i want real and honest answers :)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Maryland - College Park
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<p>1.) how is scheduling classes? is it very hard and annoying? or can you ususally get the classes u want?</p>

<p>2.) how are the counselors that help you with everything in the business school? or even in general? </p>

<p>3.) does the markets and society program benefit you a lot?</p>

<p>4.) how often is the party scene, and do a lot of people get drunk or is it just half of the students drink and half of them chill out, but sober?</p>

<p>5.) how are the PEOPLE? i heard from this girl that it's 25% "weird" people and 75% "obnoxiously rich" people. she's a bit of a snob, but is that true?</p>

<p>6.) any other info, bad AND good that you can think of.</p>

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<p>whiskers i will give you real & honest answers later tonight or tomorrow morning :) goin to a bbq</p>

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<p>1.) scheduling classes is done online. it's very easy. there's a program called venus, where you input your classes and it tells you all your possible schedules. as a freshman, the earlier your orientation, the better chance you'll have at getting classes you want. the more credits you have, the better registration date you'll have. popular classes (usually electives) fill up fast. in my major (business) i've never had any problem getting classes i need, but i know some friends in other majors have had a few frustrating experiences.</p>

<p>2.) the advisors are okay. i don't go to mine very often because personally, i'm good at keeping track of my requirements and planning things out for semesters ahead of time. i know some people don't really have a mind for that type of organization, and they really benefit from having advising. some advisors are better than others. you have to call in advance to schedule an appointment, but there is walk-in advising most days with whoever happens to be on duty that day.</p>

<p>3.) no idea.</p>

<p>4.) i have a hard time answering this because i'm in a sorority and therefore i choose to have a great party scene. trying to think back to my first semester....i went to a few parties but most people hung out in the dorms or in the union. if you want to get drunk, you'll always be able to find an opportunity on the weekends, assuming you know the right people. if you don't, there are PLENTY of people not drinking and PLENTY of things to do.</p>

<p>5.) i like the people!! honestly, the entire school is very diverse. i don't know how your friend can categorize UMD into two types of people. i agree, about 25% of the school is pretty "weird". but that means that to 25% of the school, they aren't weird at all. everyone feels comfortable around people like them. i've met a lot of "different" people from who i usually hang out with, and i think that's great. there are definitely some rich, snobby people here. but i think that's the case anywhere. if that's not your scene, don't worry--you will find people like you (or unlike you!) who you want to hang out with.</p>

<p>6.) a few random things i can think of:
-dining hall food is pretty good, not as bad as you might think it would be. personal favorites (as in, i like to eat on campus when they have them) are hot turkey sandwich w/ gravy, hot roast beef sandwich, crabcakes, fried shrimp (with a side of hush puppies!)
-get fries (beer-battered are the best, when available!) and put seasoned salt and/or old bay on them....yummmmmm.
-don't bother bringing a bike--its hard to navigate through all the people walking and it will probably just get messed up or stolen.
-on some of those looong class walks, don't worry, it gets easier by the end of the semester! (i got a 25-minute walk down to 18.)
-along with the major cafes (rudy's, footnotes, applause) that everyone knows about, there are great little food stops in some academic buildings that you only find out about when you have class there (e.g. engineering/math taco bell....physics espresso cart). find them.</p>

<p>about all the info i can think of now. eh. ask more questions, i'll give more answers!</p>

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<p>hey, thanks lindz! that's a LOT of great information! and i hope u had fun at ur bbq =P</p>

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<p>I have a sorority question for you lindz. You've probably answer some variation of it before, but how overwhelming is the sorority? I know some schools or even some specific sororities kind of consume your life / shun you if you hang out with non-Greeks, date a non-Greek or guy from the 'wrong fraternity.' I'm interested in doing the Greek thing in college, but I'm also like, way independent and just like to do my own thing sometimes. How is sorority life at MD? Laid back, life-consuming, somewhere in the middle? Depends on the sorority?</p>

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<p>eckie--
there are 14 NPC sororities (social greek, historically white [ALL THIS MEANS IS not historically minority!]) at UMD. each has really different girls. in some houses, the new member period (6 weeks) is a lot harder than others and is very time-consuming. typically once you're a member each house has a chapter meeting once a week, an exec board meeting once a week, and one or two events that you may be required to go to. i don't find it particularly overwhelming, except for the occasional weekend when there's so much sorority stuff going on. it does require good time management sometimes.</p>

<p>a lot of our sisters like to do their own thing. almost everyone has friends outside greek life that they hang out with. and as often as we travel in packs, it's very acceptable to just hang out alone and do your thing.</p>

<p>i've always liked dating guys in fraternities because it's 2x the dated parties, and i like that their social background is very similar to mine. greek guys also understand better about having obligations that might interfere with you spending time with them. but there are a lot of girls who choose not to date fraternity guys for whatever reason, and they still bring them around the house to eat, and to dated parties.
same goes with a guy in the "wrong" fraternity. i know gorgeous girls in very desirable sororities who have boyfriends in not-so-great houses. it doesn't happen often, but it does. in my house, girls date guys in all different houses, and i know it's not a big deal at all. some other chapters could treat the issue differently, though.</p>

<p>the thing i love most about greek life is that it really makes the university smaller. it's a community within the university....a big one, but a very familiar one. i love going to the bar and recognizing tons of people, or always knowing someone in my classes (or just seeing that they're wearing a greek letter shirt and going up and talking to them). it's a great experience, and i'm glad you're considering it. :)</p>

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<p>Fraternities and sororities are for people who feel the need to be apart of something, due to their own insecurities. I'd punch a guy in the throat if he tried to haze me, so I guess I won't be joining any faggy circle-jerk fraternities.</p>

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<p>wow, thanks naptown. looking at your list of past posts, i can see that you have a lot of enlightening and thoughtful opinions to share.</p>

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<p>Thanks lindz0722, I do feel enlightened and thoughtful, so I feel I must share my knowledge with others who are not as enlightened as I. My personal wisdom is something that should not go to waste. Thanks for noticing my hard work, and thanks for the compliment. I can only hope there are more great people like you at College Park.</p>

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<p>Oh great, another person (Naptown) that has no idea about greek life.</p>

<p>Here's another generalization:</p>

<p>People who constantly rag on Greek Life are elitist snobs who think they're too good to be a part of group due to their own insecurities with themselves and dealing with people.</p>

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<p>on another note - facebook is NEAT</p>

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<p>Lol I agree I'm lovin facebook.</p>

<p>Not that many friends on it though! Most of my friends have high school facebooks.</p>

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<p>Hey BigJ, why would I want to join a group that you have to go through hazing to be a part of? Insecurity is not the factor there, its pride and dignity.</p>

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<p>FYI naptown, not all fraternities here haze.</p>

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<p>Oh I know that, but thanks lindz0722!</p>

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<p>ooh. everybody's all snarky.</p>

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<p>To answer the OP questions from another person...scheduling is ok. Do your research early about what classes you want, have alternatives and it should go well. Majors USUALLY give stamps for their departments and you can get into your major classes fairly easily. But schedule wisely. As far as social life, it seems outstanding. My d. did join a sorority and it's been one of the things she talks about the most...and she does TONS of stuff for a freshman, so that impressed me. It does seem like it takes a good deal of time, but the girls seem to like it and work it out. As far as the attitude of some of the student population...yes, it does seem a bit snobby. Especially with girls, BUT I think that's because of where they've come from...lol...not anything they acquired at Md. First semester, especially away from home not knowing anyone, can be a challenge and a huge adjustment. I does all work out and by the time January rolls around you know thousands of people. Meet people, enjoy it...but make sure you go to class.</p>

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<p>heyy. im gonna be a freshman next yr and was wondering what are the most popular or like best jewish sororities?</p>

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<p>Joelle-- there are four historically or mainly Jewish sororities here: Alpha Epsilon Phi, Delta Phi Epsilon, Phi Sigma Sigma, and Sigma Delta Tau.</p>

<p>Not only speaking for those 4, but for all sororities, it's hard to say what the "best" or "most popular" sororities are. That depends on what you're looking for and what qualities you consider make girls the "best".
The house with the most money is NOT the same as the one with the best looking sisters, which is NOT the same as the one that does the most social events, which is NOT the same as the one who does the most philanthropy events, which is NOT the same as the one who regularly wins Greek Week, which is NOT the same as the one whose sisters always wear their pearls and polos.<br>
You get my point--they're all different. Plus, this is college, and the popularity contest mindset isn't as big as it is in high school.</p>

<p>As someone who's in a sorority, I think you should check all the houses out for yourself and see which one you like best, rather than making your decision based on what someone else thinks.</p>

<p>BTW, because there's such a big Jewish population at UMD, many other sororities have a good number of Jewish sisters also.</p>

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<p>Lindz - how does the rush system work? When does it start? I really don't like to drink - but have lots of fun playing beer pong with my gang over at Towson - although I have a good eye - when necessary - I can always get someone else to drink the cup! Can a - I like Dr. Pepper better" gal find happiness in the greek social setting? :></p>