Maryland and its Many Schools

I’m sure many of my classmates will agree with me when I say that Penn State is the best school ever. However, the State of Maryland is also home to some pretty great schools. From large schools, like University of Maryland, to smaller schools such as Mount Saint Mary’s, Maryland colleges have a lot to offer. Each school has its unique qualities that make them a great place to learn and thrive.

Our premier state school, the University of Maryland, was founded in 1856 in College Park, Prince George’s County. About 37,000 students attend this major university studying a variety of different majors. Maryland offers over 100 undergraduate programs and 120 graduate programs. In addition to its educational excellence, the University of Maryland is also in a fantastic location. Its proximity to Washington D.C. allows students to participate in amazing research opportunities and internships. Its location also allows students to easily make trips to Annapolis and Baltimore. Furthermore, Maryland has also earned recognition for its outstanding performance in athletics. In 2014, Maryland became a member of the Big Ten Conference and has excelled as a first year conference member, specifically in basketball. Both the men and women teams have dominated the court. In 2006 the Lady Terps won their first NCAA title and are expected to dominate the tournament again this year. But basketball is not the only sport that Maryland excels in; lacrosse is a fan favorite and one of Maryland’s top programs. The women’s lacrosse team has the most national championships in the nation, including their most recent win in 2014.

A photograph of the beautiful Maryland campus.

Speaking of lacrosse, another local lacrosse powerhouse is Johns Hopkins University. The Blue Jays dominate the lacrosse field year after year. The men have 44 national titles and draw fans in due to its rivalry with Maryland. This rivalry dates back to 1899 and the two teams have played each other 111 times. But lacrosse is definitely not all Hopkins has to offer. Johns Hopkins is well renown for its rigorous academics and serves as one of the most prestigious universities in the nation. Johns Hopkins is very selective and earning admission is a competitive process. The Hopkins family remains in Baltimore today!

The Johns Hopkins lacrosse team celebrating their victory.

While University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins are two very well known universities, Maryland also has some smaller universities with a lot to offer. For example, Mount Saint Mary’s is a small, Catholic university, located in Emmetsburg, Maryland. While its academics and lacrosse team are definitely brag-worhty, I personally enjoy the history of Mount Saint Mary’s. For example, in 1842, the famous composer, Henry Deilman, arrived at Mount Saint Mary’s to serve as a teacher. Deilman is known for the inaugural marches of Presidents William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor as well as the funeral march for Marquis de Lafayette. Interestingly, one of Mount Saint Mary’s students was a cast member on stage at Ford’s Theatre when President Lincoln was assassinated.

A photo of Mount Saint Mary's historic campus. 

Maryland  has so many other great schools to offer that it would take me days to write about all of them and their accomplishments, but I’m sure you can see just from these three examples that the universities in Maryland have a much to be proud of and many wonderful things to offer their students.

http://msmary.edu/admissions/visit-campus/get-to-mount/

http://www.umd.edu

https://www.jhu.edu