<p>I have some questions about the night life at maryland</p>
<li>Do you need a fake id, or is that not really checked in the area?</li>
<li>Are parties mostly open?</li>
</ol>
<p>I am pretty sure that you really don’t want to enter UMD with the thought of partying. Most kids that come in with the attitude of partying either go on academic probation, after fall semester and kicked out after spring semester, or lose their scholarships because they have too much fun.</p>
<p>UMD has alot to offer in the social realm, if you walk in thinking you can party Thursday through Sunday and still pull a good gpa you will be sorely mistaken. UMD use to be very laxed (20 yrs ago) about the gpa and probation, but as the demand to attend the school has gone up so has their stringency. I stated on another thread DS got a 3.196(3.2 is the min) for this semester and was warned that he has one semester to get it back or they would pull it. Somebody else replied that they knew someone who lost their B/K due to their gpa. The child said they were having too much fun.</p>
<p>UMD classes aren’t as easy as you might think and it takes a good balance between social and academic to be successful.</p>
<p>FINALLY, you will sign a non-alcohol pledge, and if you are caught under age drinking they will kick you out. In DS’s dorm last yr, one kid came back from a frat stone drunk. The kids tried to help him, but the RA found out, he was reported to the university and gone by the next week! They are not joking when they tell you this. The school has to do this because of fear of lawsuit from parents</p>
<p>bulletandpima - It is naive to tell a student to come into MD expecting NOT to party and drink. Some students overdo it, but 95% of undergrads will go to a party and have a drink illegally at least once in their undergrad career. Even the very successful and well balanced students do enjoy a good crazy drunken party every once and while. Some don’t, and that’s fine at MD, everyone is welcome - but most do. Also, you WILL NOT get kicked out of the dorms for being caught drinking once (I have heard that pot is another story, though that doesn’t stop people from doing that, either). The most severe form of punishment (i.e. if you come back with alcohol poisoning and your roommate needs to call 911) is a whole lot of people giving you crap, mandatory alcohol classes, and housing probation i.e. they WILL kick you out if you mess up again. This kid in the dorm clearly 1.) was already violating terms of probation or 2.) got his parents involved. In fact, heavy lobbying for a Good Samaritan Policy has forced the university to adopt a generalized procedure of not causing a student TOO much trouble if he returns to the dorms seriously intoxicated (i.e. the worst that can happen is what I stated above). Not to cause offense but if you are receiving the scholarship as a special part of finaid (especially if you are an URM) or as compliment to a special program meant to help those from poor socioeconomic backgrounds to adjust to college (the name of the program at MD escapes me) THEN you might receive some leniency but for the average joe who was smart in HS but slacked off in College there is no sympathy. </p>
<p>That said, you make a good point that MD is not about that and college in general is not about that, contrary to what TV and movies and many students mistakenly think. You will learn soon enough that partying is far down the list of all of the many interesting things to do at college, from academics to work to volunteering to sports to clubs to other hobbies. Unfortunately some students don’t learn that in time. </p>
<p>And further, this is a college message board with many parents and even university officials logging on, so I would say this probably isn’t an appropriate question for the forum.</p>
<p>So I’ll just say this: UMD is a university. A big one. You’ll learn the specific ropes of the partying scene when you actually attend, but the only important info for a prospective student is that yes, there are parties, and that yes, you can actually go to them <em>gasp</em>. UNFORTUNATELY the heavy partying scene will satisfy even the most hardcore. So don’t worry about fake IDs or open parties or all of this red tape I mean sheesh. Don’t worry.</p>
<p>if it says anything, collegeclicktv.com ranked it #5 and play boy’s list for 2009 ranked it at #11 for party schools. i know that UMD is big into greek life and the bar scene at college park- no one jump on my case, it’s just a question!- but is the scene at UMD known for extending beyond those two areas and more into "house parties and what not? again, it’s just a question for a curious future student, i understand all the precautions and awareness but realistically it is going to happen.</p>
<p>Look, I am realistic, kids drink underage, I drank underage. DS has drank underage at UMCP frat parties. It happens, that’s college</p>
<p>Now let’s also place this into perspective, the OP is wanting a blessing or acknowledgement that it’s okay to break the law. Flat out asking about fake i.d’s.
</p>
<p>I have a friend who states she once paid $750 for a gin and tonic…why? Because it was a fake i.d.</p>
<p>DS’s dorm this yr had the ambulance arrive to cart off a drunk freshman (alcohol poisoning). They stayed with him for 3 hours of praying tothe porcelain god.</p>
<p>My best friends brother was kicked out for smoking pot.</p>
<p>My neighbor’s son across the street was told not to come back because of his gpa (he had too much fun, mainly drinking at frat parties)</p>
<p>To sit there and condone the behavior is wrong. Does it occur? Absolutely! To not make the OP aware of the reprecussions is a disfavor, especially since all incoming student MUST sign an alcohol document. That doc states we catch you drunk underage on campus, than we can say BY-BY. You will sign this as an 18 yr old, which means your are a consenting adult and it is legally binding. Mommy and Daddy can’t save you, even if they are footing the bill!</p>
<p>Some people believe that academic life at UMD will be a cake walk…REALITY CHECK that is not the case. UMD gets almost 30,000 applicants a year for 4,000 slots. The student is dispensible because there is somebody waiting in the wings to take the spot. </p>
<p>DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GO HOME AT THANKSGIVING AND EXPLAIN TO THE FOLKS YOU WERE KICKED OUT BECAUSE OF A FAKE I.D.? OR THAT YOU EXPECT TO BE PLACED ON ACADEMIC PROBATION BECAUSE YOU WERE AT FRAT PARTIES WED, FRI., SAT EVERY WEEK!</p>
<p>UMD has a lot of parties in addition to riding the metro to Old Towne or Dupont and that is why they look very closely at the student for acceptance. Kids will party, they will drink.</p>
<p>AS far as greek life, unless you are in it you won’t be hanging there. The bar scene is not as big as you all want to believe. Back in the late 80’s everybody that attended UMD had a pr of VOO shoes, because either you went to the VOO or the Cellar. Swear to all of you I don’t think the VOO ever washed the floor, no matter how loud the music was you could still hear your shoes sticking to the floor!</p>
<p>Seriously if you want to get drunk, go at it, but please pm me with your name because I want to bet you right now $50 that with your intention of partying you will be on probation by the end of your 1st semester. BTW I don’t care if you are the valedictorian, b/c all that means to me is you are in honors and I will win the $50.</p>
<p>If you go to UMD believing that Mon-Weds are work days and you can party the other days. Let me also remind you that UMD according to USNWR is ranked number 18 in the nation. Smith is at the same, but for the world. HONORS/GEMSTONE/SCHOLARS have additional seminar requirements, and many of these students have merit scholarships. I have stated before DS has a 3.196 and is in jeopardy of losing his Presidential. The req. 3.2! That’s right he is off by 0.04% and was officially notified that they will yank it if he doesn’t get it up to 3.2. He carried this yr 35 credits. UMD is not messing, they are serious! In this economy they hold the keys. They are getting higher quality students and it is worth it to them to drop any “issue” students because they are easily replaceable.</p>
<p>UMD CLASS OF 1983 is not UMD CLASS of 13.</p>
<p>Pima, I love your post, its like a wake up call. I was planning to party in Maryland, but only like once or twice a month. Considering I’m going for Premed and Psychology, I just realize that there’s no way you can party every night and still succeed the way you want to. </p>
<p>Wise words, most definitely.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Uhm, not to be overly critical, but your stat is really twisted.
They get 30,000 applicants.
They accept a little over half.
Less than 25% take the offer because they have it better somewhere else.
Believe me, UMD is not eager to kick kids out. I got two personal advisers and I didn’t even sign my SIR yet since they wanted to recruit me! Also, they raised the SIR deposit to $400 just because so many students were leaving in the middle of summer (myself included, luckily I didn’t have to pay a dime). UMD isn’t nearly as selective as you make it out to be.</p>
<p>
My school’s valedictorian didn’t get into honors. I’m not even in the top 5 and I got the B/K scholarship. It means nothing. I have a friend there with a 3.7 in engineering who drinks like a fish, so it’s not that hard to keep your GPA up.</p>
<p>
Number 18 PUBLIC SCHOOL. Considering you excluded over half of the 3000+ colleges in the US, of course they’re going to be ranked high. Last time I checked, the first public school in national rankings is UC Berkeley at number 21. Make sure you have the right stats.</p>
<p>
Honors doesn’t have any extra requirements. You can take special honors seminars if you want, but that’s it. I know I got into the honors program but the only tangible benefit it offered was air conditioning in the dorms.</p>
<p>Additionally, I have a friend in the scholars program and he is the ONLY one on his floor that doesn’t drink. He hates the drug deals that go on right outside his door and the endless noise every night. Honestly, that’s quite a bad environment for a “scholars” program.</p>
<p>
Uhm, it doesn’t matter how far below 3.2 he is, he dropped below the mark, and thus he doesn’t get any money. I mean, he agreed to that when he got the money and he willingly took on so many units. This might be a lesson in pacing that he needs.</p>
<p>
Considering they gave out record numbers of scholarship money with little to no impact on their yield this year, they are not some almighty being. One of the other B/K scholars I know went to UMD because he didn’t bother applying anywhere else since he really didn’t care about going to college. Quite honestly, UMD could make massive improvements to increase their selectivity/yield, yet they continue to lag behind. UMD is a good school, sure, but that’s all it is. Good.</p>
<p>The truth is, though, UMD is going to be just as challenging as a more selective school…perhaps more so than many, because there is nobody there is hand-hold you and the classes will probably be more intimidating (I have found this to be the case comparing UMD to my friends’ more selective colleges - the professors at UMD are no more less likely to talk to you, but the classes are bigger, the rules are stricter to keep everyone in line, you figure out the advising stuff on your own for the most part, etc.). The truth is, there is going to be JUST AS MUCH partying going on at UMD as at a selective school. However, I won’t deny that there are probably more kids who take partying too far at UMD…probably because the education is so “cheap” that they feel it is more expendable (it’s not, but oh well, good luck trying to teach a spoiled kid that).</p>
<p>bulletandpima makes a good point that many smart kids go to UMD expecting it to be a cake walk, because it was their “safety”. The only thing that will be different at UMD is that there will be a sizable and very visible population of kids who don’t give a crap about their education and it is easy to fall in with them. However, if you challenge yourself (i.e. don’t major in some joke) and are decently involved, UMD is a very challenging school, as challenging as any university. I believe the workload at most universities is pretty similar, on a major by major basis.</p>
<p>Therefore even though it wasn’t that hard to GET into, it is just as hard as any college to do WELL in…that is why grad schools for the most part don’t care where you go, it’s all about GPA/scores…and it is true that those kids who are obsessed with partying GENERALLY do not do that well. After all getting drunk every night damages your braincells, at the least, not even talking about wasted time for studying or meaningful activity like clubs or the lack of sleep. There will be the few odd ones out who can handle it but most can’t. And at MD the temptation is great.</p>
<p>And finally there are “extra” requirements for honors/scholars in a sense that you must keep up a certain GPA to stay in the program. It is quite easy to fall below that GPA…people do it everywhere…UMD…Cornell…even smart, hardworking ones. Some smart kids just don’t have study skills, some party too much, whatever. But the point is watch yourself. Even the smart kids. College IS easy but you have to know how to do it, first…don’t expect to go in knowing how to ace everything right away.</p>
<p>the past three posts are getting away from the topic. No, you do not need to be sneaky with an id to party, there are parties all around and practically every night if you really want to find one. the only person that knows if they can handle partying if you. Academics aside, some people can handle being out and partying, and some people cannot. Part of college is getting to discover what you can handle.</p>
<p>1) the bars “check” ID’s…but you’ll figure out which ones are easier to get into than the others rather quickly
2) have fun wandering around frat row the first week of school…a tip for you, go with girls.</p>
<p>and in response to pima, partying is a huge aspect of college. it allows you to meet and network with people. i know many people who go out 3, 4 times a week and still manage decent 3.5+ GPAs and a few with 4.0s still. it depends a lot on your major, your time management when youre not drinking and, of course, your ability.</p>
<p>Being in scholars or honors or gemstones doesnt really mean too much. A lot of honors and gemstone kids party just as hard as kids not in any programs. dont be deceived by that.</p>
<p>Students generally are more responsible than pima makes them seem.</p>
<p>Enjoy your first 2 or 3 weeks in the fall. Thats a great time to get a lot of partying in before things get serious.</p>
<p>P.S. smith kids party the hardest.</p>
<p>if i’m not really into partying, will i be okay?</p>
<p>Yeah, you’ll still be great if you don’t party every night. I actually don’t party or drink at all (female rising sophomore) and if you don’t party right at the start of college, you end up finding a group of friends that don’t party either and you find a bunch of stuff to do. And yes, there IS stuff to do at college park when sober! Theres a lot more of us that dont drink or get trashed every night than you’d think!</p>
<p>There are plenty of parties happening almost every night so that is always an option. But usually once a weekend my friends and I would end up going out to one of the bars instead of those parties. If you go to the concerts at Santa Fe you can hand them your 18 year old id with your ticket for the show and you will get in no problem. Everywhere else you will need an id. A lot of people use other peoples ids when they go out and Ive had a group of 5 friends get into some places using the same id. </p>
<p>The ID is all up to you though. You will figure out in the first month or so whether or not you need one. </p>
<p>The social life is great at MD but it takes a lot to be a good student as well. Have plenty of fun while you are there but make sure your academics are strong so you can remain at the school and set yourself up to be successful in the future. </p>
<p>Good Luck in the fall.</p>