I know that this is a broad discussion topic, but I’m interested in both schools. Obvious similarities: size, big 10 school. I’m interested in knowing about aspects such as class size, “typical” person you would find on on campus, greek life, clubs, and activities, dining, weather, architecture, and other aspects of campus life. If anyone has any experience at either school, feedback would be appreciated. Thank you so much!!
You might do better reading the individual forums for these. It is crazy to think there is a typical person in colleges of that size, let’s hope not at least. Some of this data is readily available. But average class size will vary by major and how far you are in the program. I have only visited Madison which is a fantastic college town.
I have visited both school with my daughters. Madison is a vibrant college town. College Park isn’t much of a town, but a short metro ride away from DC. Both have very nice campuses with wonderful facilities. Preference can depend on your draw to DC or not.
My daughter applied to several Big Ten universities, and went to the one that gave her the most scholarship money. That’s one way to make the decision if you get accepted to both places. Beyond that, try to visit. It can make a big difference in your opinion to actually go there and meet some professors and students, especially in the department you plan to major in, and walk around the campus and city.
It’s great you’re doing this amount of research though. A lot of your questions can be answered by going to the university websites – e.g., look up their clubs online. Also, there are some websites out there with student reviews of colleges. Just search “student reviews of colleges” and you will find them.
I agree with person above that your decision may rest on whether you want to be near DC – a metro area of five million with countless national organizations to intern with, and endless activities and free museums – or whether you want to be in a lively college town/small city. Weather is also a big difference.
I have a friend at the University of Wisconsin, and she said it’s very cold, but the students are very involved and there are parties going on all the time. She can walk to many restaurants and shops and feels safe. I don’t know anyone at Maryland, but I’ve read student reviews that say there aren’t many places to walk to right next to the university, and the area is a bit sketchy with some students feeling unsafe, but that the campus itself is beautiful, and DC is just a short metro ride away.
If you are in-state for one of the other, choose the one you are in-state for. The differences are not significant enough to pay OOS for either if one is your flagship (and I would not say this about all flagships, but think it holds true for these two).
UMD
- Near big city with employment opportunities and culture
- Excellent museums and fine dining options in the city
- Good location for day trips (Baltimore, Philly, Ocean etc.)
- Good bar scene
- Better employment opportunities in nearby area
- Good weather
UW
- Cute college town
- Laidback midwest mentality
- Friendly people
- Beautiful campus
- Isolated and rural
- Good greek scene
- Subpar employment opportunities in nearby area
- Bad weather
Madison is cold in the winter, but absolutely beautiful in the spring and fall. In the summer, it’s not quite as hot/humid as UMD.
Madison itself is a city of 200,000+ (over 500,000 in Dane County) – it is not a rural campus. It’s a little over two hours from Chicago, a little over an hour from Milwaukee, and maybe four hours from the Twin Cities. It’s also about 75 minutes from Lake Michigan. Though, if you want watersports, there are two huge lakes and one smaller lake bordering campus. There are well over 10,000 lakes in Wisconsin, so if you want to do some freshwater fishing or waterskiing, you are in one of the best places in the world.
State Street offers a great and diverse bar scene, though Madison is known more for its house parties – most people who want to party are successful in that endeavor.
You’ve also applied to PSU and Pitt…so at least 2 of these schools are OOS for you and won’t give you much/any aid.
What are your parents saying? How much will they pay each year?
Are they fine with paying $45k-50k per year? If so, then super. If not, then please make sure that you have some schools that you know FOR SURE that you can afford.
Some parents (like me) will not pay for OOS state school when it does not offer what we can get for much less. We don’t have the $$$ to throw away (no cost/benefit).
UW Madison is a great school/town, but is OOS for us. Sibling and niece graduated from there. If OOS, may need to have high enough stats or in a major that they will be willing to accept you as a student.
@amandasiegel1998 - You may want to post your question on the UMD and UW forums here. My D is a sophomore at UMD and uses the shuttle to go off campus for dinner with friends on a regular basis and goes into DC frequently also. But, I would recommend going with whatever school is in-state for you. Good luck
What’s your parents’ budget and how much would each school cost you?
What would you major in?