Spring, which apparently is 15 minutes away without traffic. However, since it will be a weekday, should we expect a fair amount of traffic?
He would be a communications major and would be in an LLC that is housed in Prince Frederick Hall.
Note: I noticed that I left out a “not” in my original post: I’m aware that the surrounding area is (NOT) one of the most appealing things about the campus, but I I imagine some adjacent areas are better than others.
@pickledginger - YES, you can expect a fair amount of traffic. Maybe even more than a fair amount, given that there will be more traffic heading to UMD in addition to the usual rush hour traffic. Use Google Maps, or the app of your choice, to check the traffic flow, as soon as you can that morning.
It sounds like you are at the Courtyard in Silver Spring. The Beltway will have heavy traffic and the other routes have traffic lights. There are also traffic lights on Route 1. Traffic lights tend to slow down the flow.
My D’s apartment in South Campus Commons is about 50 yards from Route 1, the area that is often described as not that appealing. She, and her friends, routinely go to CVS, Target, restaurants, and bars (she is 22 now) and have had no problems. As in any urban area, common sense is needed. They also take the Metro, or Uber into DC. I would recommend just walking by that area to assess your own feeling about it.
As @maryversity suggested, you may want to contact Reslife about a tour of Prince Frederick Hall. Even if you just walk by, I think you will find it very appealing. My D has been in there and said it’s like a hotel.
@pickledginger Funny, I was gonna mention that missing “not” but I thought maybe you were referring to the actual campus itself, which is a self-contained bubble of beauty…(seriously, campus is gorgeous, not being sarcastic, haha)
As for surrounding area, they are working on it. In Silver Spring, I would recommend Copper Canyon Grill (actually ate graduation dinner there!). So approaching UMD from Silver Spring, you will be coming from the South, so keep driving up past the first campus entrance you will see. The light immediately after passing The Hotel (on right) will be the entrance (on the left) we are all talking about (Campus Drive/M circle/Iribe Center construction). If you are using GPS, it will likely take you a back entrance to campus, so input the address for The Hotel (7777 Baltimore Ave) to make sure you get routed to the entrance we mean.
FYI, if you want to use Marriott points, another location which is actually closer to campus (but in opposite direction of campus compared to Silver Spring) would be Greenbelt, MD. There is a Residence Inn in Greenbelt. Greenbelt itself is not beautiful, but is faster to campus. I’ve stayed there often as well and enjoyed that hotel. I typically tell people Hampton Inn because it’s a straight shot down Route 1 to campus compared to having to get off one road to exit on to Route 1, but just wanted to put that out there as an option for you. The Silver Spring location is fine, and as I said, convenient to a very nice restaurant (nice as in really good food not as in fancy shmancy) but Greenbelt is just a bit closer.
If you do opt for Greenbelt, still input The Hotel into GPS but just note that it would come up before the “arrived at destination” signal and The Hotel would also be on far left side of the campus entrance, immediately on right at Iribe Center construction
As for traffic, yes…at rush hour it’s a b…but other times is fine
Communications Department advising is housed in Skinner, which is not far from Prince Frederick Hall, so that’s good! Use https://terpnav.umd.edu online to see how to get from one building to another on campus. I think the Visit UMD app on iPhone has map as well…
Oh, and whatever else you do, or don’t do, you simply can NOT miss eating Maryland’s home made ice cream!!! They sell it at The Dairy, which is now located in the Stamp Student Union. It’s soooo good…
@SoofDad and @maryversity, thanks again. I changed our hotel reservation to the Greenbelt location and I was able to switch some things around for an earlier arrival time on Thursday 3/12 (3pm).
I really appreciate your help!
P.S. Sorry for hijacking this thread!
Yes I think the Greenbelt area is not that great but the hotel should be fine.
Prince Frederick is the fancy new dorm so you should see that if possible. Most other dorms are very utilitarian. My DD will be in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation LLC in LaPlata. Very plain but she doesn’t care.
@pickledginger You won’t be able to see inside Prince Frederick during the open house, I think, but I live in that building, so if seeing it is really important to you and your son, feel free to DM me so maybe I can swipe the two of you in or give you a tour of the building. (It’s super nice - one of the newest dorms on campus!)
@whenyoubelieve , thanks so much for the offer! If residential life doesn’t set something up (we are checking), he would love to take you up on it. It actually is something my son cares a lot about. Hopefully, we’ll hear back next week.