University of New Mexico-Main Campus Top Questions

Students vary. Some are there to party, others are there to learn. It is a standard state school in this regard.

UNM has great advantages and disadvantages when it comes to our student body.The strength of UNM comes from the extraordinary diversity of students we attract. We have students from every race, religion, sexuality, socio-economic class, and background, creating an atmosphere of varying viewpoints and collaboration. By extension, this means that our extracurricular scene is incredibly diverse as well. We have groups that support political agendas, unify members of a common religion, promote the expression of sexual differences, offer opportunities for the discriminated, and more. However, one of the great disadvantages of UNM is the involvement of students on campus. Due to a large majority of our students being commuters, most UNM students do not participate in our hundreds of student organizations. That being said, there are many students on campus who are vehemently active in UNM's student organizations. UNM is proud to have many students who are first generation college attendants.

I have noticed that most students seem to know each other, thus they group together. If you don't know anyone then you better be outgoing because it's not likely that someone will randomly say, "hi" to a stranger. Everyone is VERY spirited. They hate New Mexico State University (NMSU in Las Cruses) and will bark like a Lobo in the abyss during Red Rally (a celebration where you burn a giant Aggie, NMSU's mascot). When everyone is wearing their Lobo gear, you can't help but feel like you're a part of a bigger community.

As far as racism or discrimination of any kind is concerned, it is extremely rare, if even existent, since this university strives for being composed of folks from all walks of life, and therefore most people seem to be well acquainted with the diversity here. Despite the aforementioned, if you are a student from a big city, such as LA or from the East coast, you may be a bit surprised at how casual most people dress and how slow/lazy people are in terms of walking, getting to class, doing their work, ect. This University is a wonderful academic institution, but it takes a bit of getting used to if you are from out of state, as people are unfortunately not fashion forward or timely.

Diverse backgrounds.

It's really easy to make friends, but you can't be afraid to go out there and be yourself; we're not in high school anymore.

Students vary from cold and detached to warm, kind, and generous. Some just want to get through while some are very engaged and interested in their studies. The students are much like general society.

My classmates are excellent, hard working students that really look out for one another.

Most are pretty friendly.

Anonymous. Most of your early classes will be in large lecture halls. As you take more classes in your major, you will meet more people.