Approximately 40 students who attended Off-Campus Student Services' First-Year Commuter Retreat in August 2012 were invited to have a comfortable, informal conversation with Dr. Hrabowski over dinner on October 8th. During introductions, students expressed their favorite aspects of UMBC as well as voiced some concerns.

Generally, attendees at the discussion and dinner admire their professors for being sincerely invested in students' academic and social success, and they enjoy the challenging undergraduate coursework. Attendees also admire their diverse UMBC peers for being open-minded, friendly, and studious, making study groups easy to form. Further, not only are UMBC's campus buildings strategically placed for pedestrians, but the environment is serene and scenic.

Parking was the main concern of the dinner's attendees to which Dr. Hrabowski offered some advice. He suggested arriving to campus before or after the 10AM - 2PM period, as it's the most crowded time of day at UMBC. Additionally, students overlook available parking at the Technology Research Center (TRC) which is serviced by UMBC Transit's Wave & Ride shuttle every 15 minutes.

If you have any suggestions for other first-year commuter students related to parking, please join the discussion below.