<p>I read on the College Board website that this is a commuter school. Is that true? And if so, are there still enough students on campus during weekends and such for a decent campus life?</p>
<p>Also, would you need a car or are there places and things to do near enough to campus. How is the area around the school?</p>
<p>40% of all students live on campus. its a party school.</p>
<p>OK, as you can see from my username, I'm not a current CP student, but I'm familiar enough with the school to answer your questions.</p>
<p>First...Some schools in the University of Maryland school system are frequently referred to as "commuter schools" by the area HS kids (like UMBC). I have NEVER heard anyone call College Park that. There will most likely be 500 other freshman in my dorm, and then 1,000 more collectively on the two dorms on either side of me. I doubt I'll feel like it's "dead on the weekends". </p>
<p>You don't need a car. In fact, I have heard from friends that a car freshman year especially is more hassle than it's worth (you get fun undesireable parking). There is always a ton going on on campus (free movies, concerts, athletic games, parties, speakers, whatever), and DC is very easily accesible by a metro stop within walking distance (also, a UMD shuttle makes regular runs to it). So, you have access to a really lively, gigantic campus as well as an entire city. Also, if you get tired of the College Park-DC bubble, many clubs organize carpools off-campus to wherever their activities are planned (the surf club's calendar has them going to the beach like every weekend!). In fact, part of the reason CP was so high on my list was that it always felt so alive, there was always so much going on.</p>
<p>And finally, the area around the school. It's a decent working class neighborhood. Because of the metro stop/its proximity to DC, there is more crime than in my suburb, but if you treat it like a city and use common sense, you'll be fine. There's a lot of restuarants and fast food, drug store, etc., but overall pretty boring. No it's not gorgeous, and yes it may be more diverse than what you are used to*, but it's safe enough if you're not walking alone drunk late at night.</p>
<p>*One afternoon my family and I were the only white people in the packed Pizza Hut! But I didn't feel unsafe for a second. It was all families, we weren't getting looked at funny/looked at at all, and so it was actually a really cool experience.</p>
<p>the % living on campus number doesn't include the thousands of students living in south campus commons and university courtyards (campus-operated but technically not "on campus" housing), or the thousands living in apartments and houses within a mile of campus. so the 40% is pretty misleading. i don't think UMD is a commuter school at all. twenty years ago, sure, but not anymore.</p>
<p>Just to set the record straight - Maryland wasn't a commuter school 25 years ago when I graduated.</p>
<p>40% of 25,000 undergrad means more than 10,000 people within 4 square miles.. not counting people like me in south campus commons, people in frat houses, or ppl living in the view....</p>
<p>umcp is full of life and events. :p</p>
<p>nunofyurbeesknees-- really? good to know. a friend's dad went to UMD and said it was a mostly commuter school, but i guess he was about 35 years ago, now that i think about it more :)</p>
<p>just to add to what has been already said, the reason it is "classified" as a commuter school by the review is because they do it with a formula and not actual thinking. There are 8500 "dorm" rooms, over 1000 (just a guess, could be more) commons and courtyards, knox and hartwick towers, frat row, frat satellites, the view, university towers.. i would put the number living inside of 4 miles well above 13,000. Again, just a rough guess, but if 8500 live ON (really on) campus, 5000 easily live in "off" campus housing.</p>