<p>University of Maryland College Park Housing options. UMD College Park.</p>
<p>Which one is better socially, Traditional or Suites? Which one has better living conditions?
CO-ED or Single Sex, which one is better?</p>
<p>I am going to be a Freshman Fall 2014.</p>
<p>I might be wrong, but I think you can only do single sex if you’re a girl. Most freshman choose coed housing and are in a traditional dorm on north campus. Suites are generally reserved for non freshman. As for which is better, it depends on what you’re looking for. Like I said, most people choose coed. </p>
<p>To clarify my last post, when I say coed I’m referring to the dorms being coed. The floors are divided. One side for guys and one for girls. Each side has their own bathroom.
I think you can choose to room with someone of the opposite sex also. I’m not sure if those are the traditional dorms on north campus or not.</p>
<p>Thank you! To clarify I am Looking for which one is better socially, best way to meet people. Another question I had on this topic is whether suits had better living conditions or not?</p>
<p>also how ■■■■■■ are the dorms and suites? haha</p>
<p>Traditional dorms are both the worst and the best. Worst because they are concrete so aesthetically the worst, but best socially for meeting more new people. Moons ago, I started out in what used to be a single-sex, moved to co-ed and finally in Leonardtown (apartment style suite). </p>
<p>So, the concrete caves are not beautiful (understatement), but they are functional. As everyone is in the same boat of having a small space and not knowing anyone, people tend to prop their doors open the first few weeks to encourage visitors to drop in and introduce themselves. Since there is a shared bathroom in the hall, there is a natural opportunity for socializing as you are forced to leave your room several times a day. Bonus is that there is staff to clean the bathrooms.</p>
<p>The difference between single-sex v coed depends on your roommate. I was not happy to be in single-sex at first, but my mom insisted. My roommate’s boyfriend essentially lived with us, and despite “rules” he stayed overnight - every night and suffice it to say they had no respect for the fact that someone else was in the room with them… I suppose I could have complained officially, but I wasn’t going to be like that. Instead, I met and hung out with everyone else in the hall and had a great time. However, when the opportunity arose to be pulled into a co-ed dorm my second semester with a girl I knew wouldn’t pull that crap, I jumped at it. Met a lot of new people and had a great time. </p>
<p>So then I got lucky and was able to get a room in New Leonardtown which is an apartment style suite - it was awesome. Clean, modern, real walls, shared kitchen and living space and shared bath (but since only used by 6 people, it wasn’t anything like the shared bathrooms in traditional dorms and we were responsible for cleaning ourselves - so living conditions depend on the cleanliness of your roommates). Loved it, BUT I already had a solid group of friends by then. There really isn’t a whole lot of “new” socialization when you have separate entry to your apartment directly from the outside. I think the semi-suites and suites on South Hill are (near Annapolis) are slightly more social only because common entry to building and shared halls in between the apartments, if that makes sense. </p>
<p>The other big difference is that when you are in a suite and have a kitchen, you are not required to be on the meal plan. While that’s an advantage financially, and palate-wise if you are a good cook, it also reduces the opportunities to socialize/meet new people since dining halls pull in people from all the traditional dorms, not just yours.</p>
<p>So, suffice it to say that Maryland knows what it’s doing by placing you in traditional high-rise dorms for at least your freshman year. Consider the concrete caves a rite of passage. Although, these days, most now have common lounge areas - for studying/hanging - which make them more tolerable. Not sure if all have a kitchen lounge also, but some do - in the Cambridge Quad. So, it’s not the end of the world. </p>