University of Mary Washington Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Rachael

My favorite group, The Undeniably Adjacent, was the campus improv comedy troupe. There are a ton of volunteer organizations, and we are actually the first campus in the nation where "Students Helping Honduras" started. Students always leave their dorm doors open, and we are always willing to meet new people. There aren't any fraternities or sororities, but I think that's a good thing. People are really involved in clubs and sports, so those make up for the lack of Greek life. I met my best friends through the clubs I joined, and I lived with the same two people since my freshman year. We met online before coming to UMW, and we all decided to live together.

Kelly

Some of the most popular clubs on campus include COAR (a service club), Honor Council (makes sure the honor code is being used around campus), rugby during homecoming weekend, and many others. I am involved in two groups: Circle K International (the college level of Key Club) and ARH (association of residence halls). I'm vice president of CKI and president of my hall council. Students do not usually leave their doors open. People usually do that more freshmen year, but as we grow older we get busier. Usually when upperclassmen are in their rooms, they are either working or sleeping and don't want to be disturbed. Athletics aren't really big on campus. We do not have a football team. The reason for this is because it would cost millions to start one. UMW is trying to get more school spirit through Eagle Nation. I met my closest friends either in my dorm or through clubs I am involved in. Traditional events on campus include but not limited to devil/goat day, club carnival, Mr. UMW, and Friday night dry. People do party at this school, but not excessively. I am not the party type, and I am not surrounded by parties. It's your choice to party or not. Sororities are not big on campus at all. We have no Greek life. My typical weekend includes working, doing volunteer work and homework, and hanging out with friends. If you don't want to drink, there is cheap seats where you pay a dollar to see a movie, you can go off campus to Central Park, or just chill and talk with friends.

Megan

There are no sororities or fraternities recognized by the school, save one underground frat. This is one place that always has its doors open, but its a mile from school and most freshies walk... not fun in the rain. The frat guys there are creepy, they were like misfits that united to try and get ass cause they couldnt without their title of 'frat guy'. I met my closest friends down the hall and at church. The dating scene is weird. About 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the campus dates... although it seems like more. The misfits and socially awkward people find each other and the preps date in their own circle. The girls fight over the 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} guys... who, of the 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}, are 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} gay, 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} players, 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} unattractive/nerdy, 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} in relationships. The good guys go fast so get em while they're available. Note to self...'one night hookups do not lead to relationships'. In fact, most guys take advantage of the ratio and get as much ass as possible with as many girls as they can.... and they can. Soccer events are the main sporting event on campus and there's usually only 100 or so people at the games, besides homecoming. guest speakers events are well attended, and UMW does a good job of having major concerts (Eve 6, Plain White T's, etc) and comedians on campus.

Blake

Students in dorms definitely leave doors open, and without a doubt the friends you make in your dorm freshman year will be with you for your entire time at school. There are a lot of popular groups and clubs on campus, including Student Government Association, GIANT productions, Class Council, PRISM (LGBT), and Young Democrats & College Republicans. This year Young Democrats organized for Bill Clinton to come speak which was great. If drinking isnt your scene, there is usually still a lot to do on the weekends. Battle of the Bands, comedy and improv shows, and student concerts are all popular. If you want some off campus fun there are go-carts, mini golf, bowling, a driving range, and 2 movie theaters near campus. You do, however, need a car to do most of these things, so freshmen, make sure you make friends with some upperclassmen. Cheap Seats is an on-campus movie group that shows recent movies every weekend for just a dollar!

Michelle

We don't have greek life, so any parties are house parties. They get busted fairly regularly, but the cops are all nice. People don't usually get in trouble. As far as extra curriculars go, we have pretty much everything, from an anime club, to cheerleading, to college republicans and young dems. Anything you want to be involved in, we have a club for it.

Mallory

Most popular groups on campus? He..ck if I know. There are so many. I was involved with Cheerleading, and while it was time consuming it was well worth it. Student clubs are a lot of fun and they're very easy to get involved with-- you just have to make the effort! People in dorms definitely leave their doors open, especially in freshman dorms. You'll meet tons of people that way. I met my closest friends within my classes in my department, through clubs and activities, at sporting events, etc. People are very friendly at UMW, they honestly want to meet new people. Sporting events are somewhat popular, but could use more involvement. People have a lot of pride in their school at UMW but that doesn't always mean they take the time to attend sporting events. Uh, if I was awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I was studying. I doubt that's uniform across the board, but I'm a huge big nerd and studying was what I did during the week. The weekends, however, were different. If you want to party, there are parties within walking distance. If you don't, you don't have to. It's definitely not a party school, but there are certainly parties on the weekends that you can attend, and have a lot of fun. Downtown there are bars (if you're 21), and lots of other activities. Central Park has a lot of stuff to do as well, and if you don't have a car there is the Fred to get you there or you can use your upperclass friends. If drinking isn't your thing you will definitely find friends that feel the same way.

Sarah

One of the most popular organizations is Students Helping Honduras. It was started to help children in Honduras and provide homes and schools to certain villages. They hold an annual walkathon each spring to raise money, and there's always a huge turn out. I've gotten involved in a political group on campus, and I'm also a tour guide and RA. I love showing the campus to prospective students because that's one of the main reasons people love UMW. Being an RA, I meet a lot of people, and you meet the most people in your dorm, at parties, and through other friends. If you like to party, there are a decent amount of parties every week. If you don't like to party, there are plenty of other things to do. There are movies (that have been in theaters, but are not out on dvd) shown every weekend for $1 each, there's historic downtown with lots of shops, there's Central Park (that has a mall and tons of shops and restaurants), and you're about an hour away from Richmond and D.C. There's bowling near school and they have a college night. There is tons of stuff to do at UMW if you get involved!!!

Melissa

Most popular: SSH- Students helping Hondoras ( started by a guy who used to go to UMW a couple years back), The Ecology club is the most active helping the environment. the ROwing team is like a cult. I think the other teams have just as much loyalty towards their sport as well. Only Frosh halls really have people leave their doors open. Once you're done with first year, the door stays shut. Athletic events are always the most popular. Guest speakers are more popular with townspeople rather than college kids. Theatre is popular, but needs to be more so. Dating scene: gotta work for it. Going to only a couple events won't allow you to meet a lot of people, but go to a few, and dating is easy. The community type environment, where you can see people more than once, facilitates it.

Paige

There is no Greek Life, but there are clubs representing almost anything you can think of. There are performances, concerts, conferences, seminars, guest speakers, sports events, and much more to keep you entertained. There is no Greek Life, but it is a college. No matter where you go to school there will always be some amount of insanity. Also, in the dorms people usually have their doors open so it is really easy to meet people. We have a tradition called Devil-Goat day...you'll figure it out when you get here.

Taylor

Athletic events are very popular. The lack of a football team has led us to extreme support for the rugby, soccer, and basketball teams. Dorms are a friendly environment and I thoroughly enjoyed my two years living in them (However I am very glad to be living off campus now). Traditions include Devil Goat day which is always fun (just a day to hang out with each other) and homecoming.

Stephan

Mary Washington offers a wide variety of social offerings from $1 movies to concerts (Lupe Fiasco and Plain White T's were some of the more recent offerings) to Comedians (Nick Thune and Kevin Cease among others) to campaign rallies (former President Clinton came during the Spring 2008 semester). The environment is generally one of safety however there have been a couple thefts of laptops in recent years. I personally never bothered locking my dorm while I lived on campus and never had a problem.

Jenny

There is none!

Kyle

Very boring, except for about one good event per year.

Laura

I found that I was at fault because most of my friends from freshman year transferred, and thus I was left with finding almost an entirely new group of friends come sophomore year. Most people make friends through their freshman hall and that is great-except the dorms are organized with same-sex floors, and halls so it is harder to make friends with the oposite sex. By joining clubs and organizations you make friends as well, but unfortunately I worked a lot on school projects through my departments, taught in elementary schools and worked outside of school and thus lost interest/time come junior and senior year for all the clubs I was involved in during my first two years on campus. I also stayed close friends with people who also moved off campus, like myself. I feel there is a big difference in the people who live on and who live off campus-with how we spend time outside of class, and also the amount we party. Because there are strict one-strike policies on drugs and alcohol on campus, most of the highly social/party-goers move off campus as soon as they can. I was a RA for my second year to help pay for school, and then moved off campus junior and senior year so that I would be able to work more, and also to party! The party scene is lacking, the bars around town are catered to the locals (named Frednecks) more than the students, and I found that we were such a small party-going group that it became a bit too clostrophobic come senior year. I did have fun once I turned 21 and could travel to Richmond and DC for the club/bar scene, but it was unfortunate that I had to leave Fredericksburg to have the most fun! There is no greek scene-which I liked.

Allison

Intramural sports / club sports at mary wash are really fun! It's a great way to meet people and the students who work for campus recreation are really great. There's no football team at mary wash but we do have a mens and womens rugby team. The womens team is really good and has gone to nationals 7 or 8 times and has won states pretty much every year. Rugby games are fun to watch, and the people who play rugby are fun to drink with!

Katy

In the list of suggested topics, the question How important are frats/sororities? struck out to me. Mainly because there is no Greek life at Mary Washington (some may argue there is a fake frat, but that's an entirely different story). UMW does not recognize any fraternities or sororities on or off campus. To me, this was actually a good thing. Students don't have to worry about the hazing and craziness associated with the Greek life. Many incoming freshmen looking to party are deterred by this, because Mary Washington isn't your typical party school. If someone wants, they can find what they're looking for, but there is a relieved pressure without the Greek scene.

Dylan

I had a great time at Mary Wash, even though it is not know as a party school. The teams really joined together in terms of parties and special events, and that is what I enjoyed most. The atheltic teams became a sort of Greek life on campus, where each team had several houses. Also, the bar scene in Fredericksburg is pretty good, I only wish there were more closer to campus.

Connie

We have hundreds of clubs here at UMW, ranging from the Asian Student Association to the Trek Club, the Ultimate Frisbee club to the Gun club, and the Performing Arts Club to the SALSA club. As for our athletics, we are a competitive NCAA Division III institution that competes in the Capital Athletic Conference. The past two years, our women's bball team made it to the NCAA tournament. We finished in third place nationally in 2006 and in 2007 we hosted the first two rounds. In addition, our swim team and tennis team consistently sends people to nationals. Two years ago, our baseball team had one player go to a AAA team for the Giants (just to name a few things). Even if you are not coming here to be an athlete, there is still much sporting opportunity. We have a ton of student run sport clubs that compete at different schools almost every month, and our Campus Recreation and Intramural program is growing each year. We are currently building a new multi-purpose, artificial turf field for things like flag-football, soccer, softball, etc. One of the best things at UMW is our homecoming. Although we do not have a football team, we do have a homecoming soccer game. It sounds lame at first, but it is one of the few times where literally every student comes together to show school spirit, support our athletes, and just party all day long. We don't have any recognized fraternities and sororities, but this does not phase our social life and weekend plans. Fredericksburg is big enough where there is much to do and explore. We are not a huge party school, but if you hang out with the right people you won't be bored every weekend. A great thing about our school too is our campus. It is small enough where you can't get lost, but big enough where you can easily find a spot by one of our fountains or Ball Circle and just sit down and relax during those nice Spring days.

Stephanie

I am heavily involved in the Catholic Campus Ministry and I think that it is a wonderful group affiliated with UMW. I like activities on campus especially "Cheep Seats." I think that events on campus like guest speakers are not as popular and maybe need to be publized more. There is a lot of things to do during the weekend if you want to find things to do. I think students meet their friends through their dorms and through their classes or clubs. I think the city of Fredericksburg plays an important part in giving students things to do on the weekend. There are plenty of wonderful things to do downtown and they offer a lot of great things for students.

Elizabeth

UMW is not too big on sports or frats so we find other ways of entertaining ourselves. A lot of what we do is sponsored by the clubs on campus. Some activities are doughnut sales, historic attire balls/dances/banquets, ultimate frisby, one dollar movies every weekend etc. Also, especially freshman year, most of the friends you make live in your dorm so you'll have hall parties, go out to the mall, walk downtown, do whatever. There's not too much drinking at UMW but it does happen, there are usually parties going on every Thursday or on the weekends.

Harper

see above

Bethany

Mary Washington has a strong commitment community service-- Students Helping Honduras, started by alumnus Shin Fujiyama, is one of the biggest clubs on campus. The whole school comes out every year to support the annual Walkathon, which raises money to send down to an orphanage and community in Honduras. Freshman year, everyone leaves the doors to their rooms open. After that, people seem to figure out who is in their group of friends and stick more to hanging out with them.

TJ

I'm involved in the Young Women's Leadership Program, a group in which we mentor 7th graders. It's a great way to make friends because you have to instantly trust the other girls in your group. It was a nice release, just a place to talk about your week. Students frequently leave their doors open. I met my closest friends through many of my activities and my classes. One big tradition is Devil-Goat Day, a day of food and competitions. People party quite frequently, but there's plenty to do without drinking. There are movies and plays on the weekends on campus, and frequently concerts off campus.

Ashley

Off campus, it is amazing to go downtown and look at the old shops and eat delicious food or you can go down to the river or to Central Park. On campus, watching movies is fun, playing board games has been highly underrated. On weekend nights, yeah you can find a party, but you can also avoid them if you want to. The school isn't a huge party school, but there are definitely ways to find parties and to have fun. There is no greek life as of yet at my school. It is fun to go lay outside on the lawns during the nice weather and tan while you study or you can swim in the fountain. The school plays 2 different $1 movies every weekend, and those are always worth checking out. We also have random free/cheap concerts and comedians and that is always fun. There is ALWAYS somethign to do on campus to satisfy everyone's interests.

Devin

Although most students are involved in clubs or other organizations on campus, big and small, there are students who choose to attend class and keep a part time job as their main focus and still continue to make and keep a large social circle of friends. It really is easy to make friends no matter what you do or dont do with your time on campus throughout the 4 year stay. Outside of classes our school brings many important guest speakers throughout the year, one a week at least, for free to enlighten the community. Academic departments throw parties and meetings to highlight the special interest of their students. There are parties off campus as 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students live off campus in surrounding neighborhoods. Our campus is wet, so if you are 21 you can drink in the dorms on campus, which does happen. UMW has apartments across the street which house upperclassmen and is a very popular place to have friends over for food and drinks. Old town Fredericksburg is a 10 block walk from campus and is open and welcome to students for coffee, food and concerts. Fred. and UMW have a large music scene where students and locals alike join together to give free shows every weekend.

Blake

There are a lot of clubs on campus, and there is a day every year where they all line Campus Walk so students can come by and sign-up. They could be anything from club soccer to the Women of Color, are all student run, and can apply for some money from the school (say $500 a year if you're lucky and a larger club). Sport wise we have some very good sports teams (Men's and Women's Tennis, Rowing, ect.) that are nationally ranked every year. Many people attend the basketball games of both sexes, as well as the soccer and to a lesser extent lacrosse. There is a wonderful, new tennis complex with 6 indoor courts and 12 outdoor courts. And though our tennis teams, specifically the women's, have been ranked in the top 20 for the last 2 years (this year we were 6 and made it to the Elite 8), they have very few fans outside family. This is the case with many of our teams outside the big three. In addition, the administration got rid of our Rowing Teams at the beginning of this year, though we finished the previous season ranked #7 in the nation. The problem was legitimate (loss of their training waters), but the bigger issue was that the administration made almost no attempt to reconcile the problem until a wealthy relative of one of the players stepped in. They were completely content to simply get rid of a program that was not as "popular" as say basketball, regardless of how hard the players worked and how much better they were on a national level (our Men's Basketball Team struggles to make the tournament each year). And as i mentioned before, though basketball is pretty popular, there are only two sets of bleachers in the gym (on one side), and no football or other team to rally around. The biggest activity among the students is drinking. Not to say that this isn't the case all around the country, but on Friday/Saturday nights a good portion of the student body regardless of class, is at one of the sporting houses or other upperclass houses drinking. And of course the cops come around about an hour and a half into the party to break it up anyway. And drinking is not simply reserved to the weekends, as the sports players in my hall were obserdly intoxicated on at least 2 weekdays every week as well. Though i was a Junior living with an RA, they were all freshmen. This may not bother you, which is fine, but the housing situation will. This year there are over 150 students who don't have housing yet for next fall (4,000 students go to Mary Wash, though a great deal of them live off campus), and will probably have the same fate as the students in their situation this past year, who were placed in a hotel until Residents Life 'forced triples' (putting three people in a room designed for two, which by the way are already "cozy" to begin with"). Registration of housing is much worse than for classes, and the dorms themselves are old and many have 'roach' problems.

Christina

First off, we don't have any 'official' fraternities or sororities, but that's changing. Also, we don't have a football team, but our basketball and soccer teams are pretty big. Most people end up getting involved in clubs, and we've got a lot of different stuff on campus. For example, SHH (Students Helping Honduras) is one of the biggest clubs on campus. We started SHH, and now universities all over the country have chapters too, so it's a pretty big deal. We have a LOT of guest speakers too, ranging from mathematics and the light spectrum to classics and politics, and they happen all the time, so that's definitely something to get in to. Also, there's people planning and organizing events and dances all the time, you just have to look for flyers that people put up (and they're everywhere, we have like 3 huge bulletin boards on campus, and people put event info sheets on the dining hall tables all the time).

Robin

NOTHING goes on on campus. you have to find a scene that suits you at a house or an apartment off campus if you want to go to a party. occasionally a good performer/show comes on campus but not nearly often enough.

Brian

Activities are great if you do them. People complain but its because they don't try. Im involved in groups and clubs, particularly political things and the campus is active politically. I mad friends from every walk of life from both parties through politics. There is alot to do if you want to do it. Not a big party school but better than the rep suits it. People go out all the time there is something every night you want to party but you dont have to every party to make friends. Parties are not huge, but fun house parties happen every week. They do get busted alot but its never a big deal you just move onto the next party. You are so close to DC...GO! People waste time when they could volunteer travel, walk around the historic places. Great place to run, bike, hike, fish, kayak.... many complain but they don't try.

Claire

UMW offers a lot of interesting things to do - you just have to be proactive and keep your eyes open for opportunities. They have speakers and live music on campus sometimes, but I seldom went to those since I live off campus and have a strong group of friends on my own. There is a lot to do downtown, like hear live music or go to bars. If you don't want to drink, there are a lot of programs on campus like Friday Night Dry that offer activities, like water pong, for students who don't want to drink (though I've met very few students who don't drink). There are no frats -- well there is one that's "underground" but they are pretty dumb. They throw a few good parties throughout the year, though. Around Devil-Goat Day in April (our biggest event! games, moonbounce, class competitions, tons of fun) they through a party called The White Party where they rent out a local bar and everyone dresses in white and dances. It's kind of fun. Anyway, except for the aforementioned "frat," there is no Greek life at MW which is really nice since Greek life is stupid -- why pay for your friends when I can have mine for free? But social groups kind of break up in a frat/sorority way, like with the athletic teams or certain groups, like PRISM. The school stays relatively cliquey. But they all mold and mesh really well so it's not a huge deal. When I lived on campus, I wished they had offered more legitimate kinds of activities, like things that weren't so lame. And I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY TORE DOWN THE UNDERGROUND!!! The Underground was this AWESOME coffeehouse underneath Lee Hall where students could hang out, study, socialize, get coffee, etc. They also held live music there. Now there isn't a good place for students to just chill. HUGE mistake taking that away. Real dick move.

Lindsay

The most popular clubs are probably the political groups, service oriented groups, and religious groups. We have several very active service groups who are involved in a wide range of projects. I am involved in COAR or Community Outreach and Resources, which is the largest on-campus community service group on campus. They have more than 15 weekly programs that get students involved in actively volunteering in the Fredericksburg Community. COAR also provides on-campus events for the community (like a Trick-or-Treat for kids and a Spring Egg Hunt). There is also a group on campus called Students Helping Honduras that fundraises large amounts of money and organizes trips down to Honduras over all student Holidays. Athletic events have definitely become more popular and fun to go to since I've been a student at Mary Wash. Guest Speakers are always around and are usually pretty popular, depending on the field. I've seen Madeline Albright, Senator Webber, John Edwards, Bill Clinton, several big comedians, and several big authors on academic works. We have a very active Theatre department that puts on several plays, musicals, and short acts on-campus that are very cheap for students. We also have several Acapella groups that bring other groups on-campus to perform. The dating scene, unfortunately, is a little slow. There is a pretty big guy-girl ratio gap...maybe 45-65. So if you're looking for guys, the pickings are pretty slim. I met my closest friends from activities on campus that I started doing with people I met in my dorm freshmen year. It's all linked... If I'm awake on a Tuesday at 2am, I'm studying or writing a paper. On weekends, I'm probably watching a movie or at a party. I'd say on average people party one night a week. There are people who party every night of the week, and those that don't at all, so you can find where you fit in. Frats don't exist, except for the underground one that puts on pretty fun parties at a local "club" if you can call it that. If I didn't want to go out, I could catch a late cheap seats movie for a dollar and then go to the Washroom to chill out and eat some food at late night. Off campus, downtown often has fun stuff to do, like big parades or concerts. Oh yeah, did I mention I saw Plain White T's and Lupe Fiasco on campus too this past year??

Mike

If you want something to happen at UMW, be it a protest or a poetry slam, all you have to do is go to the student activities office with a plan, and they'll help you to make it happen. During the warmer months, there is usually an activity planned for every Friday and Saturday night. The school also funds a guerilla art group on campus in its effort to erect spider webs in academic buildings and fill the fountain with rubber ducks.

Megan

there is no dating scene. at 2am on a tuesday night i'm outside my room in the lounge playing games or trying to write a paper with people on my floor. devil goat day happens each year and its awesome. there are no fraternities or sororities. and on a saturday night you wont have too much fun if youre not out at one of the two parties going on. central park is the best. i honestly dont know what students did before it was built, it has everything to do in it.

Cody

Although UMW has the reputation of everyone leaving for the weekend, almost everyone stays. The people are what makes this university, what drives the social life. There may not be as many opportunities to get shit faced as there are at say, Tech, but if thats what you wanted from college, you probably could have done that somewhere that didn't charge tuition. The lack of frats and sorors actually makes it a happier place, and so the partying is much more of a hangout/chill with your friends then a 'get plastered with creepy strangers.' I'm a guy, and even I prefer it that way.

Harper

-Most popular teams: Mens and womens (A) rugby (B) baseball / softball (C) lacrosse (D) basketball (E) swimming. -Every student for the most part leaves their doors open all day, unless they're drinking in the room haha. If they aren't open, they most certainly are unlocked, and a community atmosphere is very prevalent. This is one thing that I loved about UMW and its dorm life, although the actual dorm facilities sometimes leave things to be desired (higher shower heads!) -Athletic events are popular for the sports-minded kids. Rugby, baseball, basketball, and lacrosse are all popular events to go see. -Dating isn't as popular as the stereotypical college "hook-ups", but it's not uncommon to know kids that date. -Last weekend before I left for school I went to a few parties where everyone had a great time. I think drinking on the weekends is one of the more stereotypical college things to do, and UMW has its fair share of this for sure.

Kate

Not a lot of social life, but that's one of the reasons I chose the school.

Devin

not much activity, nice because no pressure, not very much school unity because not a D1 school...boring at times, town does not like college, is a perfect example of a suitcase school

Brett

Theatre, unfortunately, is not the most prevalent thing to do on campus, though we tried our best to get as many people as possible in the seats. At 2am on a Tuesday, you can usually find me wandering around campus talking to people. Frats are not important - hell, there aren't any of them. Devil Goat Day happens every year, as does the Multicultural Fair and tons of other stuff.

Kat

UMW does have a lot of social activities, and my best advice for people would be to get involved in them. One of the biggest organizations is SHH, which is Students Helping Hondoras." And there are a lot of volunteer opportunities through Circle K and Rotaract. Perhaps because of the university's small size, it is very easy to get involved in activities and then to acquire leasership positions in them later on. We don't have a football team, and we have Division 3 sports, so sports are not that popular. We don't have a Greek life--UMW just approved the first co-ed fraternity this year. A lot of partying can go on in the freshman dorms during Fridays and Saturdays, though I am told that in the upperclass dorms a lot of people will go home. As far as the dating scene goes, you don't stand much of a chance, since the student body is only 1/3 male. UMW has a strong honor system, so students can feel free to leave their dorm doors open or leave stuff in public and still expect to find it when they return. Sometimes people feel that the honor system is more based off of fear, however.

Andrew

Noted above

Samantha

Freshmen students leave dorm room doors open, upperclass dorms - NO. Athletic events popular, guest speakers are kind of cool, Mary Wash does have some GREAT concerts! I'm talking Ok Go, The Plain White T's, and....LUPE FIASCO!!!

Jeff

I am a member of Students for a Democratic Society, and we have about 30 members with 4 different subgroups, called working groups. I would say we are probably the largest activist group on campus, and we have people connected from all sorts of different clubs and organizations. We have people from Animal Rights Club, Ecology Club, Anarchist Social Theory Club, Labor Rights Club, Human Rights Club, Student Organizations United for Progress, People for the Rights of Individuals and Sexual Minorities, etc. We are also pretty diverse in our backgrounds and beliefs, but we all share and work on a common goal of bringing power back to the people, but we focus mostly on student issues that interlock all of our campaigns. We are a pretty active campus. We don't have much in the way of sports other than a pretty active rugby team. There is only one fraternity, and most people think it is a joke, or a ploy for horny guys to hook up with Freshmen girls.

Laura

There are tons and tons of student clubs on campus! There is a club for everything it seems like and you see what they do all over campus. Clubs are great common grounds for meeting friends. I met a lot of my friends in class after realizing they lived in the same dorm as me. We would hang out in our dorms and socialize with other residents. My door was always open and people stopped in freely. I loved that! On the weekends my friends and I would go downtown, to the mall, or central park. We would also go to parties. Greek life isn't technically allowed on campus but we have one fraternity and one new sorority. Parties are a good place to meet people and there isn't a lot of pressure when you're at them. Just go, meet some new people, dance, and have fun.

Mary

Dorms communities: Freshman year is typically the year that everyone leaves their doors open. Unless you get an air conditioned building. (AC helps the first three weeks, but isn't so great the rest of the year). Usually, the next years you keep your doors closed, and hang out with your own group of friends. Some buildings are more open (in the way that they seem more like a community with open doors) than others (Alvey and WIllard - closed; Custis and Ball - open) I met my closests friends from religious group. There is the BCM and the Grace Campus ministries (they provide free dinners once a week!!) and I got involved in a bible study group. I also went on a missions trip out of the country for Spring Break.

Ben

most popular groups are soccer and basketball, students leave their doors open freshman year and their friend base becomes smaller the door closes more and more, met most of my friends through rugby, the frat is stupid it is not real, saturday night is always drinking or hanging out with the girlfriend after the game

brittany

i am on the umw equestrian team and may i say we are the best team in the country:) we finished 7th in the nation would have been alot higher if i didnt mess up but anyways the team is amazing. i ahve meet some really great friends on it. I feel like i am part of something at school may riding teams are not sports btu at mary wash we r a recognized cersity sport which makes us feel included. in the doorms we left our doors open for a while but as we all made our friends we stopped leaving our door open because we wanted our privacy. The athletic events are well known. i mostly went to the baseball and rugby games, but the basketball and volleyball are quit popular. the dating scene is fine there are not alot of creepers , even though there is alot of gay guys there is a equal amount of cute single boys................traditions- there is the one day where we pull pranks on all the juniors and then there is initiation for soccer and basesball and rugby which is sooooo funny...faternities are not important they are quit gross so dont go to them...ewwy... we party alll the time:) and its really easy to find booze most of the time haha

Jennifer

We're big into rugby and soccer. Every event on campus has a big turn out because of the community values of support. My best friends were my freshman year dorm-mates, and we could find a great group to go out or hang out and chat 24/7. You can find rippers, but they're definately not everything here. There are always bands, karaoke, etc....

Michael

There is a broad array of clubs and NCAA sports teams, as well as club sports. Athletic events usually draw a crowd and are usually accompanied by parties. Dorm life is enjoyable and is how I met most of my close friends along with my girlfriend. People are always out and about and doors are often open. If you're a guy UMW is an oasis of feminine beauty. The school is about 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} female so dating is easy, girls I'm afraid you wont have it as easy on the UMW dating scene.

Heather

The most popular clubs/organizations on campus are COAR (Community Outreach and Resources) and SHH (Students Helping Honduras). Freshman year, people left their doors open. After that doors generally stayed closed. Althetic events, except for the games on Homecoming day and some of the basketball games, are generally not very popular. Theater productions are also not popular. While I'm sure the students in the theater department work very hard, there is a general conception that the department lacks talent. The dating scene sucks. Too many girls, not enough guys. I met my closest friends my freshman and sophomore years. One was my roommate, three others lived on my hall my freshman year, four others I met through mutual friends my Sophomore year. If I was awake at 2am on a Tuesday my freshman or sophomore year, I was probably hanging out with friends. If I was awake at 2 am on a Tuesday my junior or seniors years, I was definitely studying for a test or even more likely writing a paper at the last minute. People usually party on the weekend. In general, most student really care about their grades and academics. UMW is a Greek-free campus, so fraternities and sororities don't play a part in campus life....unless you count the fake Frat.

Quinn

The most popular groups here on campus would be the sports teams. If we are talking about club wise then it would be Giant and Class Council. On a Saturday night you can go to a cheap seats movie for one dollar.