<p>I'm currently trying very hard to decide between these two schools. These schools both have what I want: diversity, school spirit and they both arent far from my home state of NY. However I've heard that UMD is a commuter school (?) which isn't what I'm looking for at all. Also UCONN's location is very rural but I dont know what the extent of that means, for instance is everything painfully far away or can I still manage on foot or with public transportation. If anyone has any info on any of this it would be greatly appreciated. thanks</p>
<p>fyi: i’m majoring in biology</p>
<p>UMD is NOT a commuter school, in the sense that the vast majority of students do not live at home with parents. It is true that many upperclassmen live off campus in shared apartments, but that isn’t what is usually meant by “commuter school.”</p>
<p>Is there a particular reason you are not considering public universities in your home state? OOS publics are very stingy with financial aid, so if you have good in-state options, 9 times out of 10 it doesn’t make sense to go to public OOS.</p>
<p>i’m applying to a state university in NY as well but i just want to apply to at least one OOS college</p>
<p>UCONN is pretty isolated, whereas UMD has easy access to DC by subway</p>
<p>I regard the two schools as being pretty similar from an academic standpoint. UConn is a bit smaller and is in a fairly remote location while UMD has a larger student body and access to DC. If you haven’t yet, I’d suggest you visit both schools and see where you feel most comfortable. In the end only you know which school is the best fit for you.</p>
<p>I know UCONN is remote compared to UMD but isn’t the area surrounding UMD unsafe??</p>
<p>What do you mean by “unsafe”? That is such a loaded term.
UMD is on the border of a major metropolitan urban center.</p>
<p>The campus of UMD is not crime-ridden. The area around it is however a corridor for criminal transit in and out of the city, and some of this affects students living off-campus. The university, county, and state are planning on redesigning the Route 1 corridor to improve the situation, but that project is only in design stage. Recent crime stats are hard to come by, and the safety of campuses can change dramatically from one year to the next because so much of college crime is opportunistic. The campus itself is relatively safe. My S has not had any trouble on campus or living off-campus, and I’m planning on sending my D there. The campus is beautiful and green and tree-lined. I’ve never felt unsafe walking around there at night. I’ve never even seen anyone whose behavior or demeanor concerned me. My S speaks highly of the campus shuttle bus system, operated by students, and the way the drivers and passengers watch out for each other.</p>
<p>Everyone should avoid drunks, and everyone should avoid becoming drunk themselves if they don’t want to potentially find themselves in dangerous situations. If you don’t want to lose your iPhone, don’t walk around with it in your hand with your head down and earbuds blasting. If you find yourself alone in a threatening situation or in need of transport, call campus police. Don’t walk alone across campus or to your room using the shortcuts you do in the daytime. Travel in groups. These rules apply at every school and everywhere else.</p>
<p>I did see a DailyBeast report that UConn was one of the 50th most dangerous campuses in America, but I put no more stock in that than any of these other surveys. For all I remember, UMD was on the same list. I would say that UMD is no more crime-prone a campus than Harvard, Yale, NYU, BU, USC, etc.</p>
<p>I had to make the same decision almost 25 years ago when I was a NY high school senior. I had to decide between UMD vs. UCONN vs. URI. I thankfully chose UMD. UMD is NOT a commuter school. That campus was alive on the weekends and full of diversity. I have 2 relatives there now and this school is even better than when I was there. I am recommending UMD for my daughter who hopefully will be a NMSF. As for safety, I would be more concerned about sending my daughter to Harvard and MIT than UMD. The campus is in a relative bubble. Theft was an issue back when I was there but the thieves were fellow students.</p>