UMD College Park vs Virginia Polytechnic

Parent Cafe
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<p>I have a son who finds it most difficult to make decisions--forget timely decisions! Having been waitlisted at his first choice, Carnegie Mellon, it is between these two universities. V-Tech is a legacy and had we not moved would have been "in state", so he's grown up hearing about it. UMD (in state for us) is an unknown other than his visit yesterday. </p>

<p>He liked the look of the VT campus (stone, the mountains, the quad) and Blacksburg. He got to meet with one of his Dad's old professors and got a good impression from that. Did not see in dorms.</p>

<p>Went by himself to UMD-CP and thought the main campus where math,sci,eng buildings were was nice. Kind of threw him seeing lockers in the chemistry building as if it were high school. Brick buildings were OK and looked newer to him and grassy lawns made an impression that perhaps the campus was bigger than VT. (VT has over 2000+ acres to 1500 at UMD-CP). Also did not see in dorms. Easy to get around area on metro. Lots to do if you have deep pockets or like tourist areas like DC.</p>

<p>WE know the food service comes highly rated at VT. UMD-unknown. VT-laid back feeling compared to bustle of UMD. Son isn't sure he should let the living on campus criteria sway him (how much importance to attach.) As a HS, his off time is spent playing computer games, talking online or on phone, watching movies or going out with friends or taking GF to restaurants or low $ events. Not a partier or jock-pretty even keeled guy. </p>

<p>Realises he is only 1 hour from home at UMD versus 6 hours at VT. Maybe a good thing, also to maintain relationship with GF, but is also loathe to make an excluding decision based on that. UMD is near friends and relatives. Blacksbug is like extension of campus versus avoidance of "College Park" area by UMDers. However, he could run into people he knows on either campus. VT is far away, close to no one. Have to rely on car.</p>

<p>Academically--he is going for a double major in mathematics/physics. The 2 schools are so close in rankings that I am unclear if one holds an advantage academically in these majors. Or if there are more internship opportunities offered by one or the other. Or jobs. He may enter engineering later, in which V-tech excels, or go into some other field entirely for a masters degree. </p>

<p>If anyone can throw out some more information based on their experience to help make a decision, that would be of help. I am not finding the individual college sections (for these 2 schools) on this board to be much help as they are mostly populated by other people with social life questions only and few substantive answers.</p>

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<p>If there is no clearcut answer, why not make a decision based on price? (wouldn't you do that with anything else?)</p>

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<p>The price difference isn't a factor. In fact either seems like a bargain compared to the 40K of his other choices!</p>

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<p>Just a note that UMd-CP is also very highly regarded wrt Engineering. I know this doesn't help him decide since it again puts the two schools in line with each other, but wouldn't want this factor to be overlooked. I don't think he can go wrong with his choices - if he has a gut preference, let him go with that.</p>

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<p>We chose College Park over VTech. Distance had a lot to do with it. CP is only 40 min away and that will sure make life easy. I also know a few people who went to VTech and felt it was too isolated. (just telling you what I heard for what it's worth) CP seems to be a better school. My d had many friends who applied to both and most got into VTech but not college Park. Unless your in the honors at CP, I think the freshman dorms are pretty cruddy, (no AC), but she really like the diversity, close to metro action, etc. CP has really pulled it's reputation way up from the party school it used to be. I am very happy with her decision. Like she said, "I feel like I could find what I like about the other schools at CP, but I don't feel I could find at the other schools all the things I like about CP". It seems to have everything. Good luck.</p>

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<p>It seems that you and your son have things pretty well scoped out - a good grasp of the pros & cons of each. Both are big schools. A lot will depend to what your son seeks out, vs waiting for things to come to him. Your son will be fine at either school, I think. I have a son at VT. He is very happy there.</p>

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<p>UMD is great for jobs and internships - math/physics major would make this easy. Many students are hired by their intern firms, making a very smooth transition to the working world right out of college. Employers usually pay tuition benefits if he wanted to get an advanced degree.</p>

<p>However, if your your son was mad for outdoor pursuits - hiking, camping, etc. there would be no contest, Blacksburg would come top. </p>

<p>UMD has a higher percentage of relatively sophisticated kids - and as you probably know, is quite diverse. New buildings, like indoor sports center and nicely refurbished student union, are great, and every student I know there is happy with it.</p>

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<p>I have a nephew at VT. Feel free to PM...many others locally go there as well. good school spirit and engineering tracks. But nephew took a class online first semester which did not thrill me, and does not know his teachers yet. Lots of regional loyalty and sport fever and a self starter will do well there if they are the kind of student to assume responsiblity well.</p>

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<p>I have a son who is happy at UMCP.</p>

<p>In his opinion, among Maryland students, VT is mostly a safety school that you resort to if you can't get into UMCP. But he's prejudiced.</p>

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<p>UMCP is a very good school with excellent engineering. College Park, however, is in Prince George's County (albeit at the edge), which ranks high in almost every category (crime, low education, etc.) of undesireables. One statistic alone keeps me away from there - there were more cars stolen in PG county last year than in the entirety of Virginia. Yes, yes, I know the University is a bit of a world all its own - but when I am at College Park I feel as if I never can really escape the pit that PG County has become. A personal factor? Of course. But I wouldn't overlook it.</p>

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<p>Sheesh (Washington, DC area native here). While PG County is not going to win a lot of awards for idyllic living, I most certainly would not put the College Park atmosphere/experience in the light that marn1959 has portrayed. I also would not call the entirety of PG County a "pit." Just one opinion. Dozens of my friends and relations went to/go to UMd-CP. And they're not in a hurry to escape.</p>

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<p>UMCP's location has both pluses and minuses.</p>

<p>College Park and the surrounding semi-ghetto area are a minus. My son, who is a UMCP student, tends to come home for a weekend when he wants to do any serious shopping, see a first-run movie, go to the dentist, or do other things that students usually do in the surrounding community, at least in part because he is not comfortable in the surrounding community. But since we are only a bit more than an hour away, this is not a problem.</p>

<p>The plus is Washington, DC. I mean, where else but at UMCP can a student find the hugely varied academic offerings, Division 1 sports, and general excitement of a flagship state university AND have easy access to a fascinating major city at the same time?</p>

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<p>jmmom - my wife went to CP for a semester before attending Duke. And she would disagree with your assessment of College Park. Drugs are everywhere on college campuses these days, but CP's location on I-95 and its proximity to DC make it more prevalent. She was particularly bothered by the drug activity at CP. </p>

<p>Look, every college has its distractions - CP just makes them more manifest in some ways. To those who don't enjoy those distractions, beware of what is in store in CP. </p>

<p>Ironically, after writing this note this morning my admin assistant was upset because her 20 year old son at College Park just got his car stolen!! Anecdotal? Of course. But I think it reasonable to state that the 6,000 cars stolen in PG county, along with a really high incidence of murders and violent crimes, and public schools that redefine awful, do impact negatively on all communities, including College Park. And the trend of these externalities is not heading in the right direction - they get worse over time each year. </p>

<p>Yes, one can have a great time in College Park. But they ought to be aware of what surrounds them. And Blacksburg has only a scintilla of these problems as compared to CP - a fair enough statement, right?</p>

14

<p>Well, your anecdotal experience has not been fun, that's for sure.</p>

<p>If one is going to rule out schools convenient to I-95 or a beltway or in or near a major city, then College Park won't do (but then neither would Harvard, Yale, GWU, American, Trinity, .....). I, myself, am a city girl by persuasion, so perhaps that explains our different perspectives. Small town would not be my cup of tea.</p>

<p>So, I'd have to say it's true - the person who would prefer Blacksburg as a location would not prefer an urban location and would be willing to tolerate the disadvantages of small. Me, I prefer the advantages of city-living and can tolerate the disadvantages.</p>