<p>My daughter (a junior) and I are visiting UM early next month...we are about 2 hours away from College Park. We are taking the standard tour/info session, and have also arranged to meet someone from the Honors College and a professor in her main field of interest. We should have a pretty full day. But...is there anything in particular that we shouldn't miss at UM? We are coming the evening prior...any recommendations for sights we should see on or near campus or a local favorite restaurant?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, there is nothing in College Park, MD worth visiting for cultural or tourist reasons. If I were you, I would stay in Washington, DC and take the Metro or drive up to College Park. Regarding restaurants, Ledo’s has amazing pizza. It is almost world famous as it was Mickey Mantle’s favorite restaurant when he visited DC to play the Senators.</p>
<p>Bagel Place makes some mean bagels. There isn’t any particularly great restaurant out here. Ledo is pretty good though. As for sights, Lake Artemesia is really pretty. If you and your daughter happen to enjoy fun drives, Powder Mill Road is a nice little jaunt through some countryside (well it’s really through the USDA research grounds, so it looks very country-like).</p>
<p>I kinda second londondad’s suggestion of staying in DC to see stuff there.</p>
<p>Don’t spend too much time driving around College Park. It’ll only make you think worse of UMD. Go into DC…it’s pretty fun there</p>
<p>Wow…not very glowing reviews of the University of Maryland/College Park area. We’ve been to DC many times…seen those sights. Any other Maryland supporters want to represent?</p>
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<p>CDK, I read those comments a little differently. Maybe because the way I interpret them squares with my own feelings about the area.</p>
<p>I can say a lot of good things about the University of Maryland–both the institution and the “area,” if by that you mean the campus. It’s just College Park, MD, that leaves me a little challenged looking for something nice to say.</p>
<p>One of the main reasons dd is not attending UMD is the surrounding area. I went to UMD 26 years ago and it was scary then. It has gotten worse and even more dangerous. The university is fine buth the surrounding area is a nightmare. Until UMD guarantees housing for 4 years or my kids want to commute, none of my kids will be attending.</p>
<p>Ok, College Park is really not that bad. If one doesn’t do stupid things like walk around by themselves at 3 a.m. (and honestly that goes for almost all places) they should be fine. And that’s just common sense. As for campus, it’s quite safe. I’m a girl and I’ve never felt unsafe walking around at night by myself coming back from meetings or whatnot. You don’t hear much, if anything, about anything happening on campus at all. </p>
<p>I mean think about it…there’s nearly 30,000 undergrads here, just how dangerous could it possibly be? I get crime alerts (almost always off-campus stuff), and honestly there’s not too many of them. Yeah there’s going to be some sketchy areas in the surrounding area but why on earth would someone go to them? Most people use common sense and are just fine. There’s always tons of students around on Rte. 1. I use the campus buses and go to places like Target and the movies in the nearby towns and I’ve never had any issues, any problems, or felt unsafe. And no one I know has had any problems either. </p>
<p>Rte. 1 is mainly mostly just food places and a few bars. There’s not really any “sites” to visit…that is more of the reason I think people should be saying to go to D.C., not because it’s not safe. Being on Rte. 1 with a friend before midnight is not a bad thing. You can check it out to see the all the food options and what not, but it’s not really a typical college town per se. Part of the reason for this is because D.C. is a metro ride away, which is obviously a tremendous place for college students to go.</p>
<p>As for on campus things, you could check out the new 251 Dining Hall in the Denton Community…either to just look or to eat (it has the best food on campus). It’s $18 for all-you-can-eat. It’s open for dinner from 5:30-8:30 Monday-Friday. Since tours are during the day I’m guessing they don’t show you this dining hall on it. Also in there is a new coffee bar and ice cream bar. </p>
<p>The Stamp Student Union is a spot they’ll definitely hit on tour but they’ll probably go through quickly…there’s a food court in there, there’s the University Book Center, a convenience shop, random other things, and then if you go down to the basement there’s a place called Terp Zone, which has pool and air hockey tables, some arcade games, and a small cosmic bowling alley. It also has a lounge area with a big tv screen and a Subway shop down there. It’s a pretty cool area. </p>
<p>You could check out McKeldin Library…if I remember correctly they just have you go inside just a tiny bit during the tour. There’s 7 floors, but the ones you’d mainly be interested in are the first floor and the second floor. The second floor is a bit of a group study area and it’s been re-designed recently. It might be worth a look for you, a lot of people like to study there.</p>
<p>CSPAC is the performing arts center…it’s not necessarily anything important to visit, but it is really nice inside and I believe it’s the largest performing arts center on the East Coast. There’s also a library inside there, and some of the freshman who live on North Campus (where most freshmen live) like to study in there because it’s close-by. </p>
<p>If it’s a nice day out and you get some free time on the day of your tour, you might want to just spend some time on McKeldin Mall (the big grassy area, it can’t be missed). On a nice day there’s always students around, and it’s a pretty peaceful place too with the big fountain in the middle. </p>
<p>Besides these things, I’m not sure what else to point out…they’ll show you a lot on the tour, but like I said some of the things like Stamp or the library will probably be fairly quick stops and could be better if you get a chance to go see them without being rushed through. Stamp also has an information desk in front where you can pick up the Visitors Guide and they can answer any questions you might have. I hope this helps, enjoy your visit! The University of Maryland definitely has a lot to offer.</p>
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<p>Quite right, Bornin92. I didn’t mean to make it sound as if College Park is Mogadishu, and if I did, I apologize.</p>
<p>It’s just that I was somewhat at a loss to come up with anything that’s a “don’t miss” in College Park that isn’t the University of Maryland, which was part of CDK’s original question. In Foggy Bottom or Greenwich Village, or even Charlottesville, you could come up with answers. In College Park, it’s harder. IKEA?</p>
<p>Part of the attraction of NYU is that it’s in Greenwich Village. But College Park doesn’t really do too much to enhance the luster of the University of Maryland.</p>
<p>My female second cousin passed on Maryland, because she felt that the College Park area was a bit too sketchy for her.</p>
<p>She opted for Indiana University instead.</p>
<p>CDK:</p>
<p>I recently saw a post on CC where some kid said he was not allowed by his parents to apply to Maryland, because his brother went there, and experienced some sort of incident.</p>
<p>I’m the mom of 2 daughters, and adding to Bornin92’s comments, common sense plays a huge role. I also live in NC, and the incident of the kidnapping/murder of Eve Carson in bucolic Chapel Hill a couple of years ago is still is pretty fresh to everyone here. </p>
<p>Everyone has to make their choices about what they want in a school. So, UMD doesn’t get a “check” in the awesome not-to-miss college town with lots of cute shopping. It’s close to a big city, in one of those many less-than-picturesque suburbs that can be found around ANY big city. With the advantages that being so close to DC offers, in my mind that is the big draw.</p>
<p>OP, there are nice hotels in Greenbelt (in a more business-park area), about 5 miles (?) East of College Park. You can check the rate at the Marriott on campus…the rates vary widely (and are usually high). We hit an “off” time once and stayed there and it was very nice. Spend your time on campus checking things out, unless you have time to see sights in D.C. </p>
<p>She should also read up on the Scholars program…if it sounds interesting at all, you can schedule a meeting with the director of scholars, who will also schedule time with a student “ambassador”. </p>
<p>Check the calendar on UMD.edu and see if there are any performances on campus for the night you’ll be there… you can also check out the sports teams practicing (or playing), see lots of intramurals, and get a general “feeling” about the campus. I also agree with checking out McKeldin library, and various spots around Stamp…you can get a feel for the student population, and the suggestion to eat in the diner is a good one.</p>
<p>I work about 10 minutes away from CP. Chances are my daughter will be attending in Fall 2012. If I thought it was that dangerous, I would not allow her to go there. I think the fear of crime in the area is way overblown. We have a close friend that attends (Soph) and she has never had an issue.</p>
<p>“She opted for Indiana University instead” really says a mouthful since last summer, doesn’t it? </p>
<p>Wherever you go, some bad things will happen to some students, some students will do stupid stuff but escape from it unharmed, and the best you can do is to use good judgment and hope it turns out well.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC App</p>
<p>I’m a student here, and I have never felt unsafe. Have to admit, the Indiana comment made me laugh. Coming from a rural area, everyone I know who has gone to UMD has loved it. The one kid I know who went to Indiana ended up flunking out and coming home. There was nothing to do there but party. I guess he wasn’t “safe” from himself! College Park is a refreshing change from all the cornfields. I definitely didn’t want to go away to college and see more of them!</p>
<p>There are several things on campus not to miss:
- If there is a mens or womens soccer game – GO! These teams are highly
nationally ranked and the fans are amazing. The field is right on campus. - If there is a music or theater event in the Clarice Smith Center, catch it.
These departments do entertaining productions on campus. - Go to the Comcast Center. They took the basketball floor from the venue
when the Terps won the national championship several years ago and
reinstalled it. It is displayed along with the history of the event.</p>