University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

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.