<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>My D was accepted to UDEL Honors and the University of Maryland's College Park Scholars programs. She's thinking about studying math/statistics. After scholarships and grants, both schools will cost the same. Right now, my D is leaning towards UMD College Park Scholars. I would appreciate comments/advice on either program. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>NJparent2013</p>
<p>I think that one really would be splitting hairs to come up with significant differences between the two schools are far as academics or quality of the Honors Programs are concerned. Both schools are “Public Ivies” and their Honors Programs are both among the best in Public Flagship State Universities. The primary difference between the schools is in their respective sizes. UMD is twice the size of UD. So in IMHO your D really needs to decide at which school she feels she “fits in” best with based upon what she is looking for in her overall college experience. If she applies herself she can get an excellent high quality education at either school. Trying to identify which school is necessarily “better” is like the never ending song. Good luck to your D in making her decsion.</p>
<p>Thanks Mwallenmd. This is going to be a tough decision, but I think she has two good options to choose from.</p>
<p>Just FYI (if you were not aware of it already) UD does offer a Departmental Honors Program in Mathematical Sciences but I am pretty sure they do not offer a Departmental Honors Program just for Statistics. Again good luck to your D in making her decision. You can check on their website to verify this information.</p>
<p>Yes, both programs/universities are great options. (I have a son finishing his Jr. year at UMD and my youngest is hanging on the waitlist for UD.) My oldest is in the Honors program at UMD, took advantage of Honors housing, etc, made great friends and has been very happy. One perk to UMD is their proximity to DC and how easy it is for students to hop on the Metro and spend the day there. I’m sure your D would be happy at either university–good luck.</p>
<p>Not to lob a grenade here, but I was recently talking to a couple of UM grads about the fact that my daughter passed on UM and went to UD. I thought they would question that choice, but to the contrary they wholeheartedly agreed that UD was they better choice. I was prepared to defend UM, but they said their pov has nothing to do with the education, that it was all about the safety, or lack thereof. The one is a pretty good friend, and said, “trust me, College Park is no place for a 19 year old girl.” He went on to say that he felt like the students there (especially girls) are actually prey. That was pretty much the end of the discussion, so please make sure that you take that into consideration. BTW, I am not oblivious to the fact that UD has its share of criminal activity on around campus, so I don’t need to be schooled in that. So many things to consider…</p>
<p>Thanks crobinpa. Safety is one of my concerns. I walked both campuses during the day (Delaware yesterday). Both seemed safe to me. But I do feel like the surrounding area around UD is safer.</p>
<p>Can’t speak to Delaware but my D is a sophomore in the Scholars program at UMD, and it’s been a fantastic experience. She was a little worried that she’d be house with “nerds,” as she is very social. Hasn’t been the experience at all. She runs a monthly coffee house, she spoke last week on the Scholars panel at accepted students day, she got a job within the Cambridge Community dorms (on her own – she didn’t qualify for work study). She’s met her best friends through the program, they do community service projects, get into DC a lot (she LOVES proximity to DC) on Saturdays. I talk about safety fairly frequently with her, and she feels very confident that she is safe. I can tell you that the Scholars Dorms are a wonderful community. Plus, UMD just has a better reputation, and one of the largest, strongest alumni networks in the country. Also travel in and out of DC and Baltimore is much easier for us - we are in Boston. Del. is much less convenient to fly out of; Philly flights are really expensive. My D got a 4.0 her freshman year at UMD – we were shocked, and thrilled. She had never gotten perfect grades in HS (though obviously she was a very good student).
You can tell I’m biased…GO Terps!</p>
<p>NJParent 2013, please feel free to contact me via private message if you have any other questions!</p>
<p>kbiresearch - Thank you for the thorough response. That was extremely helpful. My daughter has decided to go to UMD. She is very excited, and so are we! Thanks again!</p>
<p>We all love it. Child #2 is a current HS junior and will be applying as well. His stats don’t quite measure up to his sisters…so it will be a reach. Keeping our fingers crossed, as we’d love to have both kids in College Park!</p>
<p>kbiresearch - Now that’s proof. Your son will probably get some legacy consideration at UMD. It’s reassuring to hear how much you like UMD. Thanks.</p>
<p>Congrats on choosing UMD! You will LOVE it.</p>