Orono, ME: As senior year quickly approaches, the big decision of where to go to college lurks. At a college fair I recently attended with my high school class, I became aware of the wide array of choices I have after high school. Of all the school presentations I viewed, though, the one by the University of Maine was the most impressive.

Founded in 1865, the University of Maine is a public university located in the small town of Orono, Maine (population 10,000). Only five miles from the campus is Bangor, the third-largest city in Maine. With an enrollment of approximately 9,000 students, the University of Maine, Orono is the largest state school in the university system.

UMO offers students over 75 majors and over 500 undergraduate courses as well as the A.C.E. (Academic Career Exploration) Program. This specialized course helps those students who are undecided about a major narrow their possible choices. By allowing students to be in close contact with professors in their areas of interest, they can learn firsthand what courses are like. With this help, students become informed about (as well as turned on or off to) a possible major choice.

Academics aren't the only thing on the mind of a student at the university, though. Many enjoy taking part in the wide array of sports offered on a varsity or intercollegiate level. The sports include basketball, baseball, football, track, and soccer, as well as the NCAA Championship hockey team, to name a few.

If athletics isn't your thing, don't worry. UMO offers many student-run organizations and clubs. There are fraternities, sororities, a student government, and a college-level band program.

Do you just enjoy being social? UMaine has something for you, too. "Bumstock," a weekend set aside in the spring, is just one of the on-campus "theme" weekends that allow students to get to know each other as well as get better acquainted with people they already know. During these weekends, students enjoy music, people and, of course, on-campus pranks and fun.

Students live on-campus their freshman year in their choice of co-ed or single sex dorms. After their freshman year, students have the choice of staying on campus or moving to one of the off-campus apartments all located in close proximity to the school.

Out-of-state tuition is $15,490 which includes tuition, room and board, books, and a few personal expenses. For in-state residents, the cost is only $10,040.

I would highly recommend a visit to the University of Maine, Orono for anyone interested in a college that offers more than athletics and academics, but an experience as well. f



Review by H. D., Searsmont, ME


Reviewed in 1994