University of Maryland at College Park
Located between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, the University of Maryland offers students a suburban lifestyle within easy reach of big-city experiences. The flagship campus in College Park, which has its own subway stop on the D.C.-area Metro transit system, is often considered a commuter school. Accordingly, freshmen do not have to live on campus. There are more than 500 clubs and organizations on campus, including about 35 fraternities and sororities that involve approximately 15 percent of the student population. Students looking for additional activities can visit the university's "Free Stuff @ Maryland" website, which offers a comprehensive listing of presentations, events, and movie screenings with no admission charges. Sports also offer year-long distractions, as the Maryland Terrapins are notorious competitors in the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference. The mascot, Testudo, is a Diamondback terrapin-a species of turtle that is the official state reptile. One of several Testudo sculptures on campus sits in front of the graduate library, , and rubbing its nose is thought to bring good luck, particularly before exams.
