<p>hi, to all current UMD students and other incoming 09'ers.</p>
<p>i had a few questions, any answers will be appreciated:</p>
<ul>
<li>what banking services are available on/near campus?</li>
<li>how is the food?</li>
<li>what sort of workload can i expect (ill be in the business school)?</li>
<li>whats the social life like? do you need to join a frat to have fun?</li>
<li>what cell phone company gives the best service at CP?</li>
<li>is there a way to get to suburban dc from campus other than driving?</li>
<li>are the dorms nice? specifically dorchester, the int'l dorm?</li>
</ul>
<p>sorry if thats a lot, im really looking forward to college and was thinking about these things today. once again any info will be a huge help.</p>
<p>I dont go to UMD but i'm familiar with the camopus. Bank of America is all over the place (and u get free checking). The food is ok I personally like the chicken tenders. The best cell phone service is either nextel or cingular (except my phone didn't work in one of the dormd I have cingular). There is a metro train stop on campus. I took the train from GWU to UMD it was about an hour train ride because u have to transfer. You don't need to join a frat to have fun, but having a car helps (I dont think freshman can have cars though). The dorm situation at MD sux though (but when ur a sophmore u can move into either the courtyard or the commons)</p>
<p>Tho I am not student there (a parent)..I can answer a few questions. </p>
<p>The bank is Chevy Chase (1-800-987-BANK) They have the ATM's on campus. They will have reps at some of the functions to sign you up if you are interested. At the games they will ask you to show your CC card and usually zero in on one student who will then win $100. Because she is close I am able to give her a few bucks now and then, and she really hasnt used the account but its a nice security thing.
Another thing MD has is Terps Bucks you can put money in this account and it is automatically linked to your student account..so when you go somewhere and want to pay for something on campus you can have them deduct it from your terps bucks..then you dont have to carry cash just your ID card. We have found this to be very handy. You can check your account status online.</p>
<p>Food is the one complaint my D. has. She complains that the bread bag is not closed when sandwiches are made so the bread is stale, that so much is fried etc. She is very picky though..She did say that they roll out very nice food for orientation! There are several main diners at UMD and there is a big selection..
They have specialty nights like seafood night or something else. MD has its own dairy so MD made ice cream is available and I can share that its very good. There are also fast food places at the Adele student union like Chicafila..The diner does not open till 11 on weekends so thats a negative. </p>
<p>Social life is all what you make it. As an honors student..they do have a few honors functions go and meet! My D. was lucky to meet some nice kids at orientation and has a good group of friends. MD also will have dances and a few other things to attend. You can also meet people at your floor meetings...the goal is to really get out and meet when you get there. Also consider joining activities..my D. does fencing and a few other things where she has met nice folks.
She is not a soriety type so I cant tell you about the sorietys..but she was invited to join one but its not for her..she did join the honor society which is another chance to meet people. Just try to take advantage of all social opportunities so you can build a nice network of friends</p>
<p>MD has a good metro system and there are buses that take you from campus to the metro..I am not sure about where exactly it goes but they have a schedule..you could probably call Metro.</p>
<p>Dorms..well my D visited a variety of dorms to see where she wanted to move to as it was shopping time a few weeks ago. All the honors dorms are nicer than the regular ones according to her. Lighter and brighter. She said Dorchester was nice. ..She is in a high rise Denton this year and its light and airy..no a/c but a good place for freshman. Anne Arundel and Queen Annes are much smaller honors dorms with a/c and carpeting in AA and these are mostly upper classmen. They are quieter..its nice for the first year to meet and greet so Denton, Cambridge, Ellicot would be good for that..</p>
<p>About the cell phone service... I have Verizon and it worked well almost everywhere on campus. I overnighted in Cumberland, one of the scholars dorms, and I was able to make calls from the room I was in. So I'm going to stick with my Verizon, personally.</p>
<p>Chevy Chase. As said earlier, they have ATMs on campus.</p>
<p>I've heard the North Campus diner has better food than the South Campus one. There are other fast food type places in the Union. There's also a lot of restaurants on route 1. (a bit of a walk from the North Campus dorms though.)</p>
<p>Verizon Wireless. I'm pretty sure they have the best coverage in the Baltimore/D.C. area.</p>
<p>You can get to D.C. by using the metro. There are bus routes from campus that can take you there.</p>
<p>I'm not too sure about all the dorms, sorry.</p>
<p>It really depends on what classes you take and what professors you get. I breezed through last semester and now I am having a very difficult time in the current Spring '05 semester.</p>
<p>It is a big campus, and sometimes meeting people can be difficult. You might want to join a club or something. Joining a frat can be helpful in creating a group of friends, but it's not totally necessary.</p>
<p>It is a LOOOONG haul from say Denton which is North Campus to rt.1..My D. said the food is similar in what they offer at North and South campuses..She actually thinks it is a bit better in South..but maybe thats cus she is eating in the North one most of the time!</p>
<p>Rt 1 area has a few restaurants. Chipolte Grill, a little Italian place, Bentleys, Potbellies... I cant remember what else. These are a hike but my D. and her friends do it. They also go to Adeles which is a fancier place on campus occasionally and it takes your dining points so they love that!
There is a Marriott nearby which has a wonderful sunday breakfast buffet also if you have family visit.</p>
<p>We were really lucky in that she met some nice folks at her honors orientation and they emailed the rest of the summer..when she got to school she had some buds right from the start. So try to put yourself out there some and meet folks..When school starts go to the hall meetings and take advantage of the social opportunites. </p>
<p>Just because MD is big doesnt mean its impersonal either. I was concerned about the size but they have a good system of checks and balances so the kids stay on track and the honors program is like a school within the school.
And MD offers so much to do. The gym is unbelievable my D. told me. I have not seen it but can vouch that the Comcast center and the Clarice Performing Arts Center are exceptional buildings! Its a pretty campus!</p>
<p>As far as grades go..My D. had a 4.0 first term (aiming for one this term too). I know she worked hard but she had a great time too! Its a matter of balancing. My goal was really that she enjoy herself and try to do well and she is managing both so we are very happy about that.</p>
<p>i said bank of america b/c they r all over Dc, Maryland and virginia.</p>
<p>dont waste ur time w/ a verizon phone b/c they dont work on campus. my friend who goes there just had to pay a penalty and get rid of it for a nextel</p>
<p>Kimmibee do they have any ATM's on campus..ie bank of america?
I was under the impression only Chevy Chase did..so please correct this if BOA has atms on campus..</p>
<p>heyy. im gonna be a freshman next year and i was just wondering if i have the opportunity to stay at la plata dorms should i? i heard there aren't many freshman there..and the parties aren't that great. But at the same time i don't want the most disgusting dorms ever...what would you guys suggest? Another concern of mine is that i am going in as undecided and i recently heard that it is reallyy hard to transfer into the business program. I had gotten into lehigh business but i know umd's is better plus i want to experience like real college life... what is the average g.p.a to transfer?
thanks</p>
<p>joelle -- i've read your housing concerns in quite a few threads in this forum. here's the deal: if you live in la plata, you will have air conditioning. you will have a bit quieter of a hall to do work in, and likely a roommate who's a sophomore and therefore knows her way around and knows how to deal with having a roommate. you will be about a 3 minute walk from the freshman dorm most known for partying (elkton) and the same distance from any other freshman dorm you want to go to. LIVING in the dorms that tend to party more is no fun--you aren't always going to be in the mood to party, trust me. but you will be very very close to them and living in la plata, you'll have an air conditioned room. you'll still have plenty of opportunities to meet people.</p>
<p>also. the freshman dorms are not that disgusting. or should i say, la plata isn't that great. the only advantage it has is the air conditioning. but the dorms at UMD overall are not "the most disgusting dorms ever". i don't know who told you that but they really aren't that gross!! i promise!</p>
<p>it's not hard to transfer into the business program if you're willing to work at it. the problem is that in order to transfer in, you have to take a bunch of lower-level business courses that won't count towards anything else (like accounting or stat or econ [although econ does give core credit]). so if your GPA ends up not being high enough (i'm not sure what the requirement is though, sorry) or you change your mind about the major, then you've pretty much wasted a semester or two.</p>
<p>THANKSS SO MUCH lindzz! yeahh im a little stressed out about the dormss and all this crapp cuz my parents are drivingg me crazy that i need to decide a.sa.p. And then i was talking to someone and they told me it's impossible to transfer into the business program and i was scared that i wouldn't be able to get into the business program at maryland and i had already gotten into it directly at lehigh so i thought maybe i made the wrong choice. lol..w/ee anyways thanks so much for answeringg my questions!</p>
<p>well, if you plan to spend a lot of your time in southern md, then there will not be a lot to do. in dc, the site seeing is a plus, but southern md is like living in iowa. it's rural around here with the nearest stores like 10 miles away. southern md has a very stagnant atmosphere.</p>