<p>So i'm in gemstone but opting out of living in ellicott. i was told i can make three selections for housing... is it futile for me to request a south campus dorm as a freshman or is there still a small chance? i plan on requesting hagerstown and la plata, but should i put a s.c one as a hail mary? thanks.</p>
<p>I think I’ve heard that occasionally a freshman gets something on south campus, but not often. Out of curiosity why Hagerstown? My daughter lives there and she’s not a huge fan of it.</p>
<p>Gotcha and thanks! I just thought I would have preference in Hagerstown being in the honors program. i just want to do everything I can to not live in ellicott. my best friends are all living in SCC next year and considering for a freshman that’s close to impossible to get, I just wonder if there are good honors dorms. I’ve talked to many people who were in gemstone that are similar to me personality wise and they said living in ellicott was the biggest mistake they made. Are there any honors dorms that are more socially prone?</p>
<p>Yeah I don’t know about that. My daughter is in the same position. Like you she is in honors, and socially it has been rough for her. It’s better now because she’s in a sorority and is rarely in her dorm. She doesn’t like north campus at all. It’s far away from Frat Row and Graham Cracker. But…as her mom, I’m glad she is in Hagerstown for this first year. You probably don’t want to hear this, but it might not be a bad idea for your freshman year. Anyway, good luck!</p>
<p>Wait, is Hagerstown looked at as being subpar socially? I’m not in on all of the stereotypes on the dorms at UMD, but Hagerstown is where I’ll be if I go there… Is it bad?</p>
<p>Nooo, it’s not bad! I think most honors students probably really enjoy it. It wasn’t a good fit for my daughter, that’s all. There are a lot of really nice and very smart kids there. I honestly think for the majority of honors kids, it’s a great dorm.</p>
<p>Ohh, I see. May I ask what it was that made it a bad fit?</p>
<p>She’s more of a partier than many, not all, of the honors students. She obviously studies a lot because she’s in honors, but her free time is spent going to parties or out to the Route 1 establishments. It’s not that she dislikes anyone in Hagerstown, it’s just not where her friends are.</p>
<p>This sounds like what I’m worried about… My friends are in scholars and though they can find people that go out somewhat easily, there are still immense amounts of people that don’t… I’m worried that in honors that’s gonna be even worse…</p>
<p>@seekere, there are advantages to being in a quieter dorm. You can go out and have fun whenever you want, but when you need a calmer place to study and sleep…you will be thankful that you’re in an honors dorm. At least this is what I tell my daughter!</p>
<p>seekere – I’m in the same boat except I’m in honors. I kinda worry that it’s gonna be hard to find other people excited to go out. Plus only 3 other people from my school are going, all in honors, and none are the type to go out, ever, actually. So I’ll be starting new! Maybe there are more of us than it sounds like though</p>
<p>Ok, folks, listen up. You are NOT going to have a problem finding people who like to go out and have fun at Maryland! It honestly doesn’t matter what dorm you reside in because it’s not a permanent situation. If you don’t like it, you can request to change dorms either next semester or next year. Terpmom is absolutely right that there is a definite advantage to being in a “quieter” dorm for study and sleep purposes. </p>
<p>@maryversity I’m sure you’re right…it was just a little unsettling when my friend who finished gemstone said that his roommate for a few months in freshman year was a hardcore mormon who didn’t let him take girls into his room… would you recommend finding roommates a forehand or doing random and hoping for the best? Moreover, could you comment on the housing question…is it worth it to request a S.C dorm or completely futile? do you recommend any honors dorms to request over ellicott?</p>
<p>It happens. Bad roommates that is. Makes for good war stories… On the other hand, there are some great friendships that develop from being roommates, so you never know.</p>
<p>If you can find someone you think you would like to room with at an accepted students day or an orientation, then great, by all means request each other. I think if you don’t find anyone at one of those events, I would just go random and let the school arrange it. The jury is out on rooming with friends though. Sometimes it can ruin a friendship. You don’t have to be buddy buddy with someone - as long as there is a mutual respect for shared space. </p>
<p>Sometimes it (random selection) happens to be a good match, sometimes not. I had a horrible roommate my first semester, and moved in with a friend I made for the second semester. She joined a sorority and left the dorm so I got a random roommate third semester. Still friends with that third, random roommate and that’s close to 30 years now.</p>
<p>As for SC, well, the likelihood of that as a freshman is pretty slim. The majority of freshman are in the high risers on North Hill and you really do want to be where most of the freshman are, at least to start. I don’t think Ellicott is really that bad…don’t let stories psych you out. There is LaPlata beach there and you are close to Eppley Rec Center. The only way to guarantee not being on North Hill, other than special programs that have specific dorms elsewhere, is if you having dietary restrictions (as in kosher) and you need to be closer to Hillel (which is on the other side of campus).</p>
<p>My how it changes! I’ve been living in MD near UMD for twenty-five years, and I’ve seen the university’s reputation go from that of a drug-crazed, beer-fueled Gomorrah to one where Honors students are worried about finding someone to party with from their own dorms. </p>
<p>From what I hear from my son, who started in Cambridge Scholars 6 years ago, there was no shortage of opportunities to party at UMD. Whenever I happened by his freshman dorm there seemed to be plenty of socializing going on even in the daytime. These bright kids did not look like they had a problem having a good time, even if it didn’t involve stimulants. From his dorm, a few legendary stories have escaped from those first two years that his friends still talk about today. He made friends he still has today because they had a lot of fun together in the dorms. He and his friends weren’t frat visitors, and still they found parties to attend associated with sports teams or somebody someone in the dorm knew who had an older off-campus brother… Or they made their own parties, including playing ultimate inside the football stadium or on the golf course in the early hours.</p>
<p>People who like to have a good time, and even people like my S who didn’t date much before going to UMD, are going to find people who like to have a good time. It’s going to be okay and fun and friendly and wonderful.</p>
<p>Ha ha, jkeil. =)) I was there back in those days of Gomorrah…</p>