#UMD (CE) vs VT (Stats)

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tired ether
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Schools: University of Maryland-College Park vs. VirginiaTech
Intended major: Computer Engineering (UMD) and Statistics (VT)

Similarities:

  • Both are highly ranked within STEM
  • Both are basically state schools with large student populations & plentiful research opportunities
  • Both have strong cs/engineering programs

Costs:

  • UMD: Banneker-Key scholarship (full ride), so all tuition/housing/food is paid for with a book allowance.
  • VTech: Stamps Scholarship (full ride), so all tuition/housing/food/books + computer stipend + stamps-specific research stipends

University of Maryland

UMD Pros:

  • Proximity to DC (<1 hour by train) & not really in the middle-of-nowhere blacksburg </3
  • In a college town so there's more things to do + DC is right there
  • Slightly higher ranked
  • Got into my preferred major choice (computer engineering or really just cs-adjacent lol)
  • Higher amounts of research opportunities (the # of labs in UMD > # of VT labs)
  • Specific small community of B/K scholar recipients (~400 people)
  • Likely easier to get a PhD (a potential goal)?
  • more asians are there

UMD Cons:

  • aesthetic preferences LOL (i lowkey hate how the campus looks)
  • apparently very average food & the honors program i'm in has the worst dorms or something -- i have food & dust allergies so
  • apparently heard it's sometimes hard to make friends? like the environment is kinda anti-social
  • i feel like they'd be less generous with their funding since BK doesn't provide research stipends or anything like that -- it's basically just a "you get to go here for free but we're not adding anything on" -- i can't exceed their expected COA costs or they wont cover it, whereas i think with vtech they'd be more willing to accommodate experiences like study abroad (although this is more speculation)
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Virginia Tech

VT Pros:

  • got the stamps scholarship so i have access to the WIDE network of stamps scholars -- summits, conferences, special opportunities
  • i think vtech is more generous with their funding -- i'd probably be able to live more luxuriously LOL but also get access to their presidential global scholars program and stuff for free
  • special research funds & opportunities courtesy of stamps at vt
  • college town and when i visited i lowkey liked the area
  • BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS (imo) it's my favorite non-urban campus so far
  • leading in food LOL so i wouldnt be worried with my allergies
  • heaavvvvyyyy engineering culture (20% are engineering students?) which i'd love (i think)

VT Cons:

  • have to transfer into cs / eng because i applied stats </3 (not sure how hard that would be)
  • sorta in the middle of nowhere blacksburg + very hard to get to from home (10 hour busses with a s**t ton of transfers as opposed to a <5-hour simple train + bus to UMD)
  • less research labs compared to UMD (like in count & stuff)
  • kinda a pwi school no asians

Tiebreaking considerations

  • Accessibility into grad programs
  • Support when it comes to getting internships
  • Flexibility in class-scheduling, resources when it comes to learning
  • Ease of access to research labs
  • Student culture -- collaborative over competitive, relaxed over stressed

Preferences

  • i've lived in a big city basically my whole life so i do prefer cities over rural
  • i have (severe) dust & food allergies as mentioned above so i dont want to fight for my life (literally) every time i enter my dorm / go to the dining hall
  • heavily considering doing a PhD program so that's something that will likely heavily sway my decision (as in--which school might provide a better name-brand or ability to get into a phd program. i'm not opposed to doing a combined bs/ms or perhaps even a bs + accelerated phd if those exist at either school?)
steel notch
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Man congrats on full rides at both. Umd has the new CS building which is cool. I kinda vibe with not applying to a new major after you've already been admitted to the school. DC is right there too. PhD programs doesn't matter what the school is. Has more to do with the professors and their research

bitter mulch
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I would go to UMD because you have your major there.

steel notch
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Do you have documentation on your allergies? You might be able to wrangle accomodations

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Also isn't that whole area of the east coast about the same in humidity and heat? Same mold and dust probably

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Also what do you want to do? I see CE, CS, engineering, and stats all up in here

tired ether
# steel notch Man congrats on full rides at both. Umd has the new CS building which is cool. I...

ty for the advice! that makes a lot of sense

I'm not that familiar with the process of PhD applications -- you'd still have to apply for a PhD at schools, so it's not like you're just emailing professors like you would for cold emailing, right? does school name play any role in this / is it generally considered easier if you do a bs and go straight to a PhD in that school, without switching?

tired ether
tired ether
tired ether
steel notch
steel notch
# tired ether ty for the advice! that makes a lot of sense I'm not that familiar with the pro...

School name kinda matters but it's mostly about the grades and letters of rec. Prior experience too.
Quick version:
In undergrad you try to get As and do research with at least one professor. You apply to a PhD program at any school. Your application includes 3 letters of rec. Usually PhD research in stem is pretty niche, so the "community" that you're applying in is all the profs who do research in that area. So there might be a Prof at mit or at ASU or at UMD that does interesting stuff. It doesn't really matter what the ranking of the school is at this point, as long as it's R1 and you can get funding for your PhD and you're interested in the topic of your dissertation.

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Well, I say that but if you want to be a Prof in academia then the circle jerk becomes important. The top 5 schools hire a lot of alumni from the top 5 schools lol

tired ether
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ohh okay wait thank you so much for the answer! that actually clears a lot of questions I had lol

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I feel like the main issue I have with deciding currently between the two schools is the prestige & opportunities UMD holds compared to the networking and experiences that VT offers -- all things considered I am leaning more towards UMD but I feel like giving up the stamps network would be such a waste 🥲

steel notch
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Yeah I googled stamps. Haven't really seen what it offers

tired ether
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basically a network of 40 institutions iirc, annual meet-ups w/ stamps scholars from other colleges, $7500 in enrichment funds per year, access to stamps alumni from years & decades prior

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a lot of networking opportunities lol and iirc only about 360 to 400 per year in the nation get selected so it's a little tempting

i'm not sure if it could beat out the opportunities that umd innately offers + the location, prestige, etc. that umd has though

steel notch
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What are the enrichment funds for

tired ether
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research, conference travel, study abroad, etc

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would you also happen to know where i might be able to reach out to current umd / vt students, besides linkedin/reddit/college confidential?

gilded widget
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VT is far from a lot but honestly the campus has everything you need. I think UMD is the better choice though because of how close it is to DC

rich trail
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Perspective from someone with food allergies going into college + multiple siblings in college with severe allergies

  • most schools have a dietician you can talk to about the dining hall and what works for you. Sometimes they’re willing to make minor modifications/accommodations for you. It’s worth reaching out and talking to them about the possibilities should you attend
  • VT food advantage should not underestimated. If you can eat better food your ability to focus will be far better. If you end up not being able to eat in the dining hall all the time, or taking breaks because you find it bland…there’s a major disadvantage. That demands time to independently seek other food (eating out/getting groceries) which ultimately compounds into less work for studying, clubs, part time work, etc. it’s also going to increase your costs significantly if you’re continually paying for extra food that isn’t covered by your school

With that said, I’m not sure the degree to which VT’s food is better. I just wanted to note this to be considered!

steel notch
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There's Michelin stars in DC

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Probably not covered by scholarships tho lol

tired ether
# rich trail Perspective from someone with food allergies going into college + multiple sibli...

wait thank you so much for this perspective 🙏
i had no idea most schools would have a dietician -- tysm for this info!!

and yeah about the second point -- i was really honestly afraid about the food situation should i commit to umd, and from what i've heard from vtech students, there's quite a bit of variety in terms of food + all allergens & ingredients are listed on the website, whereas i cant even find where the dining hall menus are for umd 💔

also if i may ask: if you/your siblings have ever had the experience where dining hall food is simply too dangerous (e.g. cross-contamination risk), has there been anything you could really do? like have you/they been able to talk to the kitchen & get custom allergen-free food each day, or do they end up having to resort to just buying groceries/eating out all the time (which i can imagine does cost a s**t ton of time, as you said)

tired ether
rich trail
# tired ether wait thank you so much for this perspective 🙏 i had no idea most schools would...

Definitely see if you can find out more from umd from dietician or something!

Also note, variety of food doesn’t necessarily equate variety of food you can eat. There’s a lot of really good dining halls that have a really mid allergen station serving repeat menus all the time

As for the last question about cross contact…I’m not sure if you’re top 9, but a lot of dining halls have completely top 9 free stations so that’s not a risk. If it’s beyond, definitely talk to the staff. One of my siblings was going to a small school where the chef for the allergen station straight up changed the type of oil they were using because it wasn’t a major inconvenience and allowed her to eat there. Otherwise, I know of situations where they’ll grab people food from the back. It’s going to depend on the college though

steel notch
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Oh are you also food allergic? Idk then. Do the dorms have kitchens?

tired ether
# rich trail Definitely see if you can find out more from umd from dietician or something! A...

will do; thank you for the advice!

oh wait i honestly didn't realize the allergen station might just repeat menus all the time 🥲 well thats frustrating

i'll reach out to some umd students to ask more about their experience (and hopefully find someone w/ allergies too). i didnt realize that the chefs might be able to literally change the oil -- that gives me hope at least (even though umd is probably the opposite of a small school lol)!

could i ask what you mean by "grab people food from the back"? like get food that's fresh and has no risk of cross-contamination?

tired ether
rich trail
# tired ether will do; thank you for the advice! oh wait i honestly didn't realize the aller...

its not necessarily the same menu all the time, just that normally allergen stations have a smaller selection + can just be a little bland. People I know often have experiences of getting tired of it/it just being pretty bland

And yeah on grabbing food from the back....just situations where sometimes they can make arrangements where you're getting food more direct so that if there's other stuff at a station you're allergic to there's less risk of cross contact!

tired ether