火爆社区

Maryland鈥檚 McDaniel College is a small, private college that takes pride in making its standards for academic excellence achievable to all via an administration and staff that 鈥済o above and beyond to accommodate the needs of all the students.鈥� Everyone is guaranteed at least two experiential learning opportunities during their time at the college, and students are encouraged to assemble their own platter of courses (from the 650 offered annually) in order to design a fully customizable degree. Additionally, the faculty 鈥渨ill work alongside the students to plan out a custom major or minor that fits their education layout the best.鈥� This is exemplified by a January Term course called My Design, where first-year students identify their strengths, interests, and goals. Students also point to the availability of 鈥済reat academic support,鈥� with a Student Outreach Network designed to help at-risk students by connecting them early with the various centers for writing or STEM. That support extends, students note, to students with accessibility needs, and degree offerings include 鈥渁 powerful and well led ASL program.鈥� On a class-by-class basis, professors 鈥渒now their subjects and they are willing to help with anything you might struggle with.鈥� To keep students interested, they ensure that the curriculum 鈥淸includes] a diverse array of different teaching methods, such as discussions, lectures, and in-class activities,鈥� or 鈥渉aving a backwards-taught class where you learn the material before class then do practice problems in the class.鈥� It seems clear to students that McDaniel College is dedicated to student success.

McDaniel 鈥渋s a small, tight-knit community, where peers become close both in and out of the classroom鈥� and most everyone seems 鈥渢o have a clear goal of what they want to do here and how.鈥� Agrees one student, 鈥淭hey are very supportive and understanding.鈥� Students are also bonded by the fact that around 80 percent of students live on campus, and 鈥渁re involved not just with the college community but with the broader community.鈥� This is all the more impressive given that there are 鈥渁 multitude of students with their own identities,鈥� with one student pointing to 鈥渢he cinema program and interesting clubs like a witchcraft club, photography, our own chapter of the American Marketing Association, and a lot more.鈥� Students are simultaneously 鈥渧ery diverse in personality and very inclusive,鈥� and one proudly says that 鈥淲e are not all interested in the same subjects but [we] support each other in our individual pursuits.鈥�

Students find McDaniel College鈥檚 campus to be so beautiful that they鈥檒l find any reason to be outside, whether it鈥檚 setting up hammocks, socializing, studying, or simply 鈥渨alking around campus, [which] is very enjoyable because of how nice it is.鈥� Many 鈥渢hat go to McDaniel are athletes, and...if you aren鈥檛 on a sports team you are most likely in some type of club that takes up your time鈥�; there is also 鈥渢he option where if you don鈥檛 see a club you can always start it.鈥� The school offers a full lineup of programming through its various offices and organizations, 鈥渋ncluding weekend blitzes once per month where people go out to a sports game or a theme park or an endless amount of places,鈥� and after classes are done, 鈥渕any people participate in small events on campus,鈥� which are sponsored by the CEO (Center for Experience & Opportunity), Office of Student Engagement, and student-led clubs.