University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

I will graduate from one of the top special education programs in the country. In an era of financial uncertainty, budget cuts, and scarce jobs, my special education degree from the University of Maryland will give me an edge over other post-graduates looking for teaching jobs in my area. The program at this school is well-respected and I have been able to make connections with teachers and school administrators through internships, alumni, and my professors. More importantly, the University of Maryland has given me the knowledge, experience, and confidence that I need to achieve my goals of becoming a special education teacher. I love being part of a small, competitive program. I have built valuable relationships with professors and my other students that are founded in our common goal to education students with disabilities. My professors are honest about the current problems in the education system but they are also optimistic about the future of special education and our ability to change it. I will graduate from college knowing that I am well-equipped to pursue my dreams and to make a positive difference in the lives of students with disabilities and their families.

I've learned that it doesn't matter what other people think about you. It's about what you feel inside about yourself. In high school, I used to worry about what people thought of me. Now that I'm in college, I realized that it's my opinion that counts, no one else's. I have to follow what my heart tells me to do. I can't follow what everyone else is doing. So I have to be myself and do what I feel is right. I've also learned that I'm responsible for myself and my education. No one is going to push me or make me do my work. I have to make myself do it so that I can be successful. I have that drive now to help me accomplish all my goals.

College is an amazing experience. Living on your own and discovering who you are suppose to be is valuable reasons to attend. I've met so many wonderful people with worldly knowledge and have opened my eyes to things I would have never discovered in my small hometown.

By attending University of Maryland to pursue a degree in Political Science, I have learned that the world does not function in absolutes. Through written assignments and oral presentations, I have discovered the complex factors that are essential for a democratic society to function. For instance, tolerance and respect towards differing ideals in philosophies and customs are some of the many factors that have allowed me to grow as a student. Learning U.S. colonial history helped me comprehend the political conundrums faced in order to establish a free nation. University of Maryland College Park has given me the resources and opportunity to achieve an academic goal neither my parents nor their parents had the opportunity to attain. A Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Politics is a crucial step to enable me to pursue a career in public service. This, in turn, will allow me to become a well-rounded scholar and researcher in the future.

From a young age, I was taught to never underestimate the value of a college education. My parents ensured me that their success stemmed both directly and indirectly from their higher education. Directly, because networking and establishing connections with professors, mentors, and students provides employment and career opportunities. The indirect effects of a college education are more abstract. College requires each student to reach inside themselves to discover what truly motivates him/her and defines each as an individual. I have found that my first semester has provided a foundation of a network as well as simultaneously required me to delve into my interests to arrive upon my major of choice. Had I not been given the resources and experience of my first semester of college, I believe that I would be in the same rut I was in this time last year: confused and contradicting myself with the endless career possibilities. The true value of college is its aid in an individual's self discovery.

College is much different from high school. It's alot more like real life. You have to make your own decisions and you are completely responisble for everything you do or don't do. College is much better than high school, since people actually want to be there and learn, you then get to do alot more and learn alot more. College is a great place to start meeting and networking with people...who knows maybe I will have been best friends with a future noble prize winner, or award winning writer or artist, or even the next president.

“Go on a horseback ride,” she said. I had an essay due the next day; I hadn’t even started. “Go,” she insisted again. I’m not sure why I walked toward the mudroom and laced my boots. I was a straight-A student and terrified. Once in the foothills, I began to notice the crisp fall scents. My mind became focused on my horse’s movements, muscle after strong muscle carrying me in an unwavering rhythm. I looked at the trees around me, golden flames underneath the Utah sunset. I nudged my horse slightly; she sensed that I would not hold her back: soon, together, we galloped, strong stride after strong stride, across the burning countryside. When I returned home, my essay was finished in about half an hour. Of it, my white-haired, frail professor stated: “I have never seen such an excellent essay.” In my nontraditional educational path, I have traveled through the countryside of universities: I have attended four separate institutions. From them all, I have learned that balance—in home, community, health, life—increases my learning aptitude. I have also found strength from applying those things I learn to currently improve lives—mine and others’.

In three and a half years of college experience that has taken place in more than one academic institution and program, I have grown greatly both academically and as an individual. Graduating from a small High School I was a young and dependent student that only had a very general knowledge of a limited amount of subjects. I only had a very limited amount of the independence I craved and was not ready for the professional work environment. Now after three and a half years, my college experience has provided me with the knowledge and confidence to be able to enter the professional work environment and instantly make positive contributions to my future work environment. This confidence comes from not only the learned knowledge on academic subjects I have gained through college but also the growth I have seen in myself from the period I graduated High School until now.

College is the first step to the real world. There are no more gates surrounding the school, no bells, and one can leave at any time. This is a conisderable change from high school because of all the freedom. Freedom is grand, but it comes with great responsibility. College has been a pleasant experience so far. It has allowed me to meet interesting people, challenge myself and has made me question what I want out of life. It has made me feel accomplished even though I have yet to graduate because I know all the hard work put forth will be repayed in the future, regardless of how demanding or impossible the jorney may seem. Without college I would probably not have such significant goals and dreams of one day being sucessful. Due to lack of money I can only attend part time, but I've enjoyed it because I know I am lucky to go part time rather then no time at all. I'm optimistic that I'll finish the 2-year college I'm attending and soon enough transfer to a University and be the first college graduate in my family.

So far my college experience as been a lot of work. I've been keeping my nose-to-the-grindstone, as my parents would say. It's paid off because my GPA is good, I've been getting a lot out of my classes, and have been meeting fellow students from all walks of life. This year, I moved out of my mother's house and am sharing a house with 3 other guys. It is a different world, being out in the world as an adult - trying to balance school and work and paying the bills. It's a good feeling, but scary sometimes. I want to be able to manage on my own and not have to move back home, but sometimes it's hard to balance it all. My mother can only afford the tuition, so I'm paying for my books and living expenses. I want to take on more hours at work to be able to do this, but then my grades will suffer. It's a balancing act!!