University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

I absolutely love this school!! We are ranked amongst the best universities both regionally and nationally, in fact we are the 17th best public school of the United States. What I love about my school is that there is a niche for everyone. I didn't even think it was possible to have so many clubs and organization for every taste and passion. I also love the fact that we have such a wide variety in the student body, you are just as likely to find the coolest person ever there as you are to find the person that is kind of weird but doesn't care at all and you respect them for it. It is indeed a big school, but like I said before it is definitely possible to find your niche, JOIN A CLUB and get involve you are sure to make this school seem a lot smaller with the right people around you. As for the town around the campus, well College Park was built around student needs, from the bars, the Chinese place that seems to never close, to the numerous restaurants that accommodate student's budget. Also I have nothing bad to say about the administration. The Diamondback, our newspaper, keeps you informed of the decision being made, and there is always a way to have your voice heard on any decision, whether it be as a member of the Student Senate or at a forum.

I really believe there is something for everyone to get involved with at the University of Maryland. There is a club for anything you can think of, and if, by chance, the club you are looking for does not exist, it only requires 8 members to start a new Student Government-approved organization. Going to Maryland, I have met so many new friends different from myself and would recommend the University to anyone who is looking to expand his or her horizons.

I honestly think the best thing about Maryland is the people here. Even in a 200 person lecture hall, where your teacher doesn't know you from the guy next to you, the students are friendly and the teachers and TAs are absolutely willing to make time to help you understand any and every concept if you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn and reach out to them. That being said, if I had to pick one thing to change, I would make the larger courses, such as general Chemistries, Biologies, and Physics, standardized. It can be really frustrating to get stuck with the one Phyisics teacher who has four exams and that is your grade, while watching a friend in the same course with a different teacher have 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of their grade from homework that is graded on effort. I spend most of my time on campus in classes and in the buildings where I have my classes. I love that in EVERY building on campus there is a great place to sit and plugs for your laptop. That way, if I have 20 minutes between class or if I get there 10 minutes early I don't have to just stand and wait around, I can sit and do some reading, work, or jump on Facebook. College Park is definitely a college town, there are no two ways about it. There is a TON of school pride. I do not know one single person who works here, studies here, or lives in this town, that isn't a Maryland FANATIC! In fact, one thing from my school career that I will always remember is during Maryland's Snowpocalype in 2010, when Maryland basketball was playing UNC at home - the athletics department offered free tickets to anyone who could come and show school ID. Even though we had to trudge through two feet of snow all the way across campus to get there, there wasn't a single open seat in the entire place! I would have to say the most frequent complaint I have heard is how difficult it is to have a question answered. The advisers are assigned randomly within each college, so even though I am Pre-Vet I had an adviser for three years who knew nothing about vet school and only cared about beef cattle. HOWEVER, if you have classes with a teacher in the topic that you want to have a career in after college, they are definitely willing to give you advice and help you out, even though they are not your real adviser.

The best thing about UMD is the amount of opportunities: internships, classes, extracurriculars... I wish there was more time in college- less required classes and more credits to be able to do your own thing. It's tough to go abroad because you have to pick somewhere where you can get your classes done in order to graduate on time. There's so many interesting classes. I love how big the school is. It's big enough that you can see no one you know on campus one day, and then walk across the mall and see five people you know. It's a perfect balance. There isn't much of a college town. It's really just Route 1, but the metro is accessible and Route 1 does it's function just right. TONS of school pride. I went from cheering for the Rams in Elementary, then the Bears in High School to... the turle. I never thought I'd be able to do it... but it's unbelieveable. I love sports and the one experience I will never forget is my first Maryland Men's Basketball Game. I definately picked the right school.

I loved that I had the option to create my own major and that there were a huge number of courses to choose from. The quality definitely varied but you could find the really rigorous engaging courses hidden amongst the rest. Same went for the student population - yeah it's a huge school, but you find your kindred spirits somehow. And places to hang out - again, the trend continues - the selection isn't huge but there were definitely some great spots on and around campus, and the joys of DC are not too far away, especially if you have a car.

The best thing about UMD might be its proximity to Washington DC and the Metro-connection from College Park. I spent most of my time at the Food Co-op, which was a great little crunch community of spelt and quinoa lovers, wand which made the enormity of UMD feel a bit smaller and more manageable. The jock/sport/frat culture was totally alienating to me, as I wanted to be at a small liberal arts college from the beginning and wasn't amused by the "riot if we lose; riot if we win" student body. Once I found my friends, I spent most of my time off campus at their apartments and houses, which was a nice way to cope with the impersonal feeling of the towering freshman dorms. There are a lot of nice off-campus housing options in nearby Berwyn Heights and in the neighborhood right by the Metro. There's also a beautiful, wooded, older neighborhood nearby called University Park that served as a great escape and was really nice to walk around in.

Good things about UMD: the physics department--professors and extremely approachable and enthusiastic; proximity to washington dc--very fun city for young people; large size means anything you're looking for, you can find;

UMD is best known for its school spirit. The entire school comes out on Saturday to cheer the team (although sometimes the Terps dont win). Last homegame of 2007, students stormed the feel. Housing is a huge problem on campus. Only freshman and sophomores are able to live on campus. Juniors and higher are thrown off. While the school seems big, you will recognize one or two people from each of your classes at the bar; the professors do not know your name. Many people join frats and sororities, mostly out of insecurity. People spend most of their time either in the student union which was renovated recently, in their dorms or at the bars. Def. not a college town. It has been rated as the most dangerous campus in America for many years now. Several incidents every weekend. The school is more focussed on getting more money than offering students the services that they want or need.

Maryland is a big school with TONS of opportunities. If you're the kind of person who is going to sit in your dorm-room and not explore the campus community then Maryland is not for you. It's easy to sit around and not make much of your experience if you lack energy. However, if you are someone who is willing and excited to see what's really out there, you will quickly and easily find many different things that interest you. Sports, clubs, faith-based groups, Greek Life, performing arts, etc. It's all here! The campus itself is BEAUTIFUL with tons of facilities and open space. It has a great "camp" feel that creates a great sense of community.

One of the best things about Maryland are the living and learning programs. They make a University of over 30,000 undergrads seem like a small community. It makes it easier not to get lost in the shuffle. I would change the structure of the Student Government Association and how they allocate funds. The size of the school can be overwhelming at times but its great going to such a big university because there is always something to do, a new activity to get involved with, or meeting new people. College Park, despite the name is NOT a college town. There are about 5 bars on Rte. 1 and thats it. There also is some animosity between the university and the city of College Park. Crime is an issue here. The Administration (especially the Diversity Provost) is awesome. He's very accessible, easy to talk to and always willing to help with student initiatives. Biggest controversy--a noose was hung outside of the black student union in Fall 07 MD students have a ton of school spirit, which is one of my favorite things about Maryland. We're "terpaholics"

The best thing about UMD is that it is so big! The campus is beautiful. The student body is huge and so diverse in so many ways: politically, socially, racially, ethnically, that you will easily find friends for life. There are so many opportunities to get involved in every way possible on campus and off in student activities and organizations. You can have you're own community on campus of friends, of advisers, mentors, and student organizations, that sometimes it feels so small. College Park isn't much of a college town, but DC is a simple metro ride away, and the campus is big enough with enough great events, concerts, speakers that come that theres little reason to leave.

The best thing about Maryland is that there is always something to do or always some event going on. I would change the condition of some of the buildings, they're pretty old. I think the school is just right. When I tell people I go to Maryland they usually don't know where it is. I spend most of my time in the Bioresearch Building. What college town? I never really interact with the administration or hear much from them so I don't really have an opinion of them. Housing and the building of the Purple Metro Line were the two recent controversial issues. There is a lot of school pride. We have a lot of statues of Testudo - our mascot. I will always remember my freshman year walking around campus at night and then deciding to jump into one of the water fountains. Where I live, I always hear people complain about how far they are from their classes.

It's a big school, but with a big school comes many, many opportunities. From clubs to fun activities to research, there is always something great you can find out about UMD. When I tell people I go to UMD, the responses range from, "Wow, what a great institution" to "Isn't that a party school?" and in my experience the former has always been more true. I spend a lot of my time on campus involved in my extra curricular activities and in my dorm doing work or just relaxing with friends. DC is really accessible by public transportation and is a lot of fun to explore in free time. College Park is an odd sort of college town, mainly because most of the city is so dominated by the campus itself, that the residents seem to feel kind of ignored, but to the best of my knowledge the current administration and students are working to make the city into more of a so-called "College town." There is a ton of school pride. Everyone has a UMD sweatshirt or gear of some kind, and we're some of the rowdiest fans around. Football games and Men's soccer are full of intense cheering from the stands for the home team. The most common student complaints, especially in my year is the lack of on-campus housing. It's troublesome that as a sophomore who wanted to live on campus for my junior year, I am being forced to move off campus do to our housing crisis. Plans are in the works to fix this, but currently it's not being handled well.

I love that it is a big school and there are a lot of opportunities to get involved with so many different things. There is a lot of school pride at UMD which I think is awesome. I don't really have anything that I would change. Maybe I would make the parking spaces bigger in lot 11. They are so narrow that even my car which isn't that big has a hard time getting out if you don't pull all the way through to the other side. Also, I would feel more comfortable if there was no asbestos in the dorms (that they warned us about.. its not a health problem I just don't like the idea of having that health risk.) I think the size of the school is just right because there are so many people to meet and so many people with different interests that make the school have more opportunities. Within your department there aren't as many people so you get to know people instead of only meeting new people everyday. Also, you can walk pretty much anywhere on campus. It might be a little bit of a hike but its not a problem, plus they have busses that go everywhere. People are impressed that I go to UMD. Especially since I am in honors here. A lot of my friends that are still in highschool say they are jealous because they say they could never get in there. I spend a lot of time studying in the KIM Engineering building. They have a really nice lounge that is not too crowded or loud. Since I live off campus, I haven't really experienced the "college town" yet but, it seems like there is a nice variety of things to do off campus. Although, the campus is pretty big so there are so many events going on and D.C. is really close by. I haven't had a problem with the administration so I have no complaints. I haven't really come in too much contact though. I'm not sure of the biggest recent controversy on campus. Like I said before there is a lot of school pride. Which I find to be a very good quality in a school. UMD is unusual because it accels in so many different areas from research to athletics. I just started going here so I'm sure I'll have lots of more meaningful experiences but I would have to say that just being on campus and meeting new people is something that I will always remember. I really don't hear too many complaints but sometimes the engineering students complain about too much work, but you are going to expect that from a difficult field.

1. The Mall 2. Parking, Department of Transportation 3. TOO big, no room for housing 4. No surprise, since I am an instate student 5. Work or my room in Commons 6. Weak attempt to be a college town 7. Disorganized and difficult to get one task done in one department, often will have to be transfered to numerous places before one answer is given. Advisers often do not even know the basic requirements for graduation and they are replaced so quickly it is not even worth it to consult them. 8. Campus safety, i.e. Noose at stamp, many crime reports, shootings, etc. 9. Varies, I think the school is either incredibly devoted or incredibly apathetic 10. Not really. 11. Studying abroad in London 12. Parking, lack thereof. Also the poor quality of apartments/suites/dorms, and/or the overpricing of them.

The best thing about UMD is the number of different types of people, and the number of opportunities there are for one to join an activity. But even though there are different types of people I feel that this school is still segregated. I feel that this school is just right for me. The reaction that I get from people when I say that i go to UMD is always the same. At first they look shocked, but then they say congratulations. I feel that a big part of that has to do with that I am Latino. Even though this controversy happened last semester I still think its the biggest one was the noose incident. I think it was real shocking and it was also during the Jena Six incident. This school has a lot of pride. Lately the students and even I have been complaining about the housing situation, where most upperclassmen will not or may not receive housing on campus.

The best thing about Maryland is its size and diversity. There really is something for everyone. Even though the university is big, the individual schools (majors) make students feel like they're part of a community. When I was on campus, I spent most of my time in the Journalism building and the library doing work or killing time between classes. During the spring and fall, it was great to do work on the mall. One of the main complaints about College Park is the actual town could use some revitalization. When I graduated, there were only three bars (now four), no movie theater and minimal shopping options within walking distance of campus. Despite that, there is an enormous amount of school pride, especially when it comes to athletics. Maryland alum stay fans of the school for life and that is a pretty neat thing.

The school is too big, and sometimes its hard to be just a number. People are usually impressed when I tell them I go to UMD. This is definately a college town, "College Park", MD. There is a lot of school pride, especially during sporting events.

it's great. Big school million people. Town is so-so but D.C. is metro ride away. Party scene is there if you want it. Greek life is small but around if you want it. Enough extracurriculars that you can probably find something you're into. A lot of cool programs.

I like the atmosphere of this school. It's not a perfect university, but I'd never regret coming here. The campus is huge and you can walk around and be completely anonymous, but head to an area where everyone will know who you are. Maryland itself is very historic and beautiful. Outside of campus can get shady, though. Safety is a concern of mine, but there are services that students can utilize, like the shuttles and police escorts. Things should get better once the local developments start up. College Park will be the best place to be in ten years. For now, we have class here and go out in DC. At least the metro stop comes here. That's convenient, especially for those of us who don't have cars.