Student perceptions of the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus (UMBC) as well as student interactions with the campus were studied through a formal needs analysis. It was found that UMBC students were fairly pragmatic and career-oriented, based on their reasons for attending college, their choice of UMBC, their current employment, and their problem areas. For about a third of the students, UMBC was their only choice of colleges. The three primary reasons for attending college were: to obtain a better job; to prepare for graduate or professional school; and to meet new people. Twenty-four percent lived on campus and 76 percent off campus. Four percent of the students had one or more children requiring child care; about 28 percent were employed on campus, and 45 percent were employed off campus. Females and black students appeared to be less involved at UMBC, and each of the campus gathering places had its own distinctive student subgroup that it attracted. In addition, there was a sizable subgroup of students who were uninvolved on campus, some of whom were not interested in spending more time on campus. There also were important gaps between students' needs for help in certain areas and whether they actually received such help. (SW)