University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

I don't think anyone would feel out of place at UMD. There's always a group or club for each race, religion, etc. Most students wear sweats to class, we're too tired to look good. The campus is really diverse and a lot of people interact with each other because they have common interests or they share the same class.

I don't think any kind of student would feel out of place at UMD. There are many different clubs and organizations around causes of all kinds, and it's easy to find your own niche in this gigantic school. The hardest adjustment I think for new students is if they come into the university as a commuter. One of the greatest things about starting out at this school is living on campus and fully experiencing everything it has to offer. Student attire to classes is typically sweatshirts and jeans and t-shirts, nothing too fancy normally. Occasionally a lot of people will be dressed up for career days. The dining hall is a ridiculous example of how students interact on campus; it's quite large and typically groups of 1-8 people sit with people they know. I typically just take my food to go and don't eat in the dining hall itself. Most UMD students are from Maryland, being as the University is the flagship university of the state. Other states well represented are New Jersey and New York. I'm not sure about the financial backgrounds of students here. I know I personally come from a family where my sister and I were eligible for free and reduced meals in high school, and I've never felt threatened by others of higher economic status. A good bit of students are politically active, but there are efforts to create a higher amount of political awareness on campus. Voter registration drives happen often. From what I've heard, the campus is predominantly left, with a good bit of center, and a small passion sect of the right. The College Democrats and College Republicans support political involvement of all kinds, and work together to discuss issues in a civil, democratic manner. I know a lot of engineers and students in the business school, and many of them talk about how much money they'll earn one day. Personally, a lot of the people in other majors I know are really passionate about what they are studying and are really more interested in learning the most they can so they can be ready for the job market and so they are best equipped to do what they want to do in life.

I haven't had any negative experiences with any groups on campus. I think a student that is extremely shy would feel out of place because there are so many people to meet and make friends with. People wear anything from military uniforms to sweatpants. I don't eat at the dining hall so I wouldn't know. I would say middle class would be the average. I would say that a fair number of students are politically aware/active. Barack Obama came to speak at the Comcast Center the day before the Maryland primaries and there were so many people that I had to stand outside in the freezing cold for an hour to get inside. I don't know the political views of most of the students. I have not heard of students talking about how much they'll earn one day.

1. I am a part of a Christian group on campus and have had positive expereinces with other ministry groups on campus. I firmly believe that all groups deserve the right to meet and empower themselves and have had no conflicts with other groups, even if some groups I personally do not agree with (whether it be in principles, politics, whatever). 2. Students who make no effort to do anything would feel out of place. Because the school is so large, if you do not take initiative, nothing will ever be given to you. 3. Jeans, t-shirt. Some people (usually freshmen) take extra effort to look nice, but as they get older it eventually gets to sweats and flip flops. 4. I'd like to say yes, but from what I have seen, students definitely tend to stick to their own race. 5. Athlete table, People coming from or to the same class, people from the same dining hall, and/or various tables according to race. 6. Most are from MD or NJ 7. Most seem middle class 8. Not so active, but definitely not ignorant. 9. Predominantly left, as is MD as a state. 10. Business students do at least. Other majors I cannot say.

The Maryland campus is diverse. On any given walk to class, you'll see people of different races, religions, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, etc. I don't think any kind of student would feel left out because there seems to be social sects for everyone. That being said, the group themselves don't really interact too much outside of class. They probably do more than a typical ivy league school or something, but the interactions between groups could increase. Most students wear sweats to class and are from the state of Maryland. Although there are a lot of students from the New York/New Jersey area as well. For in-state kids, the financial backgrounds all vary, though I would say most are middle class. The out-of-state kids tend to be more affluent, though it all depends on scholarships, aid and whatever else. Most students are predominantly left leaning in their politics and there is always some kind of rally going on on the Mall.

There is a lot of diversity at UMD. Most are from Maryland or the neighboring states.

You'll be fine. Students interact but not a ton of diversity. Leftist mostly i think.

Most Maryland students are in-state students. You have a lot of people from Jersey and New York as well. There are large numbers of blacks and Jews. But you see more out-of-state students who come to be a part of certain academic programs. The Greeks stick together. You can spot one from a mile away. The guys wear polo shirts and khaki pants, the girls wear large sunglasses and ugg boots. It can get annoying if you're not one of them. Politically passionate people can be found ready to lobby in DC, but you also have people who don't care. For the most part, the campus is fairly liberal. However, there's a group for everyone, political or not.

UMD is so big and incredibly diverse, I'm not sure anyone would feel left out as a whole. Of course, I'm sure they'd encounter people that made them feel unwelcome, but that's just part of the diversity. Jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, sweat pants, pajama pants (blech), mostly just casual stuff, but people still usually look pretty good. There are lots of groups made up of the same type of people, but organizations and clubs and the like are usually pretty diverse. Most UMD students are from MD, NJ, NY/Long Island.