A sample of 1,183 new freshmen entering the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), who had attended a two-day freshman orientation were polled on their opinions and background characteristics. Half of the students were male, half female; the majority (86 percent) were white and had been raised in predominantly white suburbs. Two-thirds reported having at least a B average in high school, and over 50 percent planned to live on campus. Among other findings are the following: 28 percent of the students chose UMCP for academic reasons, 25 percent for its geographic location, and 16 percent for its relatively low cost; UMCP was the first or second choice of colleges for 82 percent of the sample; although 79 percent believed that UMCP has a good academic reputation, 41 percent also indicated that they considered it a "party" school; 60 percent of the students indicated that their most important current educational objective was learning skills directly applicable to their career goals. Cited reasons for college attendance included: (1) its importance as training for a career, (2) the extracurricular aspects of college, (3) desire for the pursuit of knowledge or cultivation of the intellect, and (4) recognition of the role of higher education in emphasizing individualistic interests. On social issues, the entering freshmen surveyed tended to be noncommital in that 52 percent were neutral about whether UMCP should actively recruit blacks, and 40 percent were neutral about whether the university should use its influence to improve social conditions in the state. (Author/LB)