<p>How is the campus at UMD? (campus safety, things to do,etc)</p>
<p>Campus is very safe…we get sent out crime alerts whenever there is an incident on campus/in town, and I think there was only ever one crime alert I have received in 3 yrs which occurred on campus…and those would-be muggers were quickly apprehended because there are so many cameras around! </p>
<p>In short I’ve never felt unsafe wandering around on campus at night, at almost any hour. </p>
<p>There’s a lot of things to do. Tons of student groups…just tons. And a lot of them stage events in and around campus (debates, movie screenings, dances - yeah actually there’s a few pretty popular ones!, comedy shows-pros and student groups, speakers, jazz/classical/vocal concerts, dance shows and competitions, pretty much just about anything you can think of). And of course sports, if you’re into that. And lectures, if you’re into that. </p>
<p>In the area immediately off campus, there’s essentials (CVS, shoe/leather repair shop, barber shops, even a cheap clothing store), and there’s about 4 bars which all kinda blend into each other, and LOTS OF CHEAP EATS. From sushi to pizza to Chinese to peruvian chicken to pitas to frozen yogurt. And of course house parties galore. </p>
<p>Sadly there’s so much to do on campus (or not so sadly) that some students don’t take advantage of DC as much as they should, it being an easy walk/bus ride to the metro station)</p>
<p>How is the bus system? Would it be difficult to get to places if i didnt have a car? Also how far is UMD from DC?</p>
<p>The bus system is awesome. There are busses that take you to local malls, to the METRO stop (from there you can get anywhere), all around the College Park area and outward to adjacent suburbs, at night they make stops around campus (so my younger D can stay till all hours at her sister’s dorm across campus and then get safely dropped off at her own dorm)… Different people give different estimates from UMD to DC…anywhere from 20 min to 40 min; Longer probably includes the bus ride to the Metro stop from in front of the student union (Stamp). Having a car is not necessary at all, unless you commute to campus, drive home every weekend, or for convenience if you have an off-campus job that is not on a frequent-enough bus schedule. I’d say that UMD is far more convenient to be without a car than a lot of other college campuses.</p>
<p>On bus system - one of the best in the nation at a university, hands down. During the day you can catch buses to the grocery store, to the movie theater/mall at PG plaza, and even to downtown Silver Spring (don’t know if you are from the area but Silver Spring is a great little downtown area with tons of things to do). At night the buses traverse all across campus and downtown College Park. And of course there is a bus to the metro stop, leaving from Stamp Student Union every 10 minutes.</p>
<p>On DC - depends on where you start and where you want to end up. Since the metro bus leaves Stamp every 10 minutes, if you catch it right when it’s coming, it takes about 5 minutes to get to the metro station (stupid red light at the end of Campus Drive!). From my close-to-campus house, I usually bike to the metro (1 minute travel time) and take my bike into the city, severely reducing travel time, of course. At the metro station, trains running to downtown come fairly frequently during rush hour (morning and afternoon) and on weekend nights. Otherwise you may wait 15 minutes for the train to show up, but usually I wait no more than 5. Now, College Park is on the “green” line and is only about 5 stops from the U Street and Columbia Heights neighborhoods. U Street has great night life and is a really interesting part of town, and from there you can walk to Adams Morgan, another really fun place. I would say travel time on the metro alone to U Street is only 15 minutes. </p>
<p>If you want to get further downtown, such as to Chinatown, Dupont (for the gay bars!), the Smithsonian museums, Foggy Bottom (you can walk from there to Georgetown, another cool neighborhood) etc., then the metro ride alone could be 25-30 minutes. </p>
<p>So, 20-40 minutes, depending on where you’re going and how well you’ve timed catching the bus/trains, but I just thought I’d break it down for you to add to astrophysicsmom’s post.</p>
<p>Taking the car into DC is about 20 minutes to anywhere, and my friends and I also enjoy biking down route 1 into Dupont (biking all the way into DC takes about 30-40 minutes) and we also once biked to the National Arboretum (absolutely an amazing place, by the way).</p>
<p>I’m impressed with your biking, umcp11!!! I’m nervous to drive a CAR down route 1!!! :)</p>
<p>Once you get closer to the city limit there is a “parking lane” that usually has enough space for you to bike in…just watch out for people opening their car doors! Hah…</p>
<p>And until you hit that point, we usually just tough it out on the sidewalk (they’re horrible but usually empty, and it’s better than getting run over).</p>