<p>I know that this reply is coming a little late, but I hope it helps none-the-less! And maybe it will help out if someone else is considering UNL.</p>
<p>To start with, I am a sophomore mechanical engineering major in the Honors Program here at UNL. I was also a National Merit Finalist, so I kind of know where you are coming from. I have lived in Lincoln my entire life and I absolutely love it here.</p>
<p>I think it is grossly inaccurate to categorize UNL as a party school. There are plenty of other opportunities. The football team is a great source of pride for us, but it is not everything. There are tons of student organizations on campus. No matter what you are interested in, there will be something suited to you. I really recommend joining one because it will allow you to meet people with similar interests. We also have one of the best intramural sports programs in the country, as well as other club sports.</p>
<p>I have managed to keep myself quite busy on campus without having to resort to copious amounts of drinking. The parties will be available to you if you chose to pursue them, but you can definitely find other ways to occupy time. Downtown Lincoln has quite a few good restaurants within walking distance of campus, such as the Oven, the Blue Orchid, Buzzard Billie’s, and Yaya’s. I also recommend taking a short trip to the Vietnamese neighborhoods around 27th and Vine and trying out Pho Nguyen or Vung Tao. Anyway, that’s the food scene here. There are tons of other things going on. A lot of student organizations will sponsor various events throughout the year. There are also two movie theaters in walking distance, the Ross, which plays a lot of indie-house films, and the Grand, which carries the big-name movies. Trust me, you can find stuff to do here!</p>
<p>As for the dorms, they are very nice. Harper, Schram, and Smith are all they are cracked up to be. The rooms are very nice in all of the dorms, really. However, certain people tend to live in certain dorms. Harper, Schram, and Smith tends to have more of the kind of jockish kids from high school, Abel and Sandoz are generally considered the party halls, and Selleck has mainly music and international students. I live in Neihardt and really enjoy it. It feels like a lot more tight-knit community in Neihardt than other halls. Like, if you meet someone from Neihardt outside of the complex, you instantly feel a slight connection to them. We aren’t all nerds here, either. Yes, some of the people here study a lot, but we find ways to have fun too. Also, a lot of the rooms in Neihardt have sinks in them. You will appreciate that a lot.</p>
<p>I know that I sound like a recruiter right now, but I really do like UNL and would highly recommend it to anyone. At first I was a little reluctant to go here because I felt like I could have done better. I had a 35 ACT, 2280 SAT, decent EC’s, all that stuff. But, it just felt like the right fit. You will definitely be able to succeed here and there will be a lot of great academic opportunities for a student of your caliber.</p>
<p>This post is way longer than I thought it would be, but I hope it answers your questions! If you want to know anything else about UNL or Lincoln in general, just let me know.</p>