@Twicer As you say, W&M and UMD-College Park are very different. UMD is a very, very large research university in a suburban area. If you like Big 10 sports you will have that. DC and Baltimore are relatively close by. You will have some major options that W&M doesn’t have.
W&M is far smaller, has more of a liberal arts college feel, is older, and is more on-campus residential in comparison.
My preference would easily be W&M based on sense of community, historical reputation, size, particularly at the same COA. But that is me.
I lived very close to the UMC-College Park campus for a while, and it just didn’t have that sense of place (like UVA, UNC-CH, W&M etc.) that I would want in a college. That would be my biggest ding on Maryland. I know there have been improvements in academics and selectivity, though.
The good thing is these schools are so different, it should make the decision easier.