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UND gives you the opportunities to participate in a wide variety of activities outside of the class room. It really is all up to you. There definitely "clicks" on campus and it can be hard to meet new people if you are not involved in activities outside of class. The big thing is that you need to take initiative to make your experience here what you want it to be, no one else is going to do that for you. Aside from having fun one of the biggest problems that I have with UND is the administration. Dealing with the registrar's office, business office and financial aid can be a royal pain in the ass. This is one area where NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU. You can go to three different people with the same problem and get three different answers. If they don't want to deal with you they will simply tell you that the person you need to talk to is out of the office. Yeah, it has happened to me more than once.
The reason why I choose UND is because it is a large campus where you can always keep meeting and getting involved in different activities. It is an ever changing atmosphere but you can always find a strong familiarity. The campus is also small enough so that you can run into people you know every day and can build up great relationships with faculty and with other students.
Ashley Sophomore
The best thing about UND is that it's a large school but it still has the feel of being a tight knit community. There are some 12,000 students here but I run into people I know everywhere I go. I think the size is just right in that regard, it makes me thankful that I didn't end up at a very small school. When I tell people I go to UND, they ask if I party alot because the school has that stigma about it. But when I tell them about my classes and activities they realize there is much more to it than that. I spend most of my time on campus in my various classrooms, on breaks or after class is done for the day, I go to one of the several coffee shops to study. I think UND is definitely positively impacted by being a college town, you get the sense that the city of Grand Forks really cares about the school and the businesses and community refelcts that. The biggest controversy on campus is the drama over the Fighting Sioux name and logo. But, I find that this has only increased school pride.
Laura Sophomore
The size of the campus is just right! There's not so many people that it's crowded but still enough that you can meet new people everyday. We have quite a few foreign exchange students which is really great to meet people from other areas of the world. I don't think students expect that from this part of the country. We are also so close to Cananda we get quite a few Canadians! The biggest controversy is the Fighting Sioux nickname. There is alot of pride attatched to the name and what has been achieved since we've had the nickname. But slowly it's becoming an issue that everyone is realizing is just detracting from continuing to move this university forward. Too many people misunderstand the issue and the people are getting sick of the debate. Grand Forks is growing, adding a nightlife downtown that did not exist a couple of years ago... If you want a city that hasn't outgrown itself yet then Grand Forks is the place to be!
Kristen Junior
UND is a good school, size is nice but it could be bigger. I would make the costs less, i'm sure there are some things that could be cut out of the budget. When I say I am going to UND, people are surprised because I am liberal. The only reason I have stayed is because it is less expensive than the schools I would transfer and I plan on studying abroad at least twice to get experience- I am an Anthropology major and want to graduate with a good grip on reality and life, and how people are in different cultures. I spend my time on campus working in a coffee shop, in my sorority studying and sleeping, and in class. Yes Grand Forks is a college town, but a small one. UND administration seems to be okay, but they should cut the Greeks more slack and try to make things less expensive. Run things by the students before doing them (parking ramp off of University by Union). And give the Professors their parking spots back. Controversies on campus that I encounter are about beliefs, for an example the war. Yes there is definitely a lot of school pride. My sorority life is something I will always remember, along with a few classes that I have taken which have changed my life. Student complaints are about parking, and the costs of school, (tuition, attendance, books).
Amanda Sophomore
The best thing about UND is it's a very simple complex. The classrooms are all pretty much set down University and not just bunched together like other universities I've been to. I really wouldn't change anything about this aspect except for parking, there is limited parking for where I live. There is 1 giant parking lot for me to park in, and it seems like all the really decent spots around campus that are close to the buildings are "A" lot parking (faculty parking). I think UND is just the right size. It's not too unbelievably big like The University of Minnesota. I run into roughly 12-15 of my friends while walking to and from 3 classes I have throughout each day. You can really get to know almost everyone on campus. When I tell people from back home that I go to UND they're all big eyed because I'm going to a school that's over 300 miles away from home, and it's a more credible university. Other kids that I graduated with are going about 30 miles away from home for their higher level education. And a lot of them are going to the "typical" schools in the area. When I tell them I go to UND I seem to get more respect for actually "going places." Well to be honest, I spend a lot of my time in the library, or in my dorm room studying, playing games, or just hanging out with friends. I'm not on campus all that much either. I go to friends houses that I know from classes, or that used to live with me in the dorms. It's definitely a college town. Everywhere you go you can find apparel for UND, and hockey is HUGE up here. Being it's our only Division 1 sport at the moment. Also, Grand Forks isn't as big as most people would think, there's the college, and main street, then there is a bunch of high schools. That's about it. UND's administration could use a bit more... well a bit more. The Math department is really struggling with teachers. The current physics class I'm in, you can't understand the teacher worth jack, and he goes so fast you can't really keep up with what he's teaching. Everyone in that class is really dumbfounded when they leave for their next class. But the other departments seem to be doing O.K. The foreign languages (spanish) is also in need of some improvement, but that's a different story. Well there really hasn't been that big of a controversy on our campus but we're trying to move all of our sports over to Division 1, and that's causing a lot of problems for everyone here at UND. Parking ramps are going up (but they're exclusive, needing to pay $300 for a pass, PFFT!) the credit amount for athletes is changing (which is a real pain in the***considering we've been on the D2 schedule for the last couple years and now we have to change) School pride is huge. On nights when there is a hockey game in town you won't find anyone on their couch or really on campus because they're all at the game, or they're trying to find tickets at the last minute. The Englestad Arena is really something to see. The 2nd most prestigious rink in the world usually draws a crowd. The football games are the same story, considering for the football games UND student's get in for free with their ID's. Well you just have to get used to the people up here, in general. They're a different breed and I've had my moments where I just can't stand them. But overall they're genuinely good people. They're always willing to help you out, and when I go places with people they never lock the doors to their car. They "don't see the need" So crime isn't really big up here. Which is really nice.
Alan Junior
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