Posts tagged University of Maryland
University of Maryland, Willemijn de Boer, post #2
Hi all!
This is my second post of my exchange at the University of Maryland. With already 14 weeks in, I’m getting to know the American student lifestyle a little better every day. One thing of American universities which is a little different to European ones, is the big offer of clubs you can join. And with big offer I actually mean huge offer, since the university has more than 150 different clubs. Think of something you like or you’re good at, and there is probably a club for it you can join. Since I have been rowing during my time in Delft, I decided to join the rowing team of the University of Maryland. Especially for the sports clubs of the university, joining means that you’re willing to commit a significant amount of your time for the club. However, since I get along with all the girls from the club very well, I am glad that I made this decision. The university takes care of a big part of the funding of the sports clubs, which means that most of them have the best uniforms and sports equipment. We practice together for race days, which take place all over the East coast. This also gave me the opportunity to enjoy lots of beautiful American river sides!
Besides from clubs, the University of Maryland also has a big Sorority/Fraternity culture. It is quite similar to the Dutch association culture, however, Fraternities and Sororities are social organizations with single-sex memberships. This means that boys join fraternities, and girls join sororities. At the beginning of the year, both sororities and fraternities start pledging people, which means that you notice the stereotypical Greek letters all over the campus.
For exchange students it is quite difficult to join, since you’re only here for one semester. However, you are able to join most of their parties and visit their houses, which is very much fun if you are a bit familiar with American university movies (which actually are perfect representations of the real deal).
One of the things I enjoyed most during my Exchange in the States is the opportunity to travel a lot. Because flights are relatively cheap, we’ve been to many places already, including Boston, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Chicago. Most of these trips are weekend city trips, which means that we’re back by Monday on campus to be able to attend our weekly lectures. In two weeks we’re taking a quick study break in Miami, right before the finals start in our last week on campus.
I would definitely endorse everyone to go on Exchange in the United States. American college life is something you definitely want to experience once in your life! Of course it is very thrilling being far away from your friends and family, but as everyone here is in the same place, you make new friends in no time. With these people you experience a lot during your exchange, in order to make many unforgettable memories to take home afterwards! I learned a lot during my exchange, and I will never forget about the incredible times I’ve had here at the University of Maryland.
All the best,
Willemijn
Willemijn de Boer, University of Maryland, post #1, Arriving on campus
Hi everyone!
My name is Willemijn de Boer, I am a third year TPM student who now studies at the University of Maryland for this semester. The University of Maryland (UMD) campus is located approximately 20 minutes from Washington D.C.
As you may hear from other Exchange students, it is hard to imagine what it would be like to study abroad. Since I went to the United States, I expected everything to be bigger and better: this expectation turned out to be quite close to reality. The campus is huge and after 8 weeks I still manage to get lost when walking back from class… With almost 40,000 students living on the UMD campus (twice the number of students enrolled at the TU Delft) you feel like being part of a big community with many events and activities going on. As an exchange student you are very well accepted into this community of American students, as long as you tell them everything about your home country. What the USA is for European students, is Europe for American students!
University of Maryland campus
Most of the exchange students here live on campus. In my opinion, living on campus is what contributes highly to my study abroad experience. I got very lucky that I was assigned to a very spacious apartment with a kitchen, together with three American girls and two other exchange students. Most of the on campus students share bedrooms with another student, but since my Italian roommate is also an exchange student we get along very well and I am very happy that I got her as my roommate.
Another feature of American campus life is the possibility to subscribe yourself into a meal plan. Although this meal plan is quite expensive (around $20 a day), I can recommend every future UMD student taking it. It gives you the perfect opportunity to get over your day together with all your friends and you never have to do any cooking or grocery shopping. With this meal plan, you can enter the dining hall anytime a day and get as much food as you want. This ‘Anytime Dining Plan’ tends to be a proof of discipline, and as we don’t want our moms to be negatively surprised when walking into the airport arrivals hall at the end of December, we try to keep it to only three meals a day.
Studying in the United States is an amazing experience and I am so happy that I have been given the opportunity to go here. At first I had to get used to the American accent of most of my American teachers, but since the education program gives you lots of possibilities to ask questions and get familiar with the class material, passing courses is not very difficult. The difficult part however is finding time for studying, as all the exchange students want to join every activity and see every American city. We travel a lot and that’s what makes the experience even greater.
All the best from College Park and I’ll keep you posted during the second half of my semester!
Willemijn
Philadelphia
New York City
Jenneke Bijpost – University of Maryland, Post # 1 , The Beginning
Hi everyone!
In 2013 I started as a student at the Technical University of Delft, majoring in Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management. Now, 2 years later, I am at the beginning of my minor. This Fall-semester, I will be at the University of Maryland, taking courses in Civil Engineering. My name is Jenneke Bijpost and over the next couple of months I will give you an insight into my life as an exchange student at the University of Maryland.
My adventure in the United States started at the end of July. I had an opportunity to work on a project in Holland, Michigan for 2 weeks and before I made a trip to San Francisco for a week. So when I came to the University at the end of August, I was already a bit used to a couple of things like American English, time difference, American opportunism, American food and suchlike. Nevertheless, my first week was a week full of experiences. I met my roommate (yes, I share a room), went to Washington DC and explored the city from a canoe, saw my first American Football game, found out the difference between a Dutch soccer game and an American one and a lot more! A couple of days ago I booked a flight to Chicago for next weekend with a group of students. To be short, the American life is full of opportunities.
Last week was my first week with classes. There are some really big differences between the Dutch school system and the American one. The classes here are a lot smaller (around 40 people per class) and you don’t have one test at the end of the semester but a lot of graded homework, pop-up quizzes and projects. Before you even can start thinking about your test, you already build up about 80% of your grade. Interaction with the teacher is really important and because of the size of the classes, the teacher recognizes you from the class before. In some courses your grade is even partially based on your appearance and energy in the class.
Over all, I am having an incredible time over here. The courses are really interesting and I am learning a variety of subjects at one time. There are so many opportunities for activities outside school! I am really looking forward to the next couple of weeks!!
Jenneke
Alisa Silven, University of Maryland, Post #3: Saying thanks & goodbye
Hi all!
Before all the studying for finals started, there was Thanksgiving at the last weekend of November. I was very lucky that two of my roommates asked me to go with them to their families to spent a real American Thanksgiving in their families’ houses. It was exactly as I expected it to be: a lot of food! Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, everything! These days were great and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to experience this.
Currently I’m almost done studying for the finals. Last week and this week I made three essays, five final exams, handed in three projects and did three presentations; it has been quite busy. Unlike the finals in Delft, the finals here don’t make up 100% of your final grade for the course. Homework, attendance, quizzes, midterms and projects together count for approximately 60-80% of your final grade, depending on the course. Even though the finals don’t have such a big influence on passing or failing the course as in Delft, you still need to put a good amount of effort in it, in order to remain a good letter grade. One bad final can bring your grade down from an A to a C (from a 10 to a 6, converted to our grading system).
Now I’m almost done with all my courses, it is time to say goodbye to all the friends I made here. It is so strange to say goodbye to people you lived with or spent so much time with, maybe I’ll never see them again (I don’t hope so though!). For now, I’m going to enjoy my last days here at the University of Maryland and then I’m off for a vacation, to return to Delft, where the “normal life” will start again.
Bye!
Alisa Silven, University of Maryland, Post #2: Traveling, Studying & Combining
Hi all,
It has been a while since my first blog post, but in the meantime I have done so much, here is a small update!
I think I can say that I’m used to living as a student in the USA now, combining studying with doing several fun things; it is getting better and better. Since my last post I’ve visited Boston, completed four midterms, had a million quizzes, homework assignments and project deadlines, turned 21, celebrated Halloween the American way, and visited New York City with my parents.
A new experience for me: midterms! I am not used to the American way of studying, learning definitions, and theory by memorizing the exact words in the exact sequence, but in the U.S. I have to. This required me to develop a new way of studying. In the end, it turned out well and I passed all the midterms.
On October 29th, I turned 21, which means I’m an adult in the U.S. now. Two days after my birthday, was Halloween. Since Halloween is not a big deal in the Netherlands, I was curious about the celebration of Halloween in the U.S. Well, it’s a huge thing here. Everybody wears his or her costume (even to class!) and celebrates Halloween not only on the 31th, but also on the 30th, and the 1th of November (actually it is more like a HalloWeekend).
On Wednesday the 5th, my parents came over! I showed them around campus, Washington DC, and we spent the weekend in New York City. It was amazing and we saw so much in just a short time!
Bye!
DC seen from the Lincoln Memorial
NYC from the Brooklyn Bridge
Visiting MIT in Boston
Alisa Silven, University of Maryland, Post #1: First experiences
Hi all!
My name is Alisa Silven, a bachelor student at the Delft University of Technology. My major is Technology, Policy and Management, but this semester I’m studying Civil Engineering at the University of Maryland. With blog posts I want to give you an insight into the life as an exchange student in the United States.
At August 26th I flew into Washington Dulles International Airport and my abroad adventure started!
The first week all the exchange students had an orientation week. It started on campus; it was so huge! We’ve also visited D.C. and went to our first football game; I didn’t know these games were so long (we left after halftime, after a solid two hours!), but fortunately we won! It was an amazing experience; everyone wore red or something with the print of the Maryland state flag, there were fireworks after every touchdown and during halftime the marching band performed. I always heard everything in the United States was big, and it is true; even the marching band consists of 600 students!
I have planned trips with the group of seven international girls I met during orientation week. We are often visiting D.C.; we have done the Capitol Tour, seen the Washington Monument and the White House, gone on a shopping trip and had a night with diner and drinks at the busy U-Street.
Last week we went to our first Baseball game: the Washington Nationals versus the Miami Marlins. Unfortunately we lost, but it was a great experience. Baseball is also a very long game, the game started at 7 and ended at 11 PM!
All these activities are a lot of fun, but I have to study too! The educational system differs a lot from that in the Netherlands. Each week I have a million deadlines, (homework) assignments, discussions, quizzes, midterms, projects and finals. Studying in the United States is hard work, but combined with the fun trips and activities, it has been an amazing experience!
I’ll keep you updated!
Jenneke Evers, University of Maryland, post #2
Life as an exchange student means experiencing living in another culture, speaking a different language, learning in a different style, but mostly meeting wonderful people from all around the world. In our first week at the university (which seems like such a long time ago already), all the international students were able to join activities to get to know each other and the university. We went to a baseball game in Washington DC where the Washington Nats were playing against the New York Mets. Our university is connected to the metro-network of the capital, so it’s easy to go to DC to have dinner, go out or go sightseeing. Together with my best friends (Fid from Istanbul, Mili from Buenos Aires and Irene from Valencia), we visit the city a lot. Washington DC is the capital of the United States and has a lot of government buildings and memorials. The city is different from other cities, because it does not have a skyline. The Washington Monument is officially the highest building in the city and no other building can be higher than the monument (169 m, not that high!).
Besides all the fun stuff, the main reason that I am here is of course to study. I am signed up for five courses, of which 3 in the transport engineering and 2 in international business and cultures. The style of teaching is much more school-like and personal, compared to my university. Classes of 30-40 people, homeworks and weekly quizzes are the standard. All the courses last the whole semester, so I just finished some midterms and in the last week, I have my finals. Time flies!
Bye, Jen
Jenneke Evers, University of Maryland, post #1
Hello lovely readers,
I was asked to write a little story about life as an exchange student. Let’s introduce myself first; I am Jenneke Evers, a 20-year old bachelor student at Delft University of Technology. My major is Technology, Policy and Management with a specialization in Transport Engineering. Normally I live in Delft, but for this semester I decided to follow my dream and move to the United States of America!
I arrived at the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park in August this year. College Park is a small city in the south of Maryland near the Washington D.C. area. When I first arrived at the campus of the university, I was overwhelmed by the size and the charm of the campus, it is like the movies! The whole campus is centered around the McKeldin Mall, which is a green area with university buildings on the sides and the McKeldin Library at the end. The campus hosts around 9,500 students who live in residence halls and apartments and has its own swimming pool, recreation centres, theatre, shops, sportfields and football-stadium with a capacity of 54,000!
In our first week, we went to a football game between UMD and Florida, which was great, including all the cheerleaders, marching band, fireworks and the national anthem! To be honest, I did not know the rules of American football, but living on campus, you learn them fast enough.
The colours of the UMD are red, gold and black, and to be a true Maryland student, you need to have at least several Maryland shirts, sweaters and shorts. So, immediately after the arrival of me and my roomie Fidan (from Istanbul), my american roommate showed us around campus and took us shopping to buy a Maryland-shirt and shorts.
In the next post, I will tell you all about my international friends and the first week of lectures.
Adios, ciao, tschuss, bye, see you later! Jen
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