University of Maine Top Questions

Overall, I am happy I came here. I think the best thing about the school is the diversity of subjects that are taught here. I transferred to UMaine from a liberal arts college, and was astonished at the number of majors I could choose from when I came here. If there's one thing I'd change, it would be the amount of public transportation to and from campus. I live in nearby Old Town and I rely on a bus to get to class. The bus only comes every hour, and it can be inconvenient. The size of the University is just right for me: when I first applied to college, I thought I would be overwhelmed by the size of a large state university. After spending a year at a small school, however, I felt that there wasn't enough diversity of opinion on that campus, and that most people were too similar. This prompted me to transfer to a larger school. I spend most of my time on campus in Memorial Union and the library. The Union has food and lounges, and is very convenient for commuters. The library is comfortable, has plenty of computers, and also sells food. Orono is a tiny town, and Bangor is a small city. There are one or two clubs in the area, and the Bangor Mall is close by. There are also many hiking trails in the vicinity. I'm someone who enjoys the outdoors a lot, so I'm very happy with the trails and nearby forests. The biggest recent controversy on campus was the ban on tobacco products: the school can now fine students who smoke or chew tobacco in public (or in the dorms). This was implemented in January 2012, but so far many people are still able to smoke in public with no repercussions. The fairness of this new rule is still being argued by students, with the main objections being that it is very hard to quit smoking, and that cigarettes are completely legal. The UMaine Black Bears have a lot of school pride, and most of the school turns up at the hockey and football games. During football season, you can hear the cheering all the way across campus! Probably the most frequent student complaint has to do with the food in the dining halls. The food is not healthy, and I've noticed that there are few vegetarian options, and hardly any vegan options. I personally had a few instances of food poisoning from one of the dining halls. Living off campus solved this problem, as there is a grocery store (Hannaford) close to the school with good-quality food. Despite the University's flaws, I really like this school and I'm glad that I came here. All my instructors have been incredibly helpful and approachable, and the classes in my field (Wildlife Ecology) are very hands-on and exciting.

I am proud to tell the other people that I go to the University of Maine. If generalized, the response that I get is: “It’s a good school”. I would add to this generic reaction and say: “This is a school that will give all resources to have a fun college time as well as fine education that will secure your future.”If anyone asked me if I want to change the school, without the slightest doubt I would answer “no”. So far, UMaine has been my best life experience that has contributed to building my personality and my spiritual growth. I find that the best thing about the school is the vibrant motivating atmosphere present at UMaine; the spirit that leads to discovering your true self. I would say that the size of the campus is just perfect for being able to get around fast even on foot. In fact, I love taking a walk in the morning to the dining hall or right to class when I fail saving enough time for breakfast. The campus is tobacco free to ensure safe health environment for the students. My favorite places to spend time at are the Fogler Library and the Recreational Center. In addition to being well-equipped for comfortable studying, the library has all the resources needed for successful academic performance. The Recreational Center offers a wide range array of equipment, a swimming pool together with the hot tub and a sauna, as well as provides group classes that make exercising more fun. Collins Center for the Arts is another amazing place on campus to spend time at either watching performances or rehearsing and performing. Going to hockey games is an unforgettable experience and a well-built tradition at the University of Maine. The powerful spirit of determined players and passionate supporters is undoubtedly a life-lasting memory of the school. Administration of the school is always helpful and does their best to answer your questions in a timely and efficient manner. The students can get help with the academics, financial issues, as well as other general or specific questions. The most student complaints regard the dining halls. The frequently addressed issues are modifications in menus and extended hours. Even though it is hard to meet everyone’s special food needs, the Black Bear’s Dining administration has been constantly trying to account for various tastes. All in all, I feel lucky to attent the school and associate myself with UMaine.

This school, in essence, is a perfect fit for someone like myself. I find myself waking up every day facing equal parts challenge and leisure, with just the right mix of work and play. To change something, I would consider downsizing the amount of people on campus. I do, at times, feel a sense of disunity among the students, who have formed rather sizable cliques as opposed to assimilating into one great big group. However, when presented with questions regarding my attendance here, I hear very little negativity. While I'm on campus, I spend time mostly in my dorm, at York Hall and at the Recreation Center as I have a regular workout regimen. As far as the administration is concerned, I have no qualms. They provide students the space to voice our opinions, but maintain a strong martial presence, which is good on such a large campus. This school also tends to come with a lot of pride, especially regarding our hockey team. Our hockey team is easily one of the best college teams in the nation, and that's undeniable.It's a solid group that the population of the campus can really get behind. My best memory of this school would have to be the very first time I spent significant time here, which was late June on Orientation weekend. It was there I had my first experiences with the homilies of the campus and it's staff, and I honestly felt like this was a place I could grow beyond the bounds of my high school education. I knew it when I arrived here that it was my time to really show what I was capable of.

Overall I like Umaine. Some of the things that I do like are the size and the school pride. I like the size, because you're always meeting new people. I came up here from a small town where everyone knew everyone else. It's very nice being able to escape that. One of the best examples of school pride that I can give is at the Alfond Arena during a mens hockey game. The fans are just fascinating to watch! Everyone is able to get involved and between the pep band and the people that lead the cheers it makes for a great atmosphere. I'd say Umaine's biggest pitfall (in my eyes) is location. We're located about ten minutes outside of Bangor. I (being closer to Portland and Portsmouth, NH) think that Bangor is a poor excuse for a city. It has some good qualities, but I hardly consider it a city. All in all though I do like Umaine a lot, I just wish it was located near a bigger city.

I am proud to tell the other people that I go to the University of Maine. If generalized, the response that I get is: “It’s a good school”. I would add to this generic reaction and say: “This is a school that will give all resources to have a fun college time as well as fine education that will secure your future.”If anyone asked me if I want to change the school, without the slightest doubt I would answer “no”. So far, UMaine has been my best life experience that has contributed to building my personality and my spiritual growth. I find that the best thing about the school is the vibrant motivating atmosphere present at UMaine; the spirit that leads to discovering your true self. I would say that the size of the campus is just perfect for being able to get around fast even on foot. In fact, I love taking a walk in the morning to the dining hall or right to class when I fail saving enough time for breakfast. The campus is tobacco free to ensure safe health environment for the students. My favorite places to spend time at are the Folger Library and the Recreational Center. In addition to being well-equipped for comfortable studying, the library has all the resources needed for successful academic performance. The Recreational Center offers a wide range array of equipment, a swimming pool together with the hot tub and a sauna, as well as provides group classes that make exercising more fun. Collins Center for the Arts is another amazing place on campus to spend time at either watching performances or rehearsing and performing. Going to hockey games is an unforgettable experience and a well-built tradition at the University of Maine. The powerful spirit of determined players and passionate supporters is undoubtedly a life-lasting memory of the school. Administration of the school is always helpful and does their best to answer your questions in a timely and efficient manner. The students can get help with the academics, financial issues, as well as other general or specific questions. The most student complaints regard the dining halls. The frequently addressed issues are modifications in menus and extended hours. Even though it is hard to meet everyone’s special food needs, the Black Bear’s Dining administration has been constantly trying to account for various tastes. All in all, I feel lucky to attent the school and associate myself with UMaine.

The University of Maine is an amazing school! Orono, the town that UMaine is in, is almost entirely populated by college students. There are great college bars and nightclubs to unwind at on the weekends (or week days depending on your course load).If the nightlife isn't your scene, there are tons of student groups on campus. I am the Vice President of our Student Government, and I help oversee over 200 different groups that meet each week and share common interests. Some groups are sports related, others academic, and some pure leisure. No matter what interests you, the students at UMaine have formed a group around it. UMaine is fairly big, depending on your definition, with an enrollment of around 8,000 undergraduates. The campus is gargantuan and has great athletic facilities. With a undergraduate population as big as it is, we have great atmosphere at our sporting events. Our Football team just got done one of the best finishes in school history making it to the semi finals. The game was shown on ESPN 3. Also, we pride our self on our Hockey Team. A few years ago they won the National Championship, and are always a contender (not to mention our home arena is electric during big matches). Beyond the aesthetics, UMaine offers great opportunities. I have taken advantage of the opportunities afforded me, and because of it, have a great job lined up for this summer. UMaine wasn't my first choice, but I am so glad that I chose it.

UMaine is really the best size school. We have about 10,000 students between undergrad and graduate. But don't forget, you are still in Maine, so most people know each other and are incredibly friendly. So our big school will feel friendly in no time! Orono is a great town, and Bangor is only a few minutes away with a small shopping mall and tons of stuff to do. UMaine has a ton of school pride for all of our activities, not just sports. My biggest complaint about UMaine is the administration. They are a huge hassle to deal with. I don't believe my bill has EVER been correct when they send it to me and I'm on my 6th semester here. They also make terrible decisions. Often our star athletes will do very illegal and immoral things and not get a slap on the wrist for it, let alone loose their scholarship money that another kid could really use. Our Administration is really the biggest complaint you'll hear from anyone. You often have to fight to get anything done around here. But overall, UMaine is a great school and a great place to be.

The best thing about this school is it's location. Its nestled in a small town that has a bunch of off campus hang out spots, like restaurants and small boutiques. The campus is the perfect size, large enough that there's always new places to discover but small enough that after the first couple of days you'll know where everything is. On campus, I spend most of my time at Fogler, the library. There are so many rooms that its never hard to find a small nook to study or read in. If there was one thing that I would change about this school, it would be the dining plans. They're changing every year so its hard to get accustomed to a new plan every year. One of the biggest, if not the biggest sports team at UMaine is Men's hockey. Every game the student section is packed and everyone participates in the cheers. My first UMaine Hockey game was by far the best experience I have yet to have at UMaine. The enthusiasm of everyone, including alumni was outstanding and really made me feel like a true Blue student.

The University of Maine in Orono, is a large, public university but surprisingly the campus is not overwhelming. Walking from one end to campus to the other only takes 15 minutes or so. Fellow classmates and schoolmates are friendly and it is easy to make friends in classes, especially once you become an upperclassman. When I lived on campus, I got into a routine each day and I would see the same handful of people walking to and from classes and dining halls. As the semester you begin to smile at these people that you constantly run into. UMO's campus is beautiful. It is not uncommon to see a family of deer on campus and in the winter time, UMO is breathtaking; although very, very cold. If you do not like snow, this may not be the place for you!! It can get pretty chilly! My favorite feature of UMO is the Recreational Fitness Center which has brand new equipment, an indoor track, a pool, basketball courts, tennis courts, bikes paths and they even offer group fitness classes and certification classes to become personal trainers and fitness instructors. However, Orono itself is rather boring. The "downtown" area is really only a single street. It is a traditional college town with not much but the college. Thankfully Bangor is only 15 minutes down the road and there is a mall and restaurants there!

I love this school. I love the food, the teachers, the atmosphere. Here, I'm treated as a person and with respect. I'm judged only on how I conduct myself toward others and nothing else. The only negative is the cold but with the right coat, that problem is eliminated

The University of Maine is the best school that I have visited over my years of living in the United States. I have visited schools like Boston College, University of New Hampshire, Husson, St. Josephs, etc. The best thing about UMaine is the community feeling you get on campus. Everything is within a 10-15 minute walk and it makes life very accessible. Therefore, I would say UMaine is the perfect size. The best thing about UMaine is our hockey team - weekends are always spent by students cheering on our Black Bears celebrating in victory or... celebrating in loss anyway. For me, most of my time is spent on campus playing intramural and club sports or keeping up with homework. There is a ton of school pride in our hockey program. When the team is on the road, we often take fan buses or people drive up to opposing team's arenas to show our pride. I will never forget the trip to Boston College when our hockey chants were louder than the Boston College's home team chants. The only real student complaint is that there is not enough to do here in the cold weather of Orono, Maine. But, among a ton of good friends, there are always opportunities for good times.

My overall opinion of the University of Maine is that it is a school that makes you feel like your home. The classroom sizes tend to be small and the professors all take a interest in making sure you are passing. If you come from a small town this school will be a great fit for you.

The campus at the University of Maine, Orono is so beautiful. It has been around for years and years so you will see some older buildings as well as newer buildings. It is a big campus with 10,000 students but eventually it doesn't feel so big and overwhelming. The professors are really nice, and very knowledgable. They are easy to talk to and approach for questions. There is limited parking at times so that can be frusterating. That is one of the few things I would change. Orono is definantly a College town, it is so small and the biggest attraction is definantly the University, also it is located on an Island. I like that it's a small town, with a big school.

I love UMaine, but then again I'm biased =]. As a freshman, you spend most of your time over on the Hilltop, where they put most of the freshman and where they help you adjust to campus living. But I'm going to tell you a secret, GO TO YORK TO EAT. York Dining Hall, located at the southern end of campus is where it's at. Every Wednesday, there's Buffalo Chicken wrap night and out of the three dining halls on campus, York has the most options, best atmosphere, and of course best food! I was lucky that my freshman year I lived on the south end of campus, so I was introduced to York's glory early, but tell your friends, tell your classmates, and most importantly tell your roommate, and get your butt over to York to eat! Other than York dining, the Hilltop part of campus does have its benefits. The amazing Recreation Center, finished in the 2000s, complete with incredible workout facility and POOL, is a great place to work out and hang out. That part of campus is also where the sporting events take place. Football is generally a good turnout and the games are fun, but men's ice hockey is an incredible experience. The student section is above the opposing goalie and the same chants have been used for the past five decades. You can tell the freshman right away because they don't know the chants, but they learn quickly! If you think you want to be a Black Bear, go to a UMaine men's hockey game, sneak into the student section, and there is no way you won't be able to feel the pride and excitement about being a BLACK BEAR (and kicking ass).

There is always something to do. Campus Activities and Student Engagement and other groups on campus always have something planned for basically every night of the week and there's a lot of free things to attend during the weekends. For example, on Wednesday nights in the Collins Center for the Arts, there is free movie played on a the big screen that hasn't been released on DVD yet. As well as many of the singing groups on campus perform and the concert is free. There is always something to do. I don't think I'd change anything about UMaine. I think it is a perfect size. Though it may be intimidating to some students, the community is still very strong. I cannot walk across campus without running into at least one person that I know and recognize by name. The people are friendly. There is also a lot of school pride. UMaine's campus is separate from the surrounding towns of Orono and Old Town. I think once a black bear, always a black bear.

After my first year, I can say I fell in love with my choice of college. The friendly atmosphere, helpful and resourceful academic administration, available extra-curricular activities, superb engineering program and student entertainment on this campus all for in state tuition is really what caught my attention. In comparison to other Universities and schools I got into, UMaine was number 3, now it is obviously my top and now current school. We are definitely a college town as well as local towns around because we are a pretty good size campus for the State of Maine and I love it. I like seeing a busy town with students always out and about doing something in town or on campus every day or night of the week. I have been up this way during the summer and in no way is this area the same! The biggest thing about this University that the entire student body really likes is the athletics. We are a very big division 1 school in New England. Hockey, Basketball, Baseball and a few other sports are always constantly talked about for National rankings and tournament possibilities. Students represent themselves well by attending these events all the time and showing their Blue and White Pride year round and I think that that is what UMaine is all about...Black Bear Pride and we have plenty of it!

The univeristy of Maine is the most expensive public school in the state, and I was accepted into this nursing program, which is ultimately why I came to school here. IF your wallet can overcome that, or you can apply to every scholarship on earth...then you may be able to afford going here on your own with out help from your parents. This NEEDS to change. UMaine is a great size, I love the population of knowing people you walk by, but not knowing everyone. Most of my time on Campus, which as a senior nursing student is 1 day a week (the other 32+ hours are in clinicals every week) is spent in Dunn Hall. In my Freshmen / Sophomore years my fiance and I would attend the Friday comedy nights, Wednesday movies in DPC, go to the gym--work out, swim, hottub, sauna!). The current change in UMaine's community is the smoking ban, and people who smoke don't follow it, and it's not enforced.

The University of Maine has some really great ideals: Initiative, Engineering Innovation, Preservation, and Sports Legacy. However, as a 25-year-old B.A. Music student, I find the whole experience lacking. The music scene just doesn't exist, and there is little room for someone with new ideas. And I think that speaks to the University as a whole: No room for anything different. This could all be clouded by my 6 years in Boston prior to finishing at the University of Maine, but I'm also a Maine Boy at heart coming from Downeast (Eastport pride!). Maine is for the individual who wants to stay in the norm and stick to the tried and true. Also, the population is as white as the driven snow. I don't find this all that wonderful.

Its a great sized school...not too big, not too small. Its also a really good location; you have bangor (bigger city) but its still pretty rural. I think its extremely hard to move here as an out-of-state student. I would highly suggest that if you want to go here that you need to spend a weekend out here and not stick just to the program that they school plans for you...hit up a fraternity or go to a party. We're a HUGE party school.

The University of Maine is in a great location. Many people think that if a college is not in a major urban center that it is dull; that is not the truth. Here we have Bangor, with a metropolitan population of some 135,000 and a city proper population of just over 35,000, that offers more than enough in the way of shopping and other urban activities. We also have Acadia National Park close by and loads of other destinations for the outdoor enthusiast. We have the best of both worlds. On campus there is a lot to do as well. We have a sizable Greek community (Fraternities and Sororities, over 180 campus clubs, a pub on campus, the list goes on! The students here have tons of school pride. We have clubs dedicated to U-Maine pride like the Maine-iac. We have a campus service day called Maine Day, which is dedicated to campus improvement. We take pride in our campus.