Engineering Schools... where to go!?!?

TheBaron19
Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:55:29 +0000

I was scrolling through this thread and saw your “Not too sure” regarding College Park, and I thought I could clear some things up. I should start by saying that I don’t actually go to UMDCP, but I live less than an hour away and roughly 20% out of each graduating class from my high school goes there (seriously), so you could say I’m familiar with the school.

I’m not sure if you were referring to any city in particular or just that it’s generally not in a city. In any case, the fact that UMDCP’s not in DC is a good thing, trust me. As for College Park itself, it’s a pretty typical college town and has all the features one would expect. Walking up Rt. 1, you can find all the college bars/pizzerias/Chinese take-out places/etc. that you would anywhere else. It not being in a city also makes it easier to find off-campus housing (I have several friends that live in converted houses), although I should also say that CP has great housing options (read: not dorms) for upperclassmen. Finally, its proximity to DC gives you access to all the big-city amenities of arts and culture and sports (although some would question whether DC sports teams legitimately count as “professional”).

As for greek life, it certainly does have a presence on campus, as it will on any large college campus. That said, a large majority of my friends are not involved with the greeks at College Park and still manage to have an excellent social life. The student body is large enough that no one social clique/group/system dominates the university’s life.

Hopefully that helps to clarify some things. Good luck in your decision!