Michelle
As a large state school, Maryland may seem intimidating to students that are accustomed to growing up with the same group of friends in the same town. However, Maryland features so many different niches of opportunity, that it is easy to create a small community of friends within campus. Yet, you are never short of a chance to meet a new friend.
As is the same with most colleges, the experience is what you make of it. Maryland has an incredible variety of experiences available to its students, with your imagination and chosen schedule being the only limit! It IS possible to double major while engaging in a service fraternity and tutoring middle schoolers on the side, with time to spare to head to that men's soccer game on Friday night. School pride at Maryland runs deep, and no matter who you meet, there's a good chance that they love being here as much as you do.
The proximity of the University Maryland to Washington D.C. is one of my favorite parts about the school. I appreciate having a college campus to call my home, and I certainly prefer it over a college situated in a city, where it runs the risk of lacking any semblance of a campus environment. However, a short metro ride will take you right into downtown D.C., where you can explore the Smithsonian museums to your heart's content without spending a penny on admission. Besides the usual tour of the monuments, other parts of the city including U Street, Dupont Circle, and Adams Morgan are great hang out spots to catch lunch, see some guerrilla street poetry slams, or get in on a drum circle. And no matter how crazy your day in the city was, you can always return to College Park and spend a more low key day hanging out on McKeldin Mall.
Zahir
The best thing about Maryland is the campus--which is beautiful--the access to prestigious professors and opportunity to contribute to their research, and proximity to Washington DC.
When people hear I'm a student at Maryland, the response is typically positive. Its a great, old institution which is grows infinitely faster than it ages. There are constant new developments, and many major projects that students beginning 2014 will benefit from.
We are also very well known internationally, and attract a large base of international students. Our prestige as a research institution and proximity to DC, I believe, is responsible for this.
The school is very large. Are you used to being a number among many? It's a great place for someone that is comfortable being part of a large population. You will make great lifelong friends, and meet tons of great people throughout your time here. Your academic and extracurricular associations will make Maryland a smaller, more personal place. I eventually recognized more than half the people I see when out at nights.
There is a lot of school pride, regardless of whether teams are performing well or not. University of Maryland is famous (infamous?) for their fashion sense and school pride being inseparable. Everyone wears Maryland-branded apparel all the time. Generally comfort trumps looking good when it comes to fashion sense, and I think it highlights the priorities of the student body. Down to earth, friendly people, rarely caught up in material things.
College Park is absolutely a college town, where our lives and lifestyles are heavily directed by goings on here in our zip code. Despite its proximity to DC, most students spend most of their time here in College Park. This is in reference to professional and social life. There are reasons for this: in College Park, you can hang out and party on the cheap. Everything is significantly cheaper in College Park than in DC. Additionally, DC is 30 minutes away, more expensive, and you have to return home within Metro transit hours. Still, it's there and accessible to those who want to visit. Its an incredible city with its museums, architecture, historical landmarks, awesome nightlife and international crowd. I do it every weekend!
Zahir
The best thing about Maryland is the campus--which is beautiful--the access to prestigious professors and opportunity to contribute to their research, and proximity to Washington DC.
When people hear I'm a student at Maryland, the response is typically positive. Its a great, old institution which is grows infinitely faster than it ages. There are constant new developments, and many major projects that students beginning 2014 will benefit from.
We are also very well known internationally, and attract a large base of international students. Our prestige as a research institution and proximity to DC, I believe, is responsible for this.
The school is very large. Are you used to being a number among many? It's a great place for someone that is comfortable being part of a large population. You will make great lifelong friends, and meet tons of great people throughout your time here. Your academic and extracurricular associations will make Maryland a smaller, more personal place. I eventually recognized more than half the people I see when out at nights.
There is a lot of school pride, regardless of whether teams are performing well or not. University of Maryland is famous (infamous?) for their fashion sense and school pride being inseparable. Everyone wears Maryland-branded apparel all the time. Generally comfort trumps looking good when it comes to fashion sense, and I think it highlights the priorities of the student body. Down to earth, friendly people, rarely caught up in material things.
College Park is absolutely a college town, where our lives and lifestyles are heavily directed by goings on here in our zip code. Despite its proximity to DC, most students spend most of their time here in College Park. This is in reference to professional and social life. There are reasons for this: in College Park, you can hang out and party on the cheap. Everything is significantly cheaper in College Park than in DC. Additionally, DC is 30 minutes away, more expensive, and you have to return home within Metro transit hours. Still, it's there and accessible to those who want to visit. Its an incredible city with its museums, architecture, historical landmarks, awesome nightlife and international crowd. I do it every weekend!
Zahir
The best thing about Maryland is the campus--which is beautiful--the access to prestigious professors and opportunity to contribute to their research, and proximity to Washington DC.
When people hear I'm a student at Maryland, the response is typically positive. Its a great, old institution which is grows infinitely faster than it ages. There are constant new developments, and many major projects that students beginning 2014 will benefit from.
We are also very well known internationally, and attract a large base of international students. Our prestige as a research institution and proximity to DC, I believe, is responsible for this.
The school is very large. Are you used to being a number among many? It's a great place for someone that is comfortable being part of a large population. You will make great lifelong friends, and meet tons of great people throughout your time here. Your academic and extracurricular associations will make Maryland a smaller, more personal place. I eventually recognized more than half the people I see when out at nights.
There is a lot of school pride, regardless of whether teams are performing well or not. University of Maryland is famous (infamous?) for their fashion sense and school pride being inseparable. Everyone wears Maryland-branded apparel all the time. Generally comfort trumps looking good when it comes to fashion sense, and I think it highlights the priorities of the student body. Down to earth, friendly people, rarely caught up in material things.
College Park is absolutely a college town, where our lives and lifestyles are heavily directed by goings on here in our zip code. Despite its proximity to DC, most students spend most of their time here in College Park. This is in reference to professional and social life. There are reasons for this: in College Park, you can hang out and party on the cheap. Everything is significantly cheaper in College Park than in DC. Additionally, DC is 30 minutes away, more expensive, and you have to return home within Metro transit hours. Still, it's there and accessible to those who want to visit. Its an incredible city with its museums, architecture, historical landmarks, awesome nightlife and international crowd. I do it every weekend!
Zahir
The best thing about Maryland is the campus--which is beautiful--the access to prestigious professors and opportunity to contribute to their research, and proximity to Washington DC.
When people hear I'm a student at Maryland, the response is typically positive. Its a great, old institution which is grows infinitely faster than it ages. There are constant new developments, and many major projects that students beginning 2014 will benefit from.
We are also very well known internationally, and attract a large base of international students. Our prestige as a research institution and proximity to DC, I believe, is responsible for this.
The school is very large. Are you used to being a number among many? It's a great place for someone that is comfortable being part of a large population. You will make great lifelong friends, and meet tons of great people throughout your time here. Your academic and extracurricular associations will make Maryland a smaller, more personal place. I eventually recognized more than half the people I see when out at nights.
There is a lot of school pride, regardless of whether teams are performing well or not. University of Maryland is famous (infamous?) for their fashion sense and school pride being inseparable. Everyone wears Maryland-branded apparel all the time. Generally comfort trumps looking good when it comes to fashion sense, and I think it highlights the priorities of the student body. Down to earth, friendly people, rarely caught up in material things.
College Park is absolutely a college town, where our lives and lifestyles are heavily directed by goings on here in our zip code. Despite its proximity to DC, most students spend most of their time here in College Park. This is in reference to professional and social life. There are reasons for this: in College Park, you can hang out and party on the cheap. Everything is significantly cheaper in College Park than in DC. Additionally, DC is 30 minutes away, more expensive, and you have to return home within Metro transit hours. Still, it's there and accessible to those who want to visit. Its an incredible city with its museums, architecture, historical landmarks, awesome nightlife and international crowd. I do it every weekend!
Alexandra
I love being a Terp! People are great, I learn a lot, sports are fun. It's an all around great school to be a part of!
Chineme
The University of Maryland is a great school that provides numerous opportunities and benefits for its students. I love the diverse population, outstanding faculty, and great location (We are very close to D.C. and have our own metro stop). Before attending the university, I had been intimidated by the large size of the campus and population. However, the university has a strong sense of community and school spirit, similar to the camaraderie found in smaller schools.
Chineme
The University of Maryland is a great school that provides numerous opportunities and benefits for its students. I love the diverse population, outstanding faculty, and great location (We are very close to D.C. and have our own metro stop). Before attending the university, I had been intimidated by the large size of the campus and population. However, the university has a strong sense of community and school spirit, similar to the camaraderie found in smaller schools.
Stephanie
I absolutely love this school!! We are ranked amongst the best universities both regionally and nationally, in fact we are the 17th best public school of the United States. What I love about my school is that there is a niche for everyone. I didn't even think it was possible to have so many clubs and organization for every taste and passion. I also love the fact that we have such a wide variety in the student body, you are just as likely to find the coolest person ever there as you are to find the person that is kind of weird but doesn't care at all and you respect them for it. It is indeed a big school, but like I said before it is definitely possible to find your niche, JOIN A CLUB and get involve you are sure to make this school seem a lot smaller with the right people around you. As for the town around the campus, well College Park was built around student needs, from the bars, the Chinese place that seems to never close, to the numerous restaurants that accommodate student's budget. Also I have nothing bad to say about the administration. The Diamondback, our newspaper, keeps us informed on all the major decisions concerning the school, and there is always a way to have your voice heard on any decision, whether it be as a member of the Student Senate or at a open forum organized by the school. Now school pride, well we are terrapin which are tiny turtles, and yet our slogan is "Fear the turtle", plus Testudo can roar like a lion. How awesome is that? There are a lot of good hang out space too, Stamp is home to all the commuters, and you often see them catching up on some Z's there. As for me, I like to hang out at the farm, and yes we do have an on-campus farm with real animals. I am an Animal Science major so I guess that kind of explains it.
Stephanie
I absolutely love this school!! We are ranked amongst the best universities both regionally and nationally, in fact we are the 17th best public school of the United States. What I love about my school is that there is a niche for everyone. I didn't even think it was possible to have so many clubs and organization for every taste and passion. I also love the fact that we have such a wide variety in the student body, you are just as likely to find the coolest person ever there as you are to find the person that is kind of weird but doesn't care at all and you respect them for it. It is indeed a big school, but like I said before it is definitely possible to find your niche, JOIN A CLUB and get involve you are sure to make this school seem a lot smaller with the right people around you. As for the town around the campus, well College Park was built around student needs, from the bars, the Chinese place that seems to never close, to the numerous restaurants that accommodate student's budget. Also I have nothing bad to say about the administration. The Diamondback, our newspaper, keeps us informed on all the major decisions concerning the school, and there is always a way to have your voice heard on any decision, whether it be as a member of the Student Senate or at a open forum organized by the school. Now school pride, well we are terrapin which are tiny turtles, and yet our slogan is "Fear the turtle", plus Testudo can roar like a lion. How awesome is that? There are a lot of good hang out space too, Stamp is home to all the commuters, and you often see them catching up on some Z's there. As for me, I like to hang out at the farm, and yes we do have an on-campus farm with real animals. I am an Animal Science major so I guess that kind of explains it.