<p>^^The reason my son wants to go to UMD is mainly because it's so close to DC. We did the metro trip to/from last summer, and it was an easy trip: ~30 minutes from our hotel in DC to the campus. There is tons to do in DC, it's a great place.</p>
<p>The Voo and the cellar are two bars right outside the campus, I think it mandatory that everyone owns a pair of Voo shoes (your feet stick to the floor and it makes a frat look clean :D</p>
<p>v3ndetta, You obviously don't like DC. We have spent hours at memorial sites, SPY museum, ate in Chinatown, walked the entire length of the mall, went to Ford Theatre, Hard Rock, Kennedy Center and hung out at Union Station. Then there is also Arlington, Georgetown, and Shirlington. All our free except the SPy and going to eat.</p>
<p>Montgomery is not a happening place, it is suburbia, people live there to raise their families, not for spending a saturday.</p>
<p>UMD has a lot to offer on campus. It is what the student decides to do...hang out in your room and listen to your IPOD or go to BB games, join social clubs and play dorm sports are your choices. </p>
<p>My favorite memories of UMD:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>October --showed up at the dorm and you had to be buzzed in (84) as I was waiting for Bullet I look up and people are throwing pumpkins from the 4th floor of the dorm...thankfully they missed me, but hit the Pizza delivery guy</p></li>
<li><p>Football games and "lean to the left, lean to the right", Still love the cheer!</p></li>
<li><p>The Voo</p></li>
<li><p>THE CAMPUS, I love the circle where they plant the flowers in UMD colors</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My kids favorite...the black squirrells.</p>
<p>MY ALL TIME FAVORITE IS TOUCHING TESTUDO'S NOSE AND THE STORY BEHIND IT ;)</p>
<p>I've lived all over the US and have to say I think DC is the BOMB! </p>
<p>Now, why anyone would want to live in Baltimore is beyond me and all they have is Johns Hopkins. </p>
<p>Silver Springs, Weaton, College Park, Rockville and all the other DC suburbs are pretty boring or downright depressing. But, DC is alive with monuments, tons of museums, gardens, theaters, grand hotels, street vendors, statuary, interesting architecture and a buzz. There are even a bunch of great universities. What's not to like?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Have you seen this site?
<a href="http://www.gottshall.com/squirrels/campsq.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.gottshall.com/squirrels/campsq.htm</a></p>
<p>LOL. Love Wayne State.</p>
<p>Too funny</p>
<p>I will admit it is weird to see them because they are oblivious to humans...just darting about and never paying any attention to 2 legged creatures</p>
<p>wheres that bruinsjew guy from back when... he would put up a bigger argument since he was oos. Once you visit all the monuments.. exc nothing to do at all such an overrated place</p>
<p>Bruinsjew has stated he is transferring back to Florida. Try Georgetown at night...its a hoot! You could go downtown DC to visit and it would take months to see everything. (FDR, Smithsonian, Arlington, White House Visitor center, Spy, National Aquarium, National Zoo, only a few to mention)</p>
<p>Why are you applying to UMD if you have decided the area s**ks?</p>
<p>If you look back he (bruinsjew)stated it was not a good fit for him for several reasons, and it was more on a collegiate level than the area</p>
<p>For everyone else the campus has a lot to offer, dorms have parties, fraternity and sorority chapters, every sport to watch, intra mural sports, movie theatre on campus, ROTC, you can keep yourself busy if you want too</p>
<p>My sister graduated from UMD in 2004 and she now lives in Maryland and works in Washington D.C. We are from New York City and she absolutely loves D.C. as do I. I do not know how you can say there is nothing to do. There are so many museums and monuments and many great areas for college kids to hang out. Georgetown is a really nice area and my sister always talked about fun areas such as Adam's Morgan and Dupont Circle.</p>
<p>because its a good college and cheap is.... im not saying umd or dc is bad, there is nothing to do. Students will not go to dc like every week its not worth the time. Its basically visit once or twice and it is pretty pointless. People just hype it up because its the nation's capital</p>
<p>Sorry v3ndetta,</p>
<p>You need to expand your horizons...I have lived onthe VA side and never felt bored. I will also state the best dates I ever had with my DH were just walking on the mall and dancing in G Town.</p>
<p>D and her friends go into DC at least once a week on the metro. Last semester, she got extra credit on a research paper if she did some of her research at the Library of Congress....how cool is that? She and her friends go into DC just for dinner, or to a movie, or shopping, or to one of the many museums (she has a picture of herself by the Stephen Colbert portrait hanging by the bathrooms at the National Portrait Gallery!!!!), or just to generally hang out at the mall area. It all depends on your interests, but anyone who leans toward more intellectual activities will never get their fill in DC. If you decide not to join any groups or activities, attend any of the literally hundreds of events on campus, or travel off the UMD campus occasionally...and if you choose to spend every weekend at some off-campus locale drinking, I agree that would be QUITE monotonous. I guess we've answered oregonianmom's original question then, huh?</p>
<p>Too bad Stephen Colbert's portrait will be down by the time S visits in March. I think it's only up for 6 weeks, is that right?</p>
<p>Yes, I think it's gone after 6 weeks. D said there were security guards there, and a long LINE of people waiting to see it (and get their picture taken by it)!!! D felt bad for the people who REALLY had to go to the restroom!!! It literally was hanging over the water fountains, in the vestibule between the men's room and women's room!!!</p>
<p>And you'll probably miss the cherry blossoms....I think the festival starts March 29 and goes for the first couple weeks in April...</p>
<p>They (H and S - I don't get to go this time) will be coming home on March 29, so maybe they'll see some blossoms.</p>
<p>bulletandpima - my H and I are UMD alumni. I also have many fond memories of the Vous (Rendevous). Spent many Thurs., Fri,. and Sat. nights there. About ten years ago it was renovated and changed to the Cornerstone Grill so today's students probably have no memory of it as the Vous. I haven't been in the Cornerstone but apparently it is as popular with today's students as the Vous was when I was there. Although I am told that the atmosphere isn't exactly the same. Someone told me it has a fireplace? A fireplace in the Vous? Hard to imagine! Apparently there is a picture of the Vous hanging on the wall.</p>
<p>Too bad about the Vous. The last couple of timeswe went we took the kids so we never even looked to see if it was still there. Last spring we were at the union center and I went into the bathroom looked up in the mirror and I could see the 20 yr old girl standing there, unfortunately it wasn't me but the girl next to me :D, Somehow every time I walk the campus, I can still hear the noise of kegs rolling down the staircase in the wee hours of the mornings, and envision girls being passed up the bleachers.</p>
<p>It is a 21 minute Metro ride from the College Park station to Chinatown. Chinatown is where the Verizon Center is (Wizards/Caps/G-twon basketball/concerts) and lots of restaurants and bars. Here, use Metro's trip planner to plan your trips and get cost information: <a href="http://www.wmata.com/tripplanner_d/TripPlanner_Form_Solo.cfm?fromMenu=MapsAndStations.3%5B/url%5D">http://www.wmata.com/tripplanner_d/TripPlanner_Form_Solo.cfm?fromMenu=MapsAndStations.3</a></p>
<p>Spy Museum is located at that stop also. Anybody who goes there should buy your tickets on line, b/c many times they are sold out if you just show up at that time</p>
<p>marylandmom and others remembering the Vous -- there is a "fireplace" but I highly doubt that it works-- in fact, I always assumed it USED to work back in the Vous days! Above the fireplace is a picture of the building with a Rendezvous sign hanging down it. I have a feeling the atmosphere hasn't changed too much! I've heard stories about "penny pints" and such... nowadays they've got 50-cent rails on Thursday evenings which is about as cheap as it gets in College Park!</p>
<p>Still awaiting a free few minutes to elaborate on all the things I love about College Park. In the meantime, things I don't like:
-Crime. I do understand the nuances of living in an urban area, and I'm fine with not walking alone in the middle of the night, but there have also been Peeping Tom incidents around my house, which makes me very uncomfortable. I have class from 2-6:15 pm twice a week and I drive to class so that I don't have to walk home after dark. Yes, it's early evening, but it's dark at 6:15 and walking 20 minutes alone, no matter how many people are out, is not something I feel comfortable doing in the dark.</p>
<p>-Ridiculous housing prices. I am fortunate that my parents pay my rent, because I would be very much in debt if they didn't. Off-campus housing ranges from $700-$900/month, and there are slim pickings within walking distance to campus.</p>
<p>Other than that, I can't think of any major complaints. Soon to come, a very long post about why I love UMD.</p>