Here is What You Need to Know
You can certainly read about the dorms and places to live on campus on the UMD Housing and Residential Life pages, but we asked my daughter and our interns for the inside scoop about living on-campus…which is probably what you really want to know before you choose where to live when you become a Terp. Yes, you probably know about the common freshman dorms, but there are so many more hot spots on campus to consider when choosing where to live.
North Campus:
Cambridge Community: This community consists of Bel-Air Hall, Centerville Hall, Chestertown Hall, and Cumberland Hall. These dorms are mostly reserved for students that are members of College Park Scholars, but there are exceptions and regular UMD students can be placed here. These are the nicest of the freshman dorms and have a very large convenience store located in the center of the community. If you are a part of College Park Scholars, it is a great place to live considering you will have some classes located in the Cambridge Community Center. The only downside I see to living in this community is that the majority of freshmen live in Denton Community and it is a walk away.
Denton Community: The most popular community to live in among freshmen at UMD, Denton Community comprises Denton Hall, Easton Hall, Elkton Hall, and Oakland Hall. I lived in Denton Hall as a freshman and loved living in the Denton community. I met so many people that lived in both my dorm and the surrounding dorms. Denton community has a dining hall and 24 Hour Shop which is super convenient and nice for your first year at college. Being able to walk outside your dorm and having both those resources was something I loved. Of the dorms in Denton Community, Oakland Hall is the nicest. Oakland consists of mostly two-bedroom “semi-suites” that is shared by four students. These halls have semi-private bathrooms and have more space than the other dorms in the community.
Ellicott Community: Ellicott Community is the community between Cambridge and Denton communities. The dorms in this area are Ellicott Hall, Hagerstown Hall, and LaPlata Hall. These halls include specialty living for The Honors College, University Honors Program, and the Gemstone Program, but other UMD students live here as well. At the center of the community is The North Campus Diner, in my opinion, is the best dining hall on North Campus. Another great aspect of living in this community is that it is located right next to the main gym on campus, Eppley Recreation Center.
South Campus:
Leonardtown Community: Leonardtown Community offers apartment living for UMD students and has 12 garden-style apartment buildings in its Old and New sections. This Community is uncommon for freshman, but very common for upperclassmen and specifically students looking for half year leases. Each of the Leonardtown apartments fits four to six students and is air-conditioned, fully furnished, and comes with a complete kitchen. These apartments are located behind Fraternity Row and are close to all Greek Life housing. Another benefit of living in this community is the proximity to Ritchie Coliseum, another recreational center on campus.
North Hill Community: North Hill Community consists of 10 dorms in the South of campus. It comprises Anne Arundel Hall, Caroline Hall, Carroll Hall, Dorchester Hall, Prince Frederick Hall, Queen Anne’s Hall, St. Mary’s Hall, Somerset Hall, Wicomico Hall, and Worchester Hall. These dorms are not that close to the north campus dorms where many freshmen live, but these dorms are nicer. They are close to all central campus buildings, making it easy to get to your classes, McKeldin Library, Stamp Student Union, and more. Some of these halls are living- specific to certain UMD programs, but not limited to just these students.
South Hill Community: This community is made up of 14 small residence halls; Allegany, Baltimore, Calvert, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Talbot, and Washington Halls. The halls are apartments, suites, and traditional style housing. I would not recommend living here as a freshman considering this area is very far from North Campus and is best suited for upperclassmen. A great aspect of this community is the Washington Quad- the backyard for the South Hill Community residents. This is a beautiful, relaxing area where students can study, hang out, and play games.
South Campus Commons Community: This Community is a group of seven apartment buildings. This area is one of the University of Maryland’s public-private partnership undergraduate student apartment communities. This means that the apartments are located on the UMD campus, but the leasing and facilities for the community are managed by a private management company. This is a great place to live on campus for its location and for the element of being an apartment rather than a dorm. South Campus Commons is predominantly two and four-bedroom apartments, that are all single bedrooms that come fully furnished.
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