Definitely right about the journalism school. If you want to go into journalism, few places better than Maryland. Maybe Northwestern and one or two more, but Maryland is right up there with the best. Actually, MD’s really improving academically on the whole, by the time you graduate they should be much higher in the rankings (they’re around 50th now, which isn’t bad either). It’s a good value.

You also can’t beat the location, a short trip from DC and Baltimore. CP itself is pretty meh, there’s not all that much to do there and some people hate it (do like old strip malls?), but you can keep entertained on campus or head down to DC for the nightlife scene, restaurants, sports, etc. There’s generally a good amount of support for sports, even some of the less popular ones like soccer are packed.

But really, it’s all about what you feel when you’re on campus. UMD is, in my experience, a normal, big state school. It’s not massive, but it’s plenty sizable, with a campus that some consider kind of generic. Some of the buildings are brand new and great, some are old. Really, that all depends on what you want in a school – some people like intimate campuses, some like huge ones. I don’t think Maryland’s either, but it’s much closer to big than small.

Colleges are tough to recommend because its really a personal thing. I know a lot of people who absolutely loved it and never wanted to leave. I also know a few people that really, really didn’t like it. It just wasn’t their thing. More people liked it than didn’t in my experience, so as long as it you think it’s a good fit, you’ll probably enjoy your time there.

I’d definitely echo the sentiments of above. Not everyone is going to like a college. But if you’re into sports and journalism, Maryland definitely has alot to offer. The campus comes alive on game days, and you’ll never have trouble finding people to go to the games with. Even if the teams have struggled lately, it’s better than following Northwestern’s sports(usually). UMD also boasts one of the top student newspapers in the country, and the journalism school has hosted prominent guest speakers like Michael Wilbon and Scott Van Pelt(a UMD grad).

The downside is obviously that you’re at a school with 30,000 other students. Joining a club and getting involved in something that interests you is the best way to overcome that.

Gameday
Whether it’s football or basketball, every student knows it’s time to get piss drunk and head to the game. The games are always loud and we are usually always competitive in the ACC (save for a dismal 2009 football season). MD fans are required to get into the opponent’s head by whatever means possible and, sometimes, to make it unnecessarily awkward for opposing fans (the older coots won’t approve but I’m a student and it’s what we do). Unfortunately for you, my favorite player, Vasquez will be on the bench of an NBA team by the time you decide to come. Good news is Sean Mosley is a rising star and we have a decently promising recruiting class for 2010-2011 in both basketball and football.

Academics
A UMD degree is valuable and it is a relatively fertile area for jobs. There is an abundance of internships in the Beltway area. Journalism is an especially difficult program so you better have your stuff together. Kevin Blackistone (from Around the Horn) is a professor there and it has many famous alums around the country. If journalism doesn’t pan out (like it didn’t for me), you will have a vast variety of other programs of study to embark upon with plenty of time to do so.

Nightlife
Downtown College Park is often a delightful playground for sloppy adolescents Thurs-Sat nights. There is several bars, all of which are easily accessible to the under aged, and it can be an extremely good time for freshman used to partying in their friend’s backyards throughout high school. If the bars aren’t for you, parties are commonplace and the residential neighborhoods and frat houses always host good house parties. The dorms often have their own community-like feel and it is easy to bond with many different people during your first semester (it’s almost impossible not to).

Campus
I’m not sure what the other posts meant by the campus is not huge — it completely is. But I can almost guarantee you won’t mind walking 10 or 15 min to class because the campus is gorgeous, the buildings are new, and the classrooms, for the most part, are nice.

I’ve met very few people who were not happy here—I’ve probably met more transfer students that were happier here than their previous school. There is a good chance you would be happy here because most are. Oh, and there is perfect 10’s almost everywhere you look.

GO TERPS