Did you recently visit University of Maryland, College Park? Share your experience with the community! Post your review in the comments below.
Some ideas for what to share:
- When did you visit?
- Where did you stay? Would you recommend it?
- Where did you eat? Did you try any local specialties?
- How did you get there? What’s the best transportation mean to get to-from the campus?
- What was the campus vibe?
- What did you think of the dorms?
- What are some must-see things in or around campus?
- How were the school facilities?
- Did you like it more or less than you thought you would? Why?
- Did anything surprise you?
We’d love to hear any tips or recommendations you can share for people planning their visit!
February 2023
We stayed at home. We live a reasonable drive from campus.
Don’t miss the on-campus ice cream made from the cows at the College of Agriculture. There is a shop in STAMP and it is not to be missed.
We drove and parked on campus, but there is a lot of public transit near campus if needed.
Students were headed to class when we were there. Very busy, industrious, dare-I-say collegial vibe. I also saw a couple of nontraditional students which was nice, but most of the undergraduate students are the typical 18-23.
The new dorms are very nice. Dorms are big and in a central location on campus. The newest dorm is the nicest one.
The facilities are large and you might have to go to more than one visit to give enough attention to each college within the university that your student is considering. There is so much going on and it is a lot to take in. Make sure to talk to the students at open houses and visit days.
Lots of students working out in their excellent athletic facility. It was quite crowded. There are also a lot of community events there so the students sometimes have to share the facility with the public. It is accessible though. You just have to pay attention to the schedule.
DS liked it more than we thought he would. We actually came back for a second visit to see another academic department. It is a big school with large classes, so that is something to consider if it is right for your student. Our understanding from two visits is that access to graduate students is a lot easier to come by than access to professors, which is to be expected for a large flagship state school. People were very open and welcoming, both the few faculty and staff we saw, the graduate students, and the undergraduates. I was a bit surprised by that since this was the largest school that DS wanted to visit. He took it totally in stride.
I almost don’t want to post a review but I will because I personally like seeing the good and the bad and we’re all looking for different things. We live close enough to make a day trip out of it. It’s completely off the list (though it’s instate for D24). To be fair, we have only been looking at smaller, private schools so the comparison isn’t apples to apples. She just wanted to be sure before closing the door on it. The campus just doesn’t feel cohesive. To me, it feels kind of like USC- Columbia. Spread out & with industrial looking areas around it. The area off campus is sketchy but there is a great IKEA really close by. Old dorms look like prison cells but new dorms are better. Overall the feeling for us was not really a sense of community. Sports seemed to be the only thing there was much enthusiasm for. The class sizes are admittedly large but do get smaller as you move up. Didn’t really see/hear much about clubs. Overall, just not for us for lots of reasons. Again - we have been touring small private schools with close knit communities, pastoral campuses, small classes etc so that prob explains why the visit was jarring. D24 said it seemed kind of lonely & depressing. It’s gotten pretty pricey now too (more than what my other 2 pay with aid at small, Lib arts schools). UMD IS a great school we know. DD just wanted to be sure. We’re going to stay in our comfort zone but glad we investigated anyway!
Not all - the Denton Community is more remote. And of course, like any big campus, some of dorms are going to be far from some classes.
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When did you visit?
Several times.
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Where did you stay? Would you recommend it?
Home. For visitors, I recommend The Hotel.
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Where did you eat? Did you try any local specialties?
The Hall
Franklins Brewery
Denizens Brewery
Mod Pizza
Vigilante Coffee—fresh roasted coffee, high quality
A place with smoothie bowls
- How did you get there? What’s the best transportation mean to get to-from the campus?
Car
- What was the campus vibe?
Lots of construction at the moment
Cheerful
Smart
- What did you think of the dorms?
Denton and dorms in that side are old and gross
Newer dorms are better
This is the same at many campuses we have visited though.
- What are some must-see things in or around campus?
Vigilante Coffee
Lake Artemesia
Bike trails
Greenbelt Park
Clarice Smith Center
See the helicopter near the horse barns
- How were the school facilities?
Excellent
Wind tunnel
Lab for testing zero gravity
Large central green area with a fountain
Excellent concerts and plays and more right on campus
- Did you like it more or less than you thought you would? Why?
NA
- Did anything surprise you?
No
2 Likes
I can see why you think that. A university is comprised of several colleges, so it’s like 10 SLACs inside one larger entity.
Within the colleges, community is to be found—whether it’s the robotics folks, tightly knit Gymkana group, marching band, Erasable Inc improv group, string quartets, physics majors, horticulture majors growing tomatoes or the future vets helping to deliver foals in the barns.
The testing they do in the wind tunnel—including corporations that pay the students to run tests for them under supervision of professors—is pretty cool.
I think all of the above form their communities. 
But it’s not for everyone and nothing wrong with that.
1 Like
UMD is not for everyone. It is huge and students need to advocate for themselves (which they should anywhere). They will have to actively seek out opportunities (internships, research, etc.), clubs, social, etc.
At orientation a few years ago, the message to parents was “cut the cord” (also good advice no matter what school a kid attends). Parents are considered to be “an authorized payor”. Their words, not mine!
You are not going to get a phone call back from the bursar in 15 min like at a small LAC.
None of this is bad, just a reality.
But there is something for everyone - tons of majors, tons of clubs, tons of interests. Your people are there - go find them.
Don’t forget to check out Epley Rec Center - great climbing facility. And they used to have a great Adventure Club too.
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Maryland Day at UMD, next Saturday
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Very exciting! We will be there.
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Maryland Day is amazing!
So much to see and do (you can’t do to all). Something for everyone at every age - rubber duck races, inflatables, real rock climbing (Epley Rec center), kayaking at the indoor pool (also at Epley), the wind tunnel, the fire tornado, farm animals at the barns, arts and crafts, shows, demonstrations, geology, entomology (they had a tarantula that has actually been in movies!), health screenings, lots of sponsors (NASA, etc), speakers, etc. I could go on and on.
And they used to also have tours of dorms.
2 Likes