University of Maryland, College Park

[hajile]

Hi all,

I am seriously considering an offer for Organizational Behaviour PhD from Smith Business School, at University of Maryland, College Park.

Is there anyone familiar with the program? What is the living environment at College Park, MD?

It would be great to hear from others who are considering University of Maryland.

Cheers!

[marxophile]

Hey there,

I'm somewhat local and know the area well.

There is no on-campus housing at UMD for graduate students, but it tends to be fairly nice and affordable, and considering it's the DC metro area, everything is pretty close to the campus.

I'd encourage you to check out this site for more information

http://www.union.umd.edu/GH/basic_needs/graduate_housing.html

Good luck on your decision!

[hajile]

Hi Marxophile,

Thank you for the weblink. Since you are familiar with the area, I am wondering what are your recommendations for housing? I have read that security within College Park can be a concern. So most of the graduate students tend to live further away from campus.

Cheers!

Hey there,

I'm somewhat local and know the area well.

There is no on-campus housing at UMD for graduate students, but it tends to be fairly nice and affordable, and considering it's the DC metro area, everything is pretty close to the campus.

I'd encourage you to check out this site for more information

http://www.union.umd...te_housing.html

Good luck on your decision!

[ZeChocMoose]

Hi Marxophile,

Thank you for the weblink. Since you are familiar with the area, I am wondering what are your recommendations for housing? I have read that security within College Park can be a concern. So most of the graduate students tend to live further away from campus.

Cheers!

Hi hajile,

I did my master's at College Park and you are correct that there are some security issues. When I was there, the crime tended to happen in the areas where the university meets CP and not generally on campus. (There was some reported crime on campus of course but it tends to be slightly off campus.) Also crime unfortunately is a trade off you get from being close to a big city. I never felt unsafe when I was on campus, but I knew not to walk in CP at night in unlit areas. When I was there, the crime usually consisted of muggings, robberies, and 1 car hijacking.

Will you have a car? If you have a car, your housing options are a lot more flexible. When I was a master's student, I lived in downtown Silver Spring. It was less than 10 min walk to the Metro and my apartment complex was really close to a grocery store. SS is on the red line and I find that line easier to go into DC and the VA suburbs than the green line. (CP is on the green line). There is also a free UM Shuttle that picks up in the back of the SS Metro. I usually didn't take it to campus because I didn't trust it would arrive on time, but I usually took it home. I did pay a premium price for my apartment (due to its proximity to the Metro) and it was only affordable on a grad student stipend because I had a roommate.

The grad students that I knew usually didn't live in CP because there were a lot of undergrads there and other nearby communities are better in terms of things to do on the weekend and are quieter. Some areas to check out are: Silver Spring, Takoma Park, and Greenbelt. You may also want to look into Columbia Heights in DC (but that could get pricey). My best advice to you is to get a roommate. I am not sure what your stipend is, but it is going to be challenging to find a one bedroom under 1K in a good area. Mostly likely it will be in the $1100 - $1400 range. If you have a car this is where it comes into handy. Prices of apartments will decrease the further you get from a Metro stop. Also beware how far you get from the university-- because traffic can be brutal during rush hour!

[hajile]

Hi there,

Thank you for your comprehensive reply on your experience at Maryland. I have looked at the housing options you have mentioned. I am also considering staying westward from College Park. Are you familiar with Rockville? It has a rather significant mix of international residents. Of course moving farther from campus would mean getting a car. Is the daily commute bad? How congested is the traffic condition?

The Smith School of Business offers a rather generous stipend so hopefully my wife and I could manage the living expenses well.

Did you enjoy your graduate experience at Maryland?

Cheers

Hi hajile,

I did my master's at College Park and you are correct that there are some security issues. When I was there, the crime tended to happen in the areas where the university meets CP and not generally on campus. (There was some reported crime on campus of course but it tends to be slightly off campus.) Also crime unfortunately is a trade off you get from being close to a big city. I never felt unsafe when I was on campus, but I knew not to walk in CP at night in unlit areas. When I was there, the crime usually consisted of muggings, robberies, and 1 car hijacking.

Will you have a car? If you have a car, your housing options are a lot more flexible. When I was a master's student, I lived in downtown Silver Spring. It was less than 10 min walk to the Metro and my apartment complex was really close to a grocery store. SS is on the red line and I find that line easier to go into DC and the VA suburbs than the green line. (CP is on the green line). There is also a free UM Shuttle that picks up in the back of the SS Metro. I usually didn't take it to campus because I didn't trust it would arrive on time, but I usually took it home. I did pay a premium price for my apartment (due to its proximity to the Metro) and it was only affordable on a grad student stipend because I had a roommate.

The grad students that I knew usually didn't live in CP because there were a lot of undergrads there and other nearby communities are better in terms of things to do on the weekend and are quieter. Some areas to check out are: Silver Spring, Takoma Park, and Greenbelt. You may also want to look into Columbia Heights in DC (but that could get pricey). My best advice to you is to get a roommate. I am not sure what your stipend is, but it is going to be challenging to find a one bedroom under 1K in a good area. Mostly likely it will be in the $1100 - $1400 range. If you have a car this is where it comes into handy. Prices of apartments will decrease the further you get from a Metro stop. Also beware how far you get from the university-- because traffic can be brutal during rush hour!

[ZeChocMoose]

Hi there,

Thank you for your comprehensive reply on your experience at Maryland. I have looked at the housing options you have mentioned. I am also considering staying westward from College Park. Are you familiar with Rockville? It has a rather significant mix of international residents. Of course moving farther from campus would mean getting a car. Is the daily commute bad? How congested is the traffic condition?

The Smith School of Business offers a rather generous stipend so hopefully my wife and I could manage the living expenses well.

Did you enjoy your graduate experience at Maryland?

Cheers

If you live in Rockville, you'll need a car because it is on the other end of the red line. I am not that familiar with the Rockville area since I didn't have a car while I was in grad school at Maryland. I think it takes about 1 hr or so depending on the traffic to get to CP from Rockville. If you are okay with that then you'll be fine. Traffic in the DC Metro area is just bad-- you just need to come to terms with it or take the Metro.

I enjoyed my experience at Maryland a lot. The faculty and the students in my program were amazing. I recommend trying the Diary's ice cream-- they make it themselves and there are a lot of creative flavors. I also like the CO-OP (in the Student Union). They have a lot of yummy food for a good price. Although the Diary and the Union is a bit far from the Smith School...