<p>University of Maryland has a more highly ranked computer science department. U.S. News ranks UMD’s undergrad comp sci program as #13 in the nation, whereas Hopkins is rated #28. In terms of other fields you may be interested in (if comp sci turns out to not be your cup of tea), Maryland also ranks very strongly in almost all engineering/science fields.</p>
<p>Overall, Johns Hopkins is regarded as a more prestigious school - for example, if you are interested in the humanities, such as English or History, you may consider Hopkins over Maryland. However, in terms of CS, MD has a better reputation than Hopkins, hands down. It also closely resembles Hopkins’ reputation for other similar fields (ex. engineering), though I haven’t gone to look up the numbers. Therefore, it terms of landing a job in CS, UMD will afford you equal and and quite possibly better opportunities than Hopkins. Considering that UMD should also be quite a penny cheaper (unless you received significant fin aid from Hopkins) and you prefer the atmosphere anyway, I think that makes a strong case in favor of UMD for you (seems like Hopkins lost out 3 for 3!). I would also like to add that although Baltimore is a great city, you will find that DC is much larger and more accessible for students at UMD than Baltimore is for Johns Hopkins students (public transport is better). </p>
<p>Scholars is alright. I wouldn’t expect too much out of it, though it is an easy way to get involved (ex. you can easily join a scholars board) as a freshman and meet people through class, but I would say the academic value of the program is mediocre. But if you milk it right, again it can be a good way to get involved early and to start building your resume/network of friends :).</p>
<p>One thing against MD is that the comp sci program is HARD and A LOT of work. Many people don’t make it through, and these are people that love computers/have some programming experience already. So think about what other fields you are interested in in case comp sci doesn’t work out. Is MD strong in those fields, too? Is it still worth it, even if comp sci turns out to not be what you want?</p>