Never heard of McDaniel College in Westminster, MD? It is what college consultant’s call a “hidden gem”, an institution of excellence that has much to recommend it, but it has stayed “under the radar”. McDaniel is about 30 miles from Baltimore and 50 from Washington DC, nestled in the mountains, with a small town feel and big city opportunities. Founded in 1867 as Western Maryland College and renamed for 1980 alum, professor, administrator, parent and trustee William R McDaniel, little McDaniel throws a big academic punch.
Like many of its CTCL sisters (Colleges that Change Lives) McDaniel is on a 4-1-4 schedule. What this means is that Fall Semester has 4 classes as does Spring Semester, but there is a one month January term which can utilized for special projects or study abroad worth 1 course. McDaniel has a campus in Budapest, so perhaps January would be a great time to go study in Hungary. Also worth noting, “Emphasis on students working together—collaboration, not competition. Faculty-student collaborative research yielded 125 research projects in 2005-2006.
High acceptance rate at first-choice professional schools (including medicine, law, and advanced studies in numerous fields).
Students at McDaniel are extremely bright and unassuming, and they love the school. Our tour guides were infectiously happy, and everyone had a great time on the tour (which is what you want in a college tour). The campus is under constant improvement, and the new Leroy Merritt Fitness Center (a couple of years old now) is a an incredible sight. It sort of reminds me of the glass pyramid at the Louvre, a modern glass wonder in the middle of traditional architecture. It works (and it has everything!).
McDaniel helps new students by requiring a First Year Seminar, and the instructor of that seminar is the student’s advisor/mentor. The mentor assists the students in all aspects of college life. During sophomore year most students change their advisor to a professor within their major, but not always. McDaniel also offers terrific academic support for all students, and a fee based comprehensive program for LD students called the Academic Skills Program. The ASP offers:
Consultations with learning specialist on a weekly basis (including skills tutoring)
Specialized career development information – Juniors and Seniors
Use of supervised study lab with access to computers
Learning style and study skills profile and assessment.
Evening use of the SASS Office for supervised study sessions
Special study opportunity with Dr. Henry Reiff 1-3 credit hours (optional)
Oh, and the Baltimore Ravens come to McDaniel for training camp every year. McDaniel also has a ghost named Harvey in the theater building. McDaniel ranks in the top 50 institutions nationally in terms of the number of alumni per capita who earn Ph.D.s in biology and biochemistry. Interested? Check out McDaniel College and tell them Tam sent you!
