<p>When I applied to Maryland in the fall, I heard some rumors about it being a big "party school" but since it wasn't on the Princeton Review list of them I figured it was just normal for a big state school and I could just find a niche of people who weren't that into it. Last week, I was accepted into Maryland and the scholars program, and I'm seriously considering attending the school. A lot of the stuff I've been reading on this side and others, however, seems to imply that UMD is a HUGE party school without many other options. The roommate search thread on the Facebook group has a question about partying and just about everyone has said yes so far (that doesn't seem to be the case in the FB group for other schools such as Rutgers.)
I don't mind a little partying. I haven't drank in high school (and consequently only go to pretty tame parties) but I might a little bit in college. It's the idea of partying several times every weekend and even on weekdays that I don't like at all. I would like to hear from current students about if there's many people on campus who don't go crazy partying and alternative activities to do. Also, I'm wondering if being in the scholars program would help at all.</p>
<p>What large public is not a party school? for that matter, what school at all? you find your own wherever you go.....same at UMD</p>
<p>^^^ True that. Lots of partying goes on everywhere which is why so many first semester freshmen/women have some difficulty adjusting to the demands of college life. Balance and moderation in all things. All the kids I know at MD (friends of our s) work hard, party hard and are on the dean's list.</p>
<p>What Rodney says is absolutely true...you won't find a college WITHOUT partying. UMD used to be known as a huge party school but things have settled down a bit over the years.</p>
<p>I do believe Bringham Young doesn't party very hard, perhaps Yale and Harvard, but other then that college is college and college weekends contain massive amounts of alcohol, clearly evident as you drive to the school and pass liquor stores and keg sales</p>
<p>yale partys like crazy...</p>
<p>There are definitely groups of kids at UMD who do not party.</p>
<p>Agree w/ o-mom. It is true that if you want to party, you won't have difficulty finding the opportunity. However, there are LOTS of people who don't base their social (or collegiate) life on when/where the next party is. You'll find "your" people....and it's not that difficult to find people who can have an enjoyable time without being drunk and/or ???</p>
<p>To be frank, the party scene is really hard to ignore, especially living in the dorms - scholars or no. People will be screaming, coming in drunk, packing the late-night buses dressed to impress and with liqour on their breath. For somebody who didn't party in HS, I found the party scene here absolutely shocking. Many people, especially freshman year, get a little tunnel-vision because of the novelty of it all. This is a problem at almost ALL schools - INCLUDING and maybe even especially, Harvard and Yale.</p>
<p>But, people will definitely still be smart and willing to have a great time with you sober. There's no reason you won't find a group of friends who would like to go party one night, and then hit up an art show or museum or concert the next night (just be proactive in thinking of alternative activities, for yourself, and for any friends you would like to come along). Also, none of my friends party during the week, except in really random/rare circumstances...certainly not regularly. </p>
<p>There are even people on campus who don't drink at all...I know that in Gymkana/club gymnastics, although some people are not serious about the "no alcohol" pledge, others take it VERY seriously. I have met some really awesome, non-nerdy people who choose not to drink AT ALL.</p>
<p>So, the point is, be proactive, don't get discouraged. There is something for everyone at Maryland, there are friends for everyone. And most people, even if they LOVE to party, will still love to do many other things, as well :). If you find yourself falling in with a group of people who focuses their life around when to get drunk next, don't be shy, tell them it'd be cool to do something else - and of course, the great thing about the campus being so big, is that you always have the option of dropping that kind of person completely and meeting a whole new set of acquiantances.</p>
<p>haha. most state schools (with the exception of Berkeley, UVA, and UMich" are joke schools where no one does anything but party. this shouldn’t come as a surprise.</p>
<p>I currently attend UMD and I would say a few things:</p>
<p>The school’s reputation for being a big party school lies within Greek life. Greek life is suprisingly large at this school, so if you join a frat or sorrority, expect a good bit of partying. </p>
<p>If you aren’t into the frat scene, UMD is primarily a bar school. It is definitely not a huge house party school unless youre in a frat. It is definitely a lot of fun and you will always find something to do. But by no means would I call this a huge party school. I went out after we beat UNC a few weeks back and it was suprisingly quiet…</p>
<p>ok… who on earth said UVA wasn’t a party school?? have you BEEN there? it’s just as much a party school as Maryland</p>
<p>I would def agree with adyaraghi
even though i dont go there, but I will be in the fall 09’!, I have visited the campus a few times and even spent two nights on campus with one of my friends in the dorms, and all the “party” people I encountered were either in a frat or sorrority.
Most people i encountered there are mostly chill and are non alcholics! 
Some people in the dorms were kinda loud but I’m definetely used to that in my HS lol…
but for the most part I didnt see the huge stereotypical party scene that everyone talks about…
I guess it depends where you are on campus…</p>
<p>As for it being a party school, yes, UMD is what I would consider a party school. And yes, much of it involves either going to the bars or frat-sponsored parties. However the thing that you might want to take into consideration is that many individuals who are in the party scene are 1) pretty extreme about it, partying almost every given night, 2) very cliquey, obnoxious, high-schoolish, and immature in general, and 2) are very judgmental about those who don’t party, or even ridiculing moderate parties who like to study/stay in on weekdays and go out on the weekends. Also, what ruins the party scene is that it’s nearly infested with those from frats and sororities (or those who aspire to be a part of it), which could explain the commonalities between many partiers. I wouldn’t doubt that if you really Really REALLY looked, you would find some chill people who aren’t too much into partying, but many of those individuals are either 1) commuter students, 2) have friends from high school that they consider as their only friends, or 3) go home on the weekends.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>that sounds scary.</p>
<p>smalllab and others-- please read fairfaxian’s posts with a very open mind. he/she is a bitter and unhappy umd student. just read former posts…</p>
<p>It really comes down to what kind of person you are. Some kids party in high school and just ramp it up when they get to school. Some kids may not have done much in high school but are either immature, very impressionable, or rebelling against a very strict upbringing and just “lose it” when they get to school. </p>
<p>There are ample, easy to find, and readily available activities on campus that do not involve alcohol (or ???). You can choose to be involved in any number of these, or you can plan your entire life around when you’re going to get wasted next. This is true on ALMOST every campus in the U.S. (and honestly, it was about a million years ago when I was in college). Schools may vary in the number of drinking outlets available, how strict they enforce drinking, etc. When D was a freshman in Denton, one of her roommates was a real partier, and frequently came back to the dorm (from frat parties or off-campus parties) really drunk and/or sick. D just spent more time with the other roommate and others on the floor who didn’t design their lives around that. </p>
<p>I agree with others that say that there’s likely a difference between the Honors, Gemstone, and Scholars floors in the dorms and places like Easton, which have a pretty raunchy reputation. You’ll find partiers everywhere, but the % of people who are serious about keeping their grades up and actually study tend to be a bit higher in places like Denton or Ellicott. The number of people who are drunk on any given night (and especially on weekends, Thu - Sun) is probably a bit lower at one of the “academic” dorms. Who you hang out with is your choice. While first semester is a lot about the people on your floor, you can form close friendships with people in your classes (who you can tell have the same kind of study habits as you), people in clubs or other on-campus activities who share your interests, etc. </p>
<p>If you are a student who can’t make their own decisions, who only feel comfortable by doing what everyone around you is doing, and whose main reason to go to college is to live out the “I Love College” lyrics, then you’ll feel right at home and will likely find kindred spirits around you. </p>
<p>If you are going to college for the academic life, are into enjoying a wide variety of activities that don’t involve drinking, who choose to take advantage of being so close to the awesome city of D.C., or who otherwise knows how to have fun without being drunk, you’ll feel right at home at UMD.</p>
<p>For the record, I’m not an idiot. D did not drink in high school. Nada. Does she have an occasional beer, or the occasional college drink with strange mixers like Red Bull? Yep. Has she probably had too much to drink a few times? Probably, although she doesn’t think she has (i.e. for anyone of any age, it’s hard to tell when you’re drinking). Does she have friends that never drink? Yes. She also has acquaintances who party all the time, but she chooses not to spend that much time with them. Developing a romantic interest with someone who also does not plan all social activity around drinking also makes a big difference, too. </p>
<p>So, is UMD “only a school for partiers”? The answer is no.</p>
<p>astrophysicsmom-
thanks so much for your insightful post. i have a feeling i’ll fall into the same category as your daughter. so it’s nice to be reassured that there are people like me who don’t party alot at a large state school like UMd. I’m from Ohio, and the saying goes that at OSU, life revolves around football and beer. so, again, nice to hear.</p>