University of Maine Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Maxwell

One of the most popular things to do on Campus would have to be the Umaine Hockey games, its probably the most popular things around and has a huge hype! But for activities on campus it depends on who you are, they school offers a group for everyone and just about anything and if that group isn't on campus, you can get a few friends together and easily form that group!

Justice

The most popular student activities often involve sports teams and general celebration for their victories. The sports teams get the most recognition, namely the football and hockey teams for their great performances at home and away. Other than those, there is a great deal of support for campus concerts and stand-up comedian performances, most notably Ludacris, Girl Talk, and Aziz Ansari. Parties are also very common on campus, and have a close tie with the Greek Life program. The most important "party" fraternities on campus tend to be Theta Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Gamma, and Sigma Chi, several of which have digs on college avenue. Parties happen commonly between thursday night and sunday morning, but even that is subject to change. I myself tend to go home on the weekends, as there is still a great deal of tending that needs to be done concerning my family.

Caleb

There are a ton of different groups on campus. The most popular groups tend to be Sports Related, Political, Academic, Career Advancement, Hobby related etc. It is very easy to join groups and is a great way to meet friends. I would recommend joining groups early as a first year. I joined a bunch of groups early on, and now I am the Vice President of the Student Government, overseeing a budget of over $750,000. GREEK Life is a great way to make friends. In the first week students are heavily recruited by fraternities and sororities. I would suggest hearing them out and seeing how you fit with them. In Maine, UMaine has the reputation of a party school. It's pretty much true. Any day of the week you can find a party somewhere around campus. I think the average student would agree though, despite the amount of partying, everyone is pretty safe around here.

Ashlee

The Dorms are really the most popular place for people to meet. And most doors are open, but it depends on which dorm you're in. There are literally hundreds of student run groups and organizations! Athletic events are definitely popular, as are the dozens of parties that always follow. We do have a very active Greek life on campus. Every year in the spring we have "Maine Day" which is usually a day devoted to NO CLASSES and tons of fun activities around campus like "Oozeball" which is just mud volleyball, BBQs, Frisbee games, etc. And many campus groups work to improve an aspect of campus or the Orono community too, it is really meant to be a day of volunteering first and foremost, and then a day of celebrating being a UMaine Black Bear second.

Sydney

Popular student activities are student government, and other clubs like ASB which is alternative spring break, along with sports clubs like hockey and football. I am the president of the UMaine Tennis Club. We have about 40 members. Greek like is also very popular on campus if your not in greek life then you know someone who is in it. Some dorm halls leave the there door open in their hall or their wing but it depends on the time of day and depends on how comfortable everyone is with each other. I met my close friends by joining the tennis club, going to classes and living in the dorms. Orono is really cool because you see new people everyday as well as a handful of people you already know. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday it's because my boyfriend and I just finished homework, and getting ready for bed and we are talking on the phone.

Kara-Beth

By far our hockey program. It is huge and no matter if you are or are not a fan of the sport, you will be by the end of the first period of the game. The students go crazy and the atmosphere is indescribable. Not to mention, students get in free! As a fan/student, you are guarenteed to leave with such an adrenaline rush!

Jordan

The most popular activities on campus are the varsity, club, and intramural sports. Also, there are wednesday movie nights in the big theater, fraternity and sorority activities, among many others. I am involved with all kinds of intramural sports and am a part of the Club Football and Baseball organization. Also, I am a tutor at the Writing Center and I joined the National Society of Collegiate Scholars... just to name a few. Through these, I have met tons of very good friends - both guys and girls. People also like to party at UMaine. House parties are all over campus and Frats throw their own as well. If you want to party, you can. If you do not, there are many other activities to do.

John

The most popular team on campus is by far the university's mens hockey team. So if your a hockey fan at even the lowest level, Maine is the place for you! Almost the entire student body has at least attend 1 or 2 UMaine hockey games by the need of their studies here. This is also where you can meet many new friends!

Christine

A Friday night and it's thirty degrees out, windy, and snowy; drive past the Alfond Hockey Arena and you will see a line of a hundred students or more snaking out and around the building. Other than free food or class only a UMaine Men's Ice Hockey game will bring students out of their dorm rooms in weather like this. Games that start at seven have lines starting at seven in the morning. The cheers at the game may seem dorky, but EVERYONE does them, why? BLACK BEAR PRIDE. Other than athletics though, the green scene is prevalent with student run organizations such as GCI (Green Campus Initiative) and Eat Local dominating the environmental element. The political scene on campus is also very strong as are club sports and intramurals. With a population of over 10,000 students, there is truly something for everyone.

Carl

There are so many, like around 200, but if I could pick three that are very popular, it would be Fraternity and Sorority Affairs - roughly 10-15 percent of the population, Intramural and club sports and varsity athletic games, especially Hockey, basketball and football. I am involved with the hip hop dance club, Intramural soccer, black bear men's choir, a fraternity, the MaineMasque and I also work on campus while as a civil engineering major and many people wonder how I tolerate it and can do it, but I manage to do so and stay in good academic standing and I love it! I no longer live on campus, but when I did my first and second year, I was never in my resident hall room. The reason why was because I was always doing homework in the library or elsewhere or I was simply just doing something on campus that was fun to keep me from not being bored, which being bored is very hard to do on this campus anyway!

Jesse

Maine is big into fostering the student body's loyalty to their alma mater. I would say the biggest activities on campus are government and leadership programs, the welcome wagon known as Maine Hello!, and sports! Maine has a long tradition of hockey, and it really brings the student body together when they go to a game.

Lauren

Dont sit on the couchs at the union unless you want to be a "couch kid"...extremely weird. Dont join a sorority unless you want to be hazed and stuck up. Join a fraternity if your a male and want to make friends. Join a club! Seriously, you meet friends that way. ESPECIALLY join a sport's club. Its the best!

Derek

Here Greek Life makes up about 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}; this makes Greek Life the most popular activity on campus. Other popular groups include Alternative Spring Break, the Choral Groups, and the service organizations. Sports are also HUGELY popular on campus.

Cassie

UMaine has around 200 student-governed clubs and organizations. Two of these that I am involved in are the University Singers (a high-quality, auditioned, classically-oriented choral group of about 70 singers) and Renaissance (UMaine's only all-female a cappella group, of which I am musical director). I met most of my friends through my involvement in these and other musical organizations on campus. And I think this is how most students meet their best friends: through the various groups they become invovled with. I think some of the most popular things to do on a Friday and Saturday night are always sports events, most especially hockey games. UMaine Hockey is not only a huge cultural icon on campus, but in the Maine community as a whole, and the games are tons of fun and very high-energy. There are also always huge theater productions and concerts coming through our brand new Collins Center for the Arts, a musical once a year with an all-UMaine cast(this year it was Hair, and the lines to get in every night were so long you couldn't see both ends at once), art exhibits, etc etc

Cassandra

The best thing about UMaine is, easily, every group, organization, and club they have to offer. I'm involved in so many activities here on campus I'm always busy! You don't have to be like that, I'm just trying to get the point across that there really is something here for everyone!! Whether you are into theater, music, dance, gaming, pirates, volunteering, foreign language, student government, finance, fraternities and sororities, etc! There are hundreds to choose from! By getting involved in the school I found my voice. It really helped my find out who I am and learn a little bit more about myself!

Brent

There literally are hundreds of clubs and activities to keep yourself busy here on campus. If you enjoy Greek life, Fraternities and Sororities are also plentiful. One of the best parts about UMaine is that there really is always something to do. From comedians to all kinds of famous bands to movie nights on a weekly basis, there are plenty of ways to keep busy; many of which you see students all over campus participating in on a daily basis.

Heather

There are so many different things to do on campus. From service organizations to Greek Life to Athletics to Theater. I am in quite a few clubs on campus and go to a number of events. The hockey games are always popular to go to as are the concerts and events put on by Campus Activities Board. One tradition we have here is Maine Day, which is a day of service and fun! In my residence hall, there are always doors open and events going on. I have a lot of fun.

Jonathan

Again, on a campus the size of UMaine, there are too many activities to count. But, one of my favorite are going to sports games and sitting in the student section. It's crazy up there, and students have really amazing school spirit. But I also really enjoy going to some of my departmental seminars and club meetings, which range from very serious and academic to fun and funky.

Emma

Student Government is popular, Alternative spring break is the biggest club on campus I was a site leader for them this year I led a group of 10 students to florida to work with kids for a community service for the week. When i lived in the halls lots of people left their doors open and my first year it was a very friendly atmosphere to be in. THe most popular athletic events are football and hockey but people do go to all the other ones as well! The theatre group on campus is very popular when they put on a show as are the singing groups. I met my closest friends through clubs and organizations and by living near them my first year! If i'm awake at 2am on a tuesday Im usually hanging out with friends in the resident halls, watching movies, chatting, making music videos random fun stuff! every year we have maine day which is a day we all help clean up campus and theres a band playing and we have mud volleyball going on! we also have a zombies vs humans game once a semester thats fun! and a bunch of fun things going on that happen every year at the beginning of the year and big events twice a semester free to students! its a college campus if you look for a party you'll probably be able to find one but your not gonna just walk into one. On saturday night if your not drinking, i usually just hang out with friends, go see a movie, go to karaoke on campus or sometimes the international club hosts a dance that are fun to go to! off campus I might go bowling or movies or go to show or go to acadia national park or go skiing or go to bar harbor or go shopping or hang out with friends. only about 14{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the population is in greek life and those people are very involved on campus and the nearby community they arent like animal house or any thing they are very involved groups on and off campus.

Erika

There are over 150 clubs and organizations on campus, so there is something for everyone. I am involved in University Singers, an 80-voice auditioned choir. We travel throughout New England for a week every spring, and have three sub-groups. I am a part of one, Renaissance. Renaissance is the female-acapella group on campus. Every year on Freshman move-in day, students, faculty, and staff volunteer to help people move in. On "Maine Hello" day, a swarm of people overtakes a car, empties it, and brings it all to the students room. By the time you've reached the door, all of your stuff is there waiting for you to unpack it! We also have "Maine Day" on a Wednesday in April. This is a day for community service that a lot of people take part in. Classes are cancelled for the day, and students, faculty, and staff clean up the campus!

Abigail

Umaine is one of the top Universities in the nation for activities. There is always something to do on campus and there are is about 200 student organizations on campus. I'm involved in a group on campus called Improv In Sanity, we are an improv group and we put on shows for the student body. There are certain floors that leave their doors open and some don't. Each floor on in a dorm has its own atmosphere. Fraternities and sororities are very important, and they are not the stereotypical, they do a lot for the campus. I don't do that much off campus because everything is on campus. I don't even have a car.

Derek

Student government is quite popular on campus as is Greek life, but not overbearingly so. About 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body is involved with a Greek organization. Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is also a very popular service opportunity that many students participate in each year. The University has provided a lot of on-campus entertainment. Being in a rural setting, the University makes a great effort to provide ample entertainment for students. Most recently The Roots, O.A.R., & Bob Saget have all performed on campus. The theater department (which I am a minor in) is wonderful. Though the major is being reduced to a minor in the coming years, the theater community has produced many successful and entertaining shows each year. Most recently productions of "Hair", "Savage in Limbo", & "Eurydice" have been produced by faculty and students here.

Charity

Ok, Alternative Spring Break is one of the largest clubs on campus. I was a member this past year, and got to volunteer at Boys and Girls Clubs in Orlando Florida. Music ensembles are super varied, from competitive to not, and fun!!! I've also learned a lot by participating at ensembles at Maine. Hockey is big as well. Students in residence halls often leave their doors open, it makes making new friends and starting conversations easier.

Alex

The Campus Activities at UMaine are numerous. there are always programs and events going on, not to mention that UMaine athletics plays a major role in the culture of our institution.

Mary

6 nights a week free events for students- ranging from movies, comedians, music, bingo... So many hiking trails around campus too!!

Katie

In the res halls, it is basically an open door policy. There are events going on six nights a week. We are a Division one varsity school who thrives on hockey games. All sporting events are free with student ID and there are incentives after attending a certain number of events. I met all my closest friends living on the same floor as me the first year here. We still hang out for at least 2 meals a day. Greek life is 11{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} if you're interested. I know many people involved and I don't feel pressured to join by any of them. There is a homecoming weekend in the fall and day off from classes where everybody cleans up campus and helps out. There is plenty of opportunity to get free t-shirts. There is shopping, good food, Acadia National Park, Bog Walks once you leave campus. The Commonground Fair is in the fall not too far from here and that is SO MUCH FUN. I'm never bored here. We also have a rockin' $27 million student recreation center included in your fees with more than enough activities to keep you occupied. I am also never lonely with people all over and looking out for me.

Alex

I am a resident assistant, and therefore am very involved with UMaine's social life. We always have something going on, whether it's a concert or a student-lead event or just going to the hockey games.

Kristen

There are more than 200 clubs and organizations on campus, and there is always something to do on campus. Orono is a small college town.