<p>Well, now that people are getting admission answers, where are all of contemplating to go if it isn't Maryland? What schools are you deciding between?</p>
<p>Me? Well, UMD, UW-mad, and PSU. I am waiting on Umich and UTex. I will go to Utex if I somehow get into the business school otherwise I won't. Umich means nothing to me because I can't afford it. </p>
<p>UMD- I am happy with my acceptance into the Smith school and scholars. If I get into the business society and economics scholars program I don't think there could be a much better story book ending. I will go here for sure if that happens and I will be happy. I will become involved at Smith and cheer on my terps every day in every way. My second choice program is the public leadership program and I would be very happy there too. Two of my cousins are in that program right now, one freshman one sophomore. If I do that one it will be the third year in a row that a memeber from my family was in the program that only takes 70-90 people/ that is very cool. UMD is in my financial area. It is in my area area too! Just 25 minutes away(if you go really fast). </p>
<p>Wisconsin- I love the school. I love the atmosphere. I love the culture. I love everything about it. one thing I do not love... they don't let people straight into the business school and if I don't make it junior year, when they allow people in, I will be out of a major. </p>
<p>PSU- Got into smeal and into the sapphire program. This program pulls me in but the finances will most likely be crazy. I like the school and the football culture. The problem is there is no opportunity for internships. UMD has DC and UW-Madison, well, has Madison, the capital of wisconsin. Penn State has farmer bob and me counting his sheep as accounting. It is seriously in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. It is as if a small army could take over the school without the outside world ever finding out. I'll go there if they give me money. I mean scholorship and I don't know if I can even think that is a possibility. 32,000 + Farms = Almost out of the picture.</p>
<p>NOW everyone else. Where you at? IF not maryland?</p>
<p>Cheapseats - I'm in at Maryland - done deal. I loved Penn State - but had to laugh when we spent the weekend there in February and they had to bus in boy scout troops to fill the basketball seats (even tho my boys embarassed themselves this past Saturday morning). Sunday morning we headed out to get breakfast and found the ONE place in town that was open early and served great pancakes. Having grown up in rural Maryland (you have to tip the cows over intheir sleep before you count them - just a little cow country recreation) - I was surprised that even I felt the place was remote. College Park sucks - I loved Newark at UDe and State College - but its UMD all the way for me!</p>
<p>lol mighty. Seriously though if I lived OOS to both of them I would have to go where I feel inplace. I suggest you ask PSU and the sapphire program about internship opportunities. </p>
<p>mike. I think UMD over loyola but if you get in at brown definately go there. Ask this in the main forum I am sure lots of people will help out.</p>
<p>GGT I too think its UMD for me. I need to go see PSU before I can shut it out but I am a really lucky to have such a good business school right outside my door and at that price.</p>
<p>ha, we do agree on most things. I want to confirm my enrollment too. I just want to officially be a terp. I can't wait till august when we are all there and later when football and basketball season start. The next 4 years is not going to be easy but it will be fun.</p>
<p>Cheapseats - when you go up to State College - the pancake place is on the first "mainstreet" that you come to when you come off campus - there are two mainstreets that run parallel - both are one way streets in opposite directions. The pancakes and waffles were awesome!</p>
<p>Mike - Loyola was a safety for me - done Catholic schools all my life - I love the Loyola campus - its beautiful and they have an MBA program that is well recognized locally. But Loyola and UMD are two dramatically different schools. Loyola is small - homey - the ultimate in preppyness - with a marked lack of diversity - a major party scene in Baltimore (the cabs to downtown clubs line up outside the dorms late in the evening) - an a locally recognized academic program. UMD is huge - on the impersonal side - and extremely diverse - with a great variety of academic/honors/internship/research opportunities. Don't know much about Tufts, Lehigh or Brown. Seems like you really need to spend some time at the schools before you decide - for me, when I was doing tours last summer - there were some schools that I wasn't on campus more than an hour before I felt it wasn't the place for me - and others where I felt I could live comfortably. Maybe I'm just an intuitive person when it comes to decision making - I don;t know - but there was a "feel" issue. GGT</p>
<p>Talk about a tough decision--it's between College Park and University of Richmond for my d.............2 totally different schools.One very large and diverse--(downside-you're a number), the other small, private not diverse. Richmond gave us great aid and haven't heard about money from MD yet...help!</p>
<p>marylandgirl--i've never felt like a number at maryland. i'm in the honors program, the business school (and QUEST program), and a sorority, plus i'm a tour guide. the combination of those 4 things has exposed me to some wonderful people, excellent professors, and incredible opportunities. sure, it's a big school and you have your 300-person lectures and your long waits in lines at the administration buildings, but UMD is what you make of it. if your daughter is outgoing and fairly independent, and she has the desire to make a big school smaller, there are tons (300+) of clubs and organizations where she can meet people and get involved, whether socially or professionally. i turned down NYU (& the stern school of business(!)) for UMD, and i'm still very pleased with that decision.</p>
<p>Lindz - I'm gonna be going for orientation in late June - how bad is freshman registration? Do you get to register by compouter or do yo uhave to line up somewhere? I have my schedule all worked out - but as pre-med/bio major - I have to take chem and bio first quarter and I'm nervous about getting decent sections and working around my CIVICUS classes. Thankfully, I already got fresh composition waived because of my SAT scores - but getting the two lab sciences in there without being up every morning at the crack of dawn has me worried!</p>
<p>Lindz-- thanks for your insights. It really helps to hear that from a student and makes me feel a lot better.....I know honors helps make the school feel smaller, but how about scholars? Do you think that will also help? It sounds pretty good by the lit. they gave us.</p>
<p>For me it comes down to Randolph Macon vs. Wake Forest vs. UPenn vs. Maryland.</p>
<p>Randolph Macon is extremely small, which I dislike, but my parents love. They're also offering me a substantial scholarship and I've gotten greatly personalized attention from the admissions office. However, I kind of liken them to that guy you gave your phone number to who just never stops calling - kind of a turn off. Although they have won my parents over.</p>
<p>Wake Forest is nice because I like the size - kind of like Goldilocks in that it's just right. However, as I want to study poli sci, the location is a bit off and Greek life is such a HUGE aspect of college there. I like options. Plus, I've heard of it referred to as 'work forest' and having massive grade deflation. As I want to go to law school, this is disheartening.</p>
<p>UPenn is my top choice, hands down. However, I doubt I'll get in, and even if I do, that price tag is a bit hard to swallow, so aid is totally necessary, despite the fact that the FAFSA said otherwise. I love urban environments, but my parents are kind of scared for my safety.</p>
<p>As for Maryland - I like it. However it really is so big - both in terms of people and just physical size. I know if I have a 9 AM class on the other side of campus on a rainy February morning, it's going to be pretty hard for me to get out of bed. I'm a bit put off (not to sound cocky) that I didn't get an Honors Program invite even though kids at my school with substantially lower SAT scores and far less rigorous schedules did. Plus I got the feeling from my open house session that you really have to work your butt off and be a SUPER STUDENT in order to get any special opportunities. I mean, I intend to work hard in college and I want special opportunities, but I also don't want to live with my text books....</p>
<p>kjgfjkasejrjkfjjksdfjkeaj. I'm so indecisive. I can't even pick a prom date, let alone a college.</p>
<p>"Plus I got the feeling from my open house session that you really have to work your butt off and be a SUPER STUDENT in order to get any special opportunities."</p>
<p>is that really true? because i didn't get that feeling, what does everyone else (preferably current students) say about this?</p>
<p>whiskers, I think it depends on the school / major. Granted, I went a few weeks ago, so my details are probably off and this is the only example I can think of - but for poli sci, like, two students a year are offered the opportunity to attend a special semester to study British law at Oxford, stuff like that...</p>
<p>GGT-- late june is pretty good for freshman registration. (remember orientation goes through august.) it's all done online, your advisor will be there to help you out if you need it. that's good you got your schedule figured out already...keep in mind, none of us have registered yet so some sections you want might fill up. keep checking over the next few weeks for that. two lab sciences is rough!!! i can almost guarantee you an 8 am. <em>evil laugh cause i've never had an 8 am</em> good luck with the schedule! :) </p>
<p>marylandgirl--i think scholars would be even more helpful with that than honors. the main reason, you're living in a dorm with other people in your scholars group. and you have your colloquium with them also. so that's automatically a bunch of people you're seeing pretty often, which makes it easier to get to know them better (and then get to know their other friends, etc.).... also scholars residence halls are really close to the gym and the comcast center (basketball) so it's even easier to make group outings with people.
the "home" of the scholars program is the cambridge community center, which is ALSO right there by your residence halls.</p>
<p>whiskers--eh...personally, i come nowhere near living with my textbooks and i've come across plenty of special opportunities. i agree with eckie that some schools/majors have more programs or opportunities than others. however, UMD as a whole has plenty, and all majors have some. you have to go seek them out.
that's something i see a lot of on this board...i feel like other schools are either promising things or advertising all sorts of special programs and implying that "YOU (YES YOU!!!) CAN HAVE ALL OF THIS!!!" well yeah, but you have to do something to get it. there's plenty (more than plenty!) to be done at UMD (i promise!), but part of college is going after it yourself.</p>
<p>judging from what i've heard from you, i think you realize that, though, and are the type of person who will go after things.</p>
<p>eckie-- have you thought about applying to the honors program once you're at UMD? you have all 4 years to complete your citation courses, so a lot of students choose to do that who weren't admitted directly.</p>