By Sofia Appolonio and Joe Wicke
Freshman year of college is a trial run of adulthood and independence. It is often students’ first time away from family, friends and the safety net of home. But the unique opportunity to broaden your experiences and meet like-minded people is unmatched.
“The beauty of UMD is that it is absolutely huge,” said freshman finance and management major Carleigh Mahaney. “You’re gonna find someone who matches your energy and who you want to spend your time with.”
For Mahaney, the opportunity to get to know someone new is always presenting itself and her interactions so far have been nothing but positive. The University of Maryland aligns perfectly with her dream to attend a school with “brick buildings and white pillars and a ton of people.”
Mahaney shared a favorite memory of her freshman year exploring Washington, D.C.’s various murals with friends in the Honors Humanities program. She said she was surprised by the amount of on and off campus opportunities apart from the “insanely good academics.”
“There’s so much to do, there’s always people to hang out with,” she said. “The best decision that I have made was deciding to come to Maryland.”
Jordan Richard, a freshman finance and theatre major, enjoys the newfound sense of freedom and the opportunities for personal growth as a university student. He also reflected on meeting new people from all walks of life.
“It was the first apartment party I went to fall semester, where I got exposed to pretty much every major, every grade, from all different backgrounds in one space where we could all hang out … and just share common experiences and joys,” Richard said.
The university’s size is exciting for some, but can be intimidating to others. Freshman public health practice major Madelyn Kinney was “terrified” coming to this university because of its size. But with any big school, there’s the possibility to “make it smaller,” she said.
“I think my favorite part about being a freshman at UMD so far has been all the opportunities it has to offer,” Kinney said. “It really just feels like this one big playground for young adults, where you can kind of do whatever you want and explore different interests and talents.”
Kinney said she’s enjoyed the chance to be in clubs, such as The Petal Project and Public Health Beyond Borders, which have been a great opportunity for her to meet new people and interact with the campus community.
“You’ll be able to find your little niche within this big school,” Kinney said as advice to incoming freshmen. “Keep your options and mind open to everything.”
Richard’s advice for incoming freshmen is to say hi to everyone and remember everyone is experiencing similar feelings of nervousness. He’s looking forward to making more memories with his theatre peers and gaining more networking connections at this university.
For Mahaney, she said to enjoy all the university has to offer.
“It’s nice to know that there will always be people to meet, always be things to do in these next four years,” she said.
