University of Maryland-College Park Top Questions

After 21 years of marriage, I ended up alone, unemployed, and at a loss. I’ve had to start my life over. The town of Augusta, GA, is mostly a medical field. So I decided I needed to go back to school and further my education so I can get back into the medical field. I’ve previously worked in the medical field but without a degree or certification, it’s extremely hard to get back in. So I made the decision to go back to school and get my Associates in Healthcare Reimbursement. This is the path to starting my new life. It’s not easy with only a part-time job, which has no benefits. I also could not afford to return to school without financial aid. Being older, I wasn’t sure this was something I could accomplish, but I’ve proved to myself I CAN do it. Since I make very little money, can only afford to rent a room and pay for few other bills, financial support is extremely important to me.

I attended Palm Beach Atlantic University my freshman year of college and lived on campus. Even though the techers and staff are above reproach and the classes themselves are fabulous, it was not the education that I found most valuable at this school. It was the on-campus experience and the family that I gained while being there that so impacted me. I made friends that I know I will be friends with for my entire life and learned so much from them. Living on campus is a terrific stepping stone into the "real world". You are away from Mom and Dad enough to make some important decisions on your own but you also have so many people to talk with and support you if you find yourself in a bind. All of the staff at PBA are approachable and helpful and make you feel like your problem also affects them. My experience getting to know PBA and it's people is invaluable while looking towards what I want to do next. They made college home and sataff family.

I am most grateful for the exposure to different world cultures through the diverse student body of McGill University.

My college experience has given me a sense of community within the campus. I feel welcome on campus and I feel as if I belong there. Maryland has a great feel to it and it makes students want to be there. This feeling is even more concentrated within ones major which gives students more support with their academics as well. There is a strong energy to succeed at Maryland, which is what drives students to do well. So from Maryland I have gotten a sense of friendship and belonging that I had not felt anywhere before. That is why I love being a Terp.

I have received many benefits from my college experience. I only truly learned how valuable the experience is after I took a semester off. I have made many friends through college, not only at classes, but also during campus events such as Little 500. I have been privileged to see and hear things that many people will never have the opportunity to. I understand the value of a college degree, and I appreciate the possibilites that come with having one. It has been valuable to attend because I am constantly working to improve myself, both when it comes to knowledge and being able to support myself. I wish to meet my true potential, and I honestly believe that the only way to do that is to have the experiences both in the classroom and on campus that will help mold me into a person that others can rely on to do my job with a professionalism that only a college experience can help me to achieve.

The most valuable thing about college is the life lesson that you learn, like the ability to be self-sufficient and learn about yourself. How do you learn and work? What allows you to be more efficient? The lesson you learn will be useful for the rest of your life. The knowledge I take from school, will allow me to succeed and advance in future careers.

College is something one cannot descride unless it has been experienced. I graduated high school from India. I attended a private british missionay boarding school where i took almost everything for granted. College has taught me to understand the value of money, friendship, parents, food, services and education- things i readily took for granted! i no longer confirm to the pattern of my childish days where everything was handed to me and i possesed a tunnel vision. My prespective of the world has changed. when i read a sentance i can interpret it in a thousand different ways as opposed to coming up with only one solution. I am independent and with that i have learnt to understand my responsibilities and duties towards the community i live in. This has only become possible because i go to college- University of Marylland College Park. A well recognized and honorable insitute, which has taught me to be the better person i am today. Possibly the most valuable thing that has happened in my life- an experience that i cheris and will continue to hold on to.

Attending college is one of the most life altering experiences one faces in a lifetime. Through attending classes specific to a major, one learns not only how to succeed in the selected job field he or she chooses, individuals also learn how to succeed as a well rounded and successful human being. In the two short years that I have attended Parkland College, the most important thing I have learned is that individuality, respect, and integrity are the upmost important values a student and person must hold. Being separated from the comfort zone of living at home with parental support has taught me that although intelligence and wealth can get one relatively far in life, one will not achieve near as much without being an unique and honest person. As a young woman I hold my academics very highly, however with the increasing maturity level in which has resulted from achieving a higher education, individual values are much more important than factual knowledge and degrees from prestigious universities. The most important lesson of college is that without individuality and a strong moral core, success is mere materialistic.

Upon entering University of Maryland College Park, I did not know what to expect. Coming from a predominantly white high school in Baltimore, I did not have the opportunity to interract with various people of even more varying backgrounds and experiences. I have come to experience different thoughts on politics, relationships and life experiences in general. The college atmosphere has provided me with a sense of maturity and insight as to how people think, what they value and what sorts of morals govern their lives. By attending college, I have come to realize some of my own values and morals simply by interracting with others. I began to realize what I DO NOT want as part of my life's experiences and what I DO want. This, to me, is the most important and valuable lesson to have learnt in college so far. The ability to gain control of my life and not be influenced easily because I am secure in myself and my choices is the best way to triumph over the temptations of college life.

While I have learned lots from my (overpriced) textbooks, I can say truthfully that I have learned just as much from my other collegiate experiences as I have from the content of my books. Living away from home at college is the first step to becoming truly independent from your parents. I learned how to budget my time, engage in safe behavior and be responsible without having the parental safety net to make sure I wouldn't fail. From a select few of my professors I have learned how I want to be as a human being. I see in these individuals a brilliance that exceeds mere intelligence. These people are wonderful people who have purposeful, driven lives. They work every day to further their knowledge and to pass a little piece of that along to the next generation. To learn and to teach is one thing, but some of my professors have gone far above what is required of them. They generously give their limited time to students simply because they care. In whatever profession I end up having, I aspire to have the same passion and compassion in my daily life.