<p>Can anybody from UMD tell me what they think the best dorm is? I'm mostly concerned about location; I know they're all pretty crappy inside, I don't care if it's small or old or whatevs, haha. I would like to live in a good looking part of campus, and close to the library and/or classes for a liberal arts major. </p>
<p>I'm probably going to do Gemstone, but I hate how Ellicott is by the stadium...it seems so far away from classes + I think it's ugly there :P.</p>
<p>gemstone = elicott
or if you want, u can go to THE VIEW, it's very nice there but too far from campus. Ride a bike!</p>
<p>Hmm</p>
<p>So everybody is saying Ellicott? If you're in Gemstone you don't have to live there, you're just guarunteed housing there if you want. I hate the area around the stadium so much...haha. Aren't there any freshman dorms closer to the library/journalism building/whatevs.</p>
<p>Does anyone know exactly how many Gemstone freshies live in Ellicott?</p>
<p>I'm also probably going to do Gemstone if I go to UMD. But I have the impression that most Gem freshmen live in Ellicott and I don't want to miss out on "bonding" with them and whatnot. Hehe.</p>
<p>I read 90% on the website. But, I don't know, I'm not too worried about bonding. I think I'll make friends in whatever dorm I stay in...:) Plus, I'll talk to them during class and stuff.</p>
<p>That's true.. I kind of want to be in a newer dorm. I visited on Maryland Day and went to a session about the Honors program. I think it was in the Queen Anne's or Anne Arundel (sp?) building and it was really nice.</p>
<p>Whoa, it looks like the worst dorms are reserved for honors students.</p>
<p>Well we aren't going to be spending that much time in our dorms right? lol</p>
<p>Well looking into it some it seems like you can't even choose - ? Wow, that's so weird. I hope I'm wrong. All of the other schools I've applied to you can request buildings to be in at least.</p>
<p>The honors humanities dorm is in a good location.</p>
<p>But they shoved the Gemstone people so far away from everything. What the heck? That's completely lame :(.</p>
<p>groovin, from what I read on the site, Gemstone freshmen are allowed to live anywhere, they are just given priority decision @ ellicott</p>
<p>^Yeah...but I can't figure out where the housing application is...</p>
<p>Do they send that after you mail in the housing & meal plan agreement that came with the acceptence letter?</p>
<p>Well I was just saying, the building looks like a prison and the rooms in the floor plan look like little jail cells.</p>
<p>Honors kids have the best dorms out of the freshman. (Sure, Denton's not in a great location, but you do get used to it. Unless you have class in Susquehanna...then you're SOL.) It's a max 20 minute walk to classes (and that's Susquehanna), you can get to most places within 15 minutes or less. The rooms are much more spacious than the floor plans make them out to be, and even better if you rearrange them from how they originally are set up. Trust me. And the lounges are very nice (at least in Denton and Ellicott). Also, the North Campus Diner is in Ellicott community (bastards), which is extremely important, and it's also really close to the CRC. A lot of people on my floor want to move into La Plata or Hagerstown (the dorms near Ellicott) for sophomore year because of those reasons.</p>
<p>I've heard Wicomico (honors humanities dorm) is the worst out of all the honors freshman dorms. Also, for freshman year, I would advise against Anne Arundel and Queen Anne's. I hear it's really quiet there b/c it's a lot of older students, so you can't meet as many people. I know of at least three people who switched from North Hill to Denton because they wanted a livelier/more connected dorm atmosphere.</p>
<p>This is my dorm room in Denton (cleaned up for parents weekend in October)
<a href="http://photos-195.ak.facebook.com/ip002/v48/210/68/5738646/n5738646_32062195_4022.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://photos-195.ak.facebook.com/ip002/v48/210/68/5738646/n5738646_32062195_4022.jpg</a>
Only about 3/5 of the room actually made it into the picture. I know it looks pretty bare, but now we've got more posters and a dartboard, so it's pretty sweet.</p>
<p>Do you guys have the same floor plan as Ellicott?</p>
<p>Also, do you know any pros/cons of Ellicott?</p>
<p>what about the scholars dorm, i think its called cambridge? is that a decent dorm?</p>
<p>The room set up is mostly the same--one wing for guys, one for girls, bathrooms on both wings, and a floor lounge in the middle. Ellicott's a little different from Denton in that the lounges are behind the elevators instead of across from them, so you can't see who's coming up the elevators. I personally like Denton's lounge setup better because it makes it more social (you can see who's coming to the floor/talk through the glass).</p>
<p>Pros of Ellicott are definitely it's location. It's right by the diner, Stamp and the Mall are more accessible than from Denton, it's right by the stadium (great for getting good seats at football games) and if you're a science/engineering major, Stadium Drive takes you right down in the that corner of campus. The CRC is close by as well. Also, La Plata Beach is right there for pickup basketball, volleyball, frisbee, football, soccer, etc. Oh, and if you need a study lounge, the floors rotate which lounge is quiet during the week. (Unlike Denton, where every lounge is liable to be unsuited for study at any time.)</p>
<p>Cons are, well, they don't have a kitchen in the basement (like Denton) for baking and such. But Ellicott people aren't as cool as Denton people. But that's just me .:P Nah, it's a pretty good dorm. I spend a lot more time there nowadays.</p>
<p>The rooms are about the same size, and they do the guy/girl wing too in Cambridge community, but the lounge situation is different depending on the building. I'm not completely sure how each dorm varies, but the buildings are nice, the people are cool, and they have the InCon, CRC, and La Plata beach within a 2 minute walk. And the scholars dorms are closest to the science buildings.</p>
<p>What about South Hill? Is that closer to the Mall? Any freshman dorms in those areas?</p>
<p>Somerset and Worcester are in North Hill...I guess they're quiet, too?</p>
<p>South Hill dorms are the suite-style dorms, and freshmen don't typically live there. The community is adjacent to one side of the mall, but some of them are kind of far. </p>
<p>Somerset is a CIVICUS dorm (but I don't know much about that program or how that dorm is), and I don't know who lives in Worcester, but I don't think freshman typically live in it. Location wise, North Hill is in a very good spot, but I think freshman should have the high-rise experience if they can because it's really awesome.</p>
<p>Here's a map of residence halls:
<a href="http://www.resnet.umd.edu/residence_halls/%5B/url%5D">http://www.resnet.umd.edu/residence_halls/</a></p>
