The University of Maryland is a historically popular destination for students at this school after graduation despite mixed opinions on whether the University is too similar to this school or not. Four alumni from this school offered their opinions of the University after acclimating there.
One common concern for people choosing to commit to the University of Maryland is seeing all of the same people. It seems to be true that people with roots at this school see each other on campus at UMD. “I see Kelly almost every day, but other than that, I see Wootton people around campus every now and then. It’s always nice to see a familiar face walking to class or at the dining hall,” Common Sense editor-in-chief emeritus and 2024 alum Maria Sofronas said.
Despite this, there is intermixing with people from the past as well as new people. “Even though I see Maria every day, all of my other friends are new and from different states. It was so comforting to have a close friend, especially at the beginning of the school year, but also since UMD is a big school, there are so many people to the point where it doesn’t feel like high school at all. However, I absolutely love seeing familiar faces at the dining hall and being able to catch up with classmates from Wootton,” 2024 alumna Kelly Ren said.
The different cultures people come from is prominent for others as well. “You’ll meet a lot of different kinds of people from different places. At Wootton, everyone is kind of in the same bubble. You know everyone lives in the same area and has sort of the same life. At UMD, I’ve met dudes from Frederick and most of their friends from high school don’t even go to college, they go to trade school,” 2024 alum Zo Singh said.
In addition to the varied demographics of people who come from many geographic locations, the size of a public state school such as Maryland offers all the difference. “The biggest way that the UMD community differs from Maryland is its size. When I was at Wootton, I felt like I knew almost everyone at school. But UMD is so big that I might go an entire day without running into anyone I know on campus,” 2024 alum and Common Sense editor-in-chief emeritus Kate Hawley said.
The culture at UMD is unique in the sense that people work hard to have the freedom of exploring and having fun. These values seem to work in perfect tandem. “My favorite part about Maryland is how balanced everything is in terms of academics and social life. During the week, I’m always studying for my classes but on the weekends there is always something to do with my friends. It’s different from Wootton because even though I’m taking six classes, since they don’t meet every day, I have much more free time to do what I want. I can go to class but then still have time to go to the gym, do homework, be involved in clubs, and hang out with my friends,” Ren said.
The students say they appreciate the culture at UMD. “My favorite part of Maryland is definitely the culture the school has to offer. There are always so many things going on around campus and there’s always something to do whether it be a sports game, club event, or social outing, it is a good time overall. I also have really enjoyed meeting so many new people while on campus. I’ve made tons of new friends and connections and the best part about this year is just the spontaneous adventures we go on here and there,” 2024 alum Gurnoor Sodhi said.
