University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

I can honestly say that the groups I hear about most are the professional groups - "Pre-Med Society" "Pre-Vet Society" and "Pre-Dental Society" tend to be the ones that I always see flyers for. Sports and athletics are also very popular, and I can honestly say I don't know anyone who has never been to a sporting event while being a student here. There are also a MASSIVE amount of sport clubs here. I myself am an avid swimming and equestrian and participate in both of those sport clubs, but you don't have to have a background in a sport to join the club, which is awesome! I also did club gymnastics for a bit, which was really fun even though I could barely do a hand stand when I started! The main group that I am involved with is Terps Roots & Shoots, which is a service group that I actually started with a friend last year. That is the great thing about Maryland - there is a group for EVERY interest, and if you have an interest that isn't being met, just start the club, piece of cake! On the weekends people tend to go out and party as least once every other weekend. There is the crowd that lives to party on the weekends, but if that is not your thing you will definitely be able to find a group that still wants to study with you on a weekend. There are also lots of other fun, sober things to do that campus groups offer for free, such as free weekly movie showings at the on campus theater and weekend trips with various groups.

There are too many organizations on campus for there to be a popular one. There is something for everyone. It's awesome. I was involved with TEal & puRPle (find the TERP), an organization that raises awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault. I volunteered at the Prince Georges County Crisis Center through them. I was previously in a social sorority which was just not for me. I am in Alpha Kappa Psi, one of the two professional business fraternities on campus. Students leave their dorm doors open when they are in them. Unlocked doors during the night or when you're at class can be bad news. Athletic events are nuts. Maryland all the way. My closest friends are: 1. A girl I met when I overnighted. 2. The girl that lived across the hall from me first semester 3. Two guys who lived on my floor first semester 4. Four guys I met through a friend of 8 years my first semester 5. My big Traditions and Events: 1. First Look Fair 2. Maryland Day 3. MARYLAND VS. DUKE GAME. People party as often as they want to, as at any college. It's the balance YOU make.

University of Maryland paintball team scrimmages other college teams, during Summer 2007.

I worked at the Outdoor Recreation Center my senior year and wished I'd found it when I'd first arrived. It was such a great community of people and provided a wonderful opportunity to learn new skills and practice facilitating groups. And to play! and party! It's all about finding community when you're at a school that big. The food coop was also a great place to hang out and meet folks. And when you first arrive - it is all about the dorm life. I definitely loved it the for the first two years - meeting people the first year, then all picking rooms on the same floor the second year. But by my third year, I was done with that. Got a great old house just a few minutes off campus. As for other activities, I got to try my hand at lots of things. Took recreational classes in guitar and pottery. Acted and danced. Got into political activism for a little while. Heard some great speakers, went to some great dance/music performances. And took plenty advantage of being near DC.

I was involved with the feminist group, which was a great way to meet people, though, unsurprisingly, not a great way to meet guys. Frats and sororities are very important to campus life. There's just about nothing to do in College Park on a weekend if you don't want to get groped by drunk frat guys in the one or two bars and are tired of bubble tea. It's really important to have a car there, unfortunately, to get around College Park to the cute College Perk coffee shop and just around in general, since CP is suburban. The food coop is a lovely resource and community. The Hillel is terrible. It is huge, completely run by the right-wing Orthodox, very homogenous religiously, politically, and socially, and very closed-minded regarding liberal/left views on Israel. Nonetheless, when I was there my group of friends ended up finding each other partially thanks to Hillel: the disaffected people in the corner started noticing each other and making eyes. One time the Honors program hosted a fairly well-publicized event with Poet Laureate Lucille Clifton. I was one of five people who showed up.

I met my closest friends through the Gemstone program and through my dorm. We spent a lot of time off campus in DC, at concerts, museums, movies, etc. Of course athletic events are extremely popular, as are frat parties and parties at houses off-campus. Again, I want to emphasize that everything is available at Maryland but you have to take the initiative to find it--it's impossible to categorize what the "typical" scene is like since there are numerous such "typical" scenes, from the hippie food co-op social scene to the frat parties to everything in between.

UMD is a social campus! The bars are the place to be (even though there are only a few) and Greek Life is BIG. UMD students know how to have fun but have avoided being cast as just another "party-school." Athletics are also a big deal here and students like getting behind the teams (even though we've been pretty bad lately).

Greek life is a really popular social activity. I knew everyone that lived in my dorm so even if the door was closed I knew I could still go in. Athletic events are really popular, especially football games in the fall, its harder to get basketball tickets but its fun when you do get tickets. A lot of people go to the bars to watch the games. People party every night of the week. There are a lot of opportunities to get jobs/internships in DC

Greek life is very popular on campus. I am currently involved with Circle K International - it's a national collegiate service-leadership organization. Some students leave their doors open, some don't. Athletic events are very popular, especially football, men's soccer, and men's basketball. I met my closets friends my freshman year - we lived down the hall from each other. I am awake at 2 AM on Tuesday, usually studying.

If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I am either doing homework, or procrastinating doing homework. Football and Men's basketball games are popular. The movie theater on campus shows early showings of upcoming popular movies which is an excellent resource. I've seen several movies there before they were released and could brag to all my friends about it. The SGA has started and continued their annual crab feast, which of course should be a tradition because of the general greatness of Maryland crabs. Art Attack, a large music concert held in spring is also a very big deal. Throughout the semester, the Student Entertainment Events (SEE) organization puts together a ton of free and low cost events that are really excellent and come highly recommended. Last weekend I went on a church retreat, but that's not exactly representative of my normal weekends. Usually, my close friends and I casually hang out at one of our places of residence. Saturday night, non-drinking fun is always available. The proximity to the Metro gives you easy access to get into DC if you want to see a play or a concert or go to a dance club. On-campus, the Hoff movie theater is an excellent and convenient place to catch a movie without really having to drive if you live on campus. A cappella groups and theater clubs and comedy troupes on campus typically have shows on the weekends that are a lot of fun to go to and either relatively cheap or free.