University of Maryland, College Park
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Public Health Science
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Male
Summary
I did HERO (Health and Education Relief Organization), where we traveled to Guyana South America to do health education. I was also part of Greek life and Club Baseball.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school in Glen Rock, New Jersey with about 175 students in the graduating class. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Public Health Science
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I did HERO (Health and Education Relief Organization), where we traveled to Guyana South America to do health education. I was also part of Greek life and Club Baseball.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
Club Baseball and Greek life made such a big school feel smaller. A lot of people say going to a big school is overwhelming because it’s a big college town, but finding your niche in some different clubs, Greek life, or even a service fraternity is a great experience. It brought me closer to all my buddies whether they’re from Maryland, California, New Jersey, or all over the place.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your Public Health Science major?
There’s a set curriculum for the electives you take, and since I declared at the end of sophomore year, they go through the remaining two years with you and prepare you for what’s going to happen with lab work and whatnot. I started out as a general Biology major, which had a lot of labs, but once I declared Public Health Science it went across the whole spectrum. It goes from environmental science, health policy, numerous science labs, biostatistics. They really incorporate epidemiology and different sections of public health science to allow you to spread out once you graduate. I’m going the clinical route, applying to physician assistant graduate schools. It gives you the clinical, environmental, health policy backgrounds.
Is there anything you the Health Science department does especially well or especially poorly?
When I first declared, it was a relatively small and unknown department, but now it’s grown to the fourth largest major on campus. The number of student-teacher interactions, labs, and the variety of courses has been increased. This was amazing because it allowed people to know what path they want to take. Otherwise, what they could improve on is having a set path. So, if somebody wants to do PA, there could be a set curriculum for that where a student could hit all the prerequisites for PA school. They could also do a better job on policy paths. Some courses overlap with different majors, and they’re trying to fix that.
Can you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s competitive or collaborative?
It’s definitely competitive. I know people in majors all across the board at Maryland, and it’s competitive, but also very collaborative. There’s a whole bunch of team building activities, a lot of classroom interaction, and group projects. They really try to bring the whole class together, which is good.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
Coming in as a freshman at Maryland, I was part of the Global Public Health Scholars Program, and I had no idea what public health was at the time. After those two years, I got an academic citation showing I was in the program. Going through that under general Biology, I didn’t really know what path I wanted. Public Health Sciences seemed like the right path for me because I can learn about various things. I can go for a master’s program while also focusing on my clinical wants with physician assistant school. It drew me in for its diversity and the various coursework such as labs in outside school settings. I’m beyond happy with it, even as a post-graduate now.
Reasons to Attend
1) The high academic standards of Maryland. Every year it’s in the top ten nationally-ranked public schools.
2) The social life. You have apartment parties, house parties, bars, and day drinks. You make so many friends doing that.
3) Game days. Sports are a big thing for students and alumni. There’s a huge Greek life tailgate that all Greek members are welcomed to. You can reserve parking spots and they’re huge events. [see Diamondback column on IFC Tailgate],
4) Living in an area where you have two huge cities that always turn out internships and jobs. Baltimore and D.C.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you don’t like the feeling of having to bring [such a big school] down to a smaller size, then it might not be the best school for you. It is a huge campus.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Centreville Hall with 1 roommate.
Sophomore: Fraternity housing on fraternity row with 28 other people. I only had one roommate.
Junior: Off-campus house with 7 other guys. I had one roommate.
Senior: Off-campus house in a single.
What was your favorite living situation?
Having my own room was amazing, but I definitely recommend as a freshman coming in to have at least one roommate, whether you know the person or if you go random. That was one of the biggest things because then his buddies from his classes would come over, and my buddies would come over. It helps build your network.
Can you describe the level of safety you experienced on and around campus?
The safety was phenomenal living on campus. There was always a patrolling community. There are people in cars, walking around, and Maryland has the Blue Light system at every corner. There are numerous apps that help students. Living off-campus is a little different. I felt a little less safe, especially because some of my neighbors had robbery situations. Most housing off-campus have security systems, and the times where there might be some issues are over breaks.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
The College Park Diner. It’s a way up the road, but Sunday hangover meals there were some of the best. For a restaurant going out for dinner in town, I was a college kid on a budget, so I basically lived at Chipotle or Dominos.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Tuesday nights at Bowlero. There are $2.22 beers, shoes, and games for bowling. We’d bring a bunch of guys out there and have a good time. There are a bunch of parks that we’d go hiking in around the area, and the train ride to D.C is literally 15-minutes. There’s a metro station right in Old Town that we’d walk to. We’d go to Baltimore for an Orioles or Ravens game, or D.C. for a Redskins game. I love living in the middle of two major cities.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
When I joined a fraternity, it was mainly house parties in Old Town. Your freshman year you go to a lot of apartment parties. Once you join Greek life it’s a lot of house parties and day drinks. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays we go to bars. Two or three more bars were coming out as I was leaving. It’s packed, and it’s a great time.
What have been your favorite days and nights at UMD?
I’d say Turf Tuesday is one of my favorite nights. The Saturday day drinks in Old Town, and the Thursdays and Fridays when we’d throw Greek life parties.
Do freshman boys have trouble getting into parties?
During rush the freshman boys are more than welcome. We’re always trying to find new members to rush. After that, freshman guys do have some trouble, especially in Greek life, but apartment parties are always open. I know a bunch of people go to bars.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
It’s a big part of it, but the community at Maryland is around [17%] Greek, so there’s still a large percentage that’s doing great. I’d say Greek life has an impact on the people who want to go Greek. Going into school I didn’t want to do Greek life, but my roommate did, and he brought me around and I met all these great people.
How happy are you with the nightlife? Is there anything you would change if you could?
It’s pretty fun. There isn’t anything I’d change asides from having more security when crossing the streets. They’re starting to figure that out because there are lots of drunk people walking around.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met some of my closest buddies freshman year, whether it was my friends in class or my hall setting. Also, some of my friends were my roommate’s friends. I’m still super close with my roommate. We both shared a network of friends and ended up joining the same fraternity.
How would you describe the overall social scene at UMD?
It’s a big bar school, and when you’re younger, a big apartment and house party school. It hits on all three. You build the social scene of how you want it. You have to go out there and meet people and make connections. I think it’s very welcoming for a freshman to come in and have a good time.
How would you describe the student body?
I’d say the student body is about [53% to 47%] guys to girls. It’s extremely welcoming and diverse from all over the country and the world. It’s more diverse than I see in my hometown, which is great. I’ve met people from Canada, Japan, and China. [In Fall 2018, about 75% of undergraduates were in-state students, and 50% of students are White.]
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
They mix great. Personally, all of my classes were diversified, and even Greek life is way more open with it. My fraternity had a bunch of members from different sexual orientations join, and they’re very welcome. You see some discrimination, but you just have to be inclusive. That’s a big thing now, and I think Maryland does a great job at this.
Do people generally seem happy with their choice of UMD by senior year? Do people leave loving your school?
Oh yeah. The alumni association and the continual access that students have to Maryland is phenomenal. It becomes a second family. I know for years to come I’ll be going back to homecoming games. It becomes a home, and that’s why I fell in love with it. I never thought about transferring.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Not me, but a few of my friends found jobs through the alumni network in New York City. I’m not looking for a job right now because I’m studying for my graduate school exams.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
A bunch of people use it, but I mainly used the online version to find my internship, Career4Terps. You make an account and put in your major, where you’d like to intern, and general fields. A bunch of links pop up, and it’s a more connected version.