Frequently Asked Questions
Prospective Student Housing
What is the Cambridge Community and where is it located relative
to other major facilities on campus?
When I participate in College Park Scholars, am I required to
live on campus?
If I am a College Park Scholar and plan to live on campus, am
I required to live in the Cambridge Community?
What do I need to do if I want to live on campus?
As a College Park Scholar, how will my room assignment and roommate
in the Cambridge Community be chosen?
When will I learn my roommate and housing assignments?
As a College Park Scholar, can I choose to have a roommate who
is not in the Scholars program?
I want to live close to a religious center on campus. Is this
possible as an incoming freshman student, and would this restrict my participation
in College Park Scholars?
What are the common features of a residence hall room in the
Cambridge Community?
What are the common features of a residence hall floor or building
in the Cambridge Community?
Where are the closest dining facilities to the Cambridge Community?
What is the Cambridge Community Center?
What is the Cambridge Community and where is it located relative to other major facilities on campus?
Cambridge Community, home of the College Park Scholars, houses about 1,500 first- and second-year Scholars and other students. Cambridge Community includes 5 residence halls, a community center, and a Snack 'n' Shop store. Centreville and Cumberland halls are eight-story, "dormitory-style" high-rise residence halls. Bel Air, Cambridge and Chestertown halls are four-story, "dormitory-style" low-rise residence halls. All five buildings are on North Campus, home to about 5,000 students in 11 residence halls.
Cambridge Community is close to The Diner, Campus Recreation Center, North Gym, and the Computer and Space Sciences Building. It is also within a three- to five-minute walk from most classes in engineering, math, health education, physics, kinesiology, computer science, and the biological sciences and from the Comcast Center, home of Terrapin athletics.
Most other freshman students are assigned in North Campus residence halls (one- to five-minute walk from Cambridge Community) or in North Hill residence halls (12- to 15-minute walk) near the Stamp Student Union.
When I participate in College Park Scholars, am I required to live on campus?
No. While we believe that doing so will enrich your experience at the University of Maryland, living on campus is not required. Scholars who choose to live at home are invited to participate in all Scholars activities, will still have classes in the Cambridge Community Center, and will have access to their faculty members' offices in the Cambridge Community residence halls. For more information on participating in College Park Scholars when living off campus, please contact Martha Baer Wilmes , Associate Director for Student Affairs in College Park Scholars.
If I am a College Park Scholar and plan to live on campus, am I required to live in the Cambridge Community?
With the exception of freshmen Scholars in the Life Sciences and Media, Self and Society programs, you are not required to live in the Cambridge Community; however, it is highly recommended. By living in the Cambridge Community you will have more opportunities to interact with other Scholars, you may share some courses with your roommate or floor mates, and you will enjoy easy access to the Cambridge Community Center and faculty offices.
What do I need to do if I want to live on campus?
Scholars who want to live on campus must request residence hall housing by May 1. Scholars who want to live in residence halls other than those dedicated to the College Park Scholars program (i.e., other than Bel Air, Cambridge, Centreville, Chestertown, and Cumberland halls) should make such requests to the Department of Resident Life via reslife@umd.edu by June 30.
As a College Park Scholar, how will my room assignment and roommate in the Cambridge Community be chosen?
In most cases, Scholars will be assigned to rooms on floors that have been designated for their program:
Scholars Program |
Residence Hall |
Advocates for Children |
|
Arts |
|
Business, Society & the Economy |
|
Cultures of the Americas |
|
Earth, Life & Time |
|
Environmental Studies |
|
International Studies |
|
Life Sciences |
|
Media, Self & Society |
|
Public Leadership |
|
Science, Discovery & the Universe |
|
Science, Technology & Society |
If you have a friend who is in another Scholars program, we suggest that you each take different roommates and live on your designated program floors. All Scholars rooms are close to one another, on other floors and in adjacent buildings.
If you do not make a roommate request to Resident Life via reslife@umd.edu by June 30, you will be "matched" with another Scholar who reports having your same smoking, sleep, neatness and/or study habits.
When will I learn my roommate and housing assignments?
Room assignments are made and posted to Resident Life's website early in August, about three weeks before move-in day for the fall semester. The posted information will include your building and room assignment, telephone number, mailing address and your roommate's name, phone and University of Maryland e-mail. You should contact your roommate as soon as you learn this information.
You should expect to have a Scholars student as your roommate. However, spaces remaining on your floor after all Scholars have been accommodated, if any, will be assigned by Resident Life to other incoming freshman students.
Triple and quad rooms for three or four students are the last rooms to be assigned. Triples and quads will be assigned to students, including Scholars, whose housing requests are received closest to May 1 or after May 1. Housing requests may be submitted separately from your enrollment confirmation.
As a College Park Scholar, can I choose to have a roommate who is not in the Scholars program?
Yes. If you have a friend who will be living on campus but is not in a College Park Scholars program, we suggest that you take an assignment in your Scholars program rooms and that your friend ask Resident Life via reslife@umd.edu for an assignment in the nearby Ellicott or Denton communities. If you and a friend want to be roommates, you should each make such a request to reslife@umd.edu by June 30. Space permitting, attempts will be made to assign you as roommates on your program's floor. If this cannot be done on your program floor, you and your friend will be assigned to rooms on other Scholars floors or buildings.
I want to live close to a religious center on campus. Is this possible as an incoming freshman student, and would this restrict my participation in College Park Scholars?
On our campus, religious programs, centers and chaplains are located a considerable walking and biking/riding distance from the Cambridge Community. This distance can be challenging, particularly if you will be participating in a kosher meal plan and getting your meals in the Hillel Jewish Student Center. With the exception of those incoming freshmen students in the Life Sciences and the Media, Self & Society programs, which require all freshmen residents to live in Cumberland Hall, some students in this circumstance ask through reslife@umd.edu to be assigned within the North Hill or South Hill residential communities. Being assigned within another residential community in no way restricts your participation in Scholars' activities.
What are the common features of a residence hall room in the Cambridge Community?
Your room will have solid oak furnishings. You will have a regular twin bed, four-drawer dresser, desk with drawer and shelf, and desk chair, as well as your own telephone line, data line and cable line. Your room will have at least one window with blinds, overhead light, closet space, smoke detector and sprinkler. Your room and all common areas in the building, with the exception of study lounges, do not have air conditioning. Student rooms are not carpeted. For most rooms in the Cambridge Community, a 10' x 12' carpet or rug is among the items that roommates should discuss and bring to campus.
What are the common features of a residence hall floor or building in the Cambridge Community?
Each Scholars residence hall is coeducational, with men and women living on opposite wings of a floor. A typical floor plan has rooms for up to 32 students and one or two common baths. Each program's lounge is furnished for study, socializing, floor meetings and special activities sponsored by residents, the live-in residence halls staff, and your program faculty. Your Resident Assistants are mostly third- and fourth-year students, many of whom earned a citation after successfully completing College Park Scholars.
Scholars program libraries and faculty offices are located on the first floors of the residence halls. The College Park Scholars main offices are located on the first floor of Cumberland Hall. Support and security, as well as a local incoming mail center, is also available through the customer service desks located in Cumberland and Centreville Halls. Each of these desks is supported by a team of Community Assistants and is open 24 hours/day.
Where are the closest dining facilities to the Cambridge Community?
You'll have most of your meals in The Diner, a two-minute walk across grassy "LaPlata Beach" from Cumberland Hall. Hours are 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 midnight, Mondays through Thursdays; 7:30 a.m. - 7:15 p.m. Fridays; 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Saturdays; and 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 midnight Sundays. On class days, you will get most of your lunches in the South Campus Dining Room, the Stamp Student Union eateries or other Dining Services locations.
Within the Cambridge Community Center, the North Campus Snack 'n' Shop offers salads, sandwiches, sushi, baked goods, soft drinks, snacks, grocery items, health and beauty aids, and school supplies. Hours are 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Fridays; and Sundays 5:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. (closed 3:00 p.m. Fridays through 5:00 p.m. Sundays).
What is the Cambridge Community Center?
Centrally located to the 5 residence halls, the Cambridge Community Center (CCC) offers space for classes and College Park Scholars programs and activities. Three technology classrooms support the academic and community activities of College Park Scholars by providing access to state-of-the-art learning tools. The entire building is equipped with wireless access to the internet and is available to students for studying when classes or activities are being held. The Cambridge Community Center is typically open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m. It is closed on Saturday.
