The characteristics and attitudes of 982 incoming freshmen who attended 2-day orientation programs at the University of Maryland, College Park, were compared to those of 566 incoming freshmen and 378 transfer students who attended 1-day orientation programs. The University New Student Census (UNSC), a 78-item questionnaire consisting of demographic and attitudinal items, was administered during the 2-day freshman orientations, while a shorter version of the UNSC consisting of 20 items, was administered to participants of the 1-day orientation programs. The shorter version included five items designed to gather information from transfer students. Unlike those who attended the 2-day sessions, students who attended the 1-day orientation programs tended to come from slightly less affluent families, planned to live off-campus, and planned to work at an off-campus job during the school year. Students also differed significantly in their reasons for deciding to go to college, for choosing the University of Maryland, College Park, in particular, and in the reasons they might foresee for withdrawing from the university. Students who attended the 1-day programs were also different in terms of the types of careers they chose and their plans after graduating from college. The average age of transfer students who attended the 1-day orientation was 22 years, and 50 percent of these students transferred from other 4-year colleges. Additional views and also characteristics of the respondents, including sex, race, and income are reviewed. (SW)