Student Profile
Sam
- Class: Junior
- Major: Journalism
- Gender: F
- High School: Canyon High School
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
I like the atmosphere of this school. It's not a perfect university, but I'd never regret coming here. The campus is huge and you can walk around and be completely anonymous, but head to an area where everyone will know who you are. Maryland itself is very historic and beautiful. Outside of campus can get shady, though. Safety is a concern of mine, but there are services that students can utilize, like the shuttles and police escorts. Things should get better once the local developments start up. College Park will be the best place to be in ten years. For now, we have class here and go out in DC. At least the metro stop comes here. That's convenient, especially for those of us who don't have cars.
Academic Life
Academics really depend on the department you're in. I'm a journalism major, where the class sizes are tiny. In one class I'm taking this semester, there are eight students. That environment barely feels like class. Everyone just sits around the table and chats like we're old friends. The professors within the journalism department have either been in the business for years or are still working. I'm friends with the broadcast teachers. In my experience, they're all very helpful. I'd have no problem going into their office to shoot the *** for a while. It takes a while to get to this stage though. Students in other departments have large class sizes and have to work hard to get to know their professors. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.
Student Body
Most Maryland students are in-state students. You have a lot of people from Jersey and New York as well. There are large numbers of blacks and Jews. But you see more out-of-state students who come to be a part of certain academic programs. The Greeks stick together. You can spot one from a mile away. The guys wear polo shirts and khaki pants, the girls wear large sunglasses and ugg boots. It can get annoying if you're not one of them. Politically passionate people can be found ready to lobby in DC, but you also have people who don't care. For the most part, the campus is fairly liberal. However, there's a group for everyone, political or not.
The Best Things
You can feel the Terrapin pride in the air.
The Worst Things
We're diverse in numbers but not in practice.
