Hello, thank you for any collective wisdom on this topic!
My DS20 is very interested in UMD-CP and would like to visit. We live in the Boston area, and one possibility is that my son would go along with his Dad when DH has a business trip in Washington, DC. It happens to be on a couple of days that DS does not have final exams so would not be missing school.
However, DH will be occupied at his meetings. My question is, could a responsible 17yo get to UMD-CP from DC by public transportation, find the Admissions office, and negotiate the process on his own (in good weather - it will be late spring).
We visited UMD-CP with both DS20 and DS16 several years ago, and he still remembers and that is one reason he is excited to try this.
@fretfulmother - Yes, it is possible to get to UMD from DC by public transportation. There is a UMD stop on the Metro Green Line. There is a UMD Shuttle bus that runs from the Metro station to campus, but I believe that UMD ID is needed to get on the shuttle. A better option, but more expensive, would be to use Uber from DC to UMD. I think it’s about a 20 minute walk from the Metro station to campus.
My 15-year-old daughter navigated Spain fine by herself. Kids can do a lot when they’re motivated.
Agree. Uber ride may be the easiest al biet costly. During prime time could be up to $35. But very easy to get Ubers from DC and also around campus.
My D has used both public transportation and Uber for getting to/from DC and Uber is just more convenient, especially for a one time trip.
Thank you! What about handling the visit, tour, etc without a parent there?
@fretfulmother - I would recommend calling admissions about that… They may be able to set up an informal tour (assuming that there are no official tours scheduled for that day). He can certainly walk around the campus on his own. There’s always a lot of people there, but it would be better if he had someone showing him around.
@SoofDad - thank you! I’m also going to see if the Hillel can help us with a visit, because Jewish life on campus is a priority for DS and is one of the attractions for him of UMD.
@fretfulmother Check this out and see if what is being offered here would interest your son: https://admissions.umd.edu/visit/daily-visits. There may be some restrictions on registration based on season and availability, e.g., spring Terp For a Day is reserved for admitted students only.
