(GT = Georgia Tech)
I’m really torn-
Money wise I have the possibility of a full ride to both and I am paying instate tuition currently so while not exactly the same, money is not a real factor.
My current thoughts: GT has better opportunities, they have 6 cube satellite projects and slightly better name recognition. I would hopefully be in a “Grand Challenges” program and get to work on a project of my choosing.
Maryland would probably be easier academically, leaving me more time to pursue activities more extensively. The problem is it seems really safe as I live 30 minutes away and have family there. There are still great opportunities, just not as many. Though, I would probably “stick out” more at Maryland, making it easier to fight for in-house work.
I would love any input-I’m sure it will be Maryland biased because of where I am posting this 
I’m in Honors at MD but I have heard not good things about Gemstone so I am just doing UH (fun but not as relevant to my resume)
Ok, glad you made the comment that there is no need for disclaimer about Maryland bias on this forum, haha.
So, my son (MechE) did look at G Tech. His reasons for eliminating it had to do with reports from friends who attended that many of the core classes at G Tech tend to be weed out classes - designed to eliminate the chaff from the wheat. There is not a good support system in place for retention at GT compared to what Maryland has to offer. Not saying Maryland is a cake walk at all, but they at least start out reasonably challenging and get progressively harder as you advance in the curricula, plus they have all kinds of support if you need it.
He also felt that he did not want to go to a school geared only to technology because of the female factor - the male/female ratio is really not good at GT. As an engineering student, he pretty much expected more males for his engineering classes, but he didn’t want that kind of ratio across the board in all classes, and for social life/events/organizations/activities outside of engineering classes. At Maryland, the university as a whole has a pretty even male/female ratio…
As for not doing Gemstone, no worries, as you can do research in the engineering department starting as early as freshman year (personally, I would recommend not starting in the Fall of freshman year simply because that’s the time to adjust to being on your own, make your social connections, figure out workload/social balance stuff).
I’m not so sure GT has “better opportunities” than Maryland. Read through all of this thread to get a better sense of Maryland’s engineering http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-maryland-college-park/1732708-everything-you-want-to-know-about-engineering-at-maryland-p1.html
As for 30 minutes away, wow, you have no idea how fortunate you are for that. First, that really is enough “space” between you and home, even though you may not think so now. Living at UM is like living in a bubble and you really get to choose how much or how little contact you have with home. However, should you get sick, or get a cavity or wisdom teeth get impacted, lucky you will not have to pick a name out of hat and see a strange doctor/dentist without knowing if they are decent or not. Also, you get to go home to attend family functions if you choose to because there are no prohibitive travel expenses. And hey, if you are overstressed and can’t deal with piled up laundry or need a break from dining hall food …you can go home for a day or even a weekend to rejuvenate.
Feel free to ask any specific questions…
@emxplusb FYI, this news was just published about aero https://www.umdrightnow.umd.edu/news/center-research-and-exploration-space-science-technology-signs-875m-cooperative-agreement-nasa
@maryversity thanks for sharing, you really are on top of everything!
No prob! Glad to help…This may also be of interest…even though you would not be eligible yet since you are not already enrolled/rising sophomore, just knowing that these are things that are available to students may also help to know in considering whether Maryland is the right choice for you…http://www.uas-test.umd.edu/documents/internship-program.pdf
My son just made the choice of UMD over GT in aerospace. It was a pretty tough decision.
I think that in the end he liked the options that are available at a bigger school. In particular, the orientation of the University Honors program with its seminars gave him a chance to explore his side interest in geopolitics and space policy a little better than the narrow tech focus of GT.
Also, interestingly enough, I discovered that more kids do research at UMD than at GT (40% vs. 32%) which was very surprising, but when you look at the difference in the labs, it makes sense. GT does a lot of basic research, UMD is a more mature program with more applied engineering. They have a ton of contracts with government and industry. That’s why I do not think that GT has “better opportunities” at all. For instance, UMD works directly with NASA at the Goddard Space Center, and just landed a $90 mil. contract with NASA. Both universities have about 16 active labs/research programs.
I agree that GT has a better overall reputation in engineering, and it’s ranked higher by US news in aerospace. That is very hard to resist. But that particular ranking is done by academicians. UMD comes out better than GT in the NRC (National Research Council) ratings which includes parameters that have direct relevance to students.
I think UMD is more likely to land you an internship, and eventually, a great job.
@PBD - Congrats to you and your son - welcome to Terp Nation! I know how tough the decision process is, but I am sure your son is going to LOVE Maryland as much as mine did.
Your comment about research is a very interesting point…when he was in high school, research opportunities were not one of the “selling points” for my son (at that point, he associated the concept with high school English and history research paper assignments, which held no interest for him), but then he found out at Maryland that engineering research is all about hands-on, applied engineering, and he really enjoyed it immensely!
Thanks @maryversity , I really think he made the right choice but I would be happy either way. He is my third to go to college, the other two are in or finishing up grad school so I have been to this rodeo before, as they say. It’s easy to get sidetracked by this or that rating but it’s very important to dig down deep- especially if you have a kid that knows exactly what he wants, like my youngest. And it’s really important to visit the campus, more than once if possible. Talking to the students and professors really sold us on UMD.
@PBD thanks for the comment- I appreciate the input!
You are very welcome, @emxplusb and good luck on your decision!