1. The Question

Why did you come to Maryland? What brought you here? This was your first choice? These are questions I get daily from native Marylanders. My typical answer is that I wanted to experience a different part of the country; I’ve lived in the same house in Connecticut my entire life and I needed to get out. That, however, is only part of the reason.

The other reason, I came to Maryland was that it has everything I was looking for in a school. I wanted a campus with a giant green field, aka Mckeldin Mall. I wanted obvious school spirit, and even though it wasn’t tailgate season when I visited I still felt it. And finally, I wanted a place that felt like home, and UMD was that place.

2. Everyone says what county they are from

When I meet someone knew, one of the first things I ask is where they are from. It’s an easy conversation starter, especially when you end up knowing some of the same people, and a thing everyone does in college. If I ask anyone outside of Maryland where they are from they will tell me the state and town they are from, the answer I expected. But when I ask anyone from Maryland where they are from, they will tell me the county they live in. I soon realized how much pride they have in the county they grew up in. From HoCo to PG to MoCo, I will now forever understand what Marylanders are saying when they say these phrases.

3. I know way more about Baltimore than I should

Roland Park, Beth Tfiloh, McDonogh, Park, Boys Latin, and Gillman: only a handful of the Baltimore schools I have learned about since coming to Maryland. I learned everyone knows everyone in Baltimore, no matter what school they went to because at some point, they went to elementary or middle school with that person. I also realized that Baltimore City is different than Baltimore County; previously I thought Baltimore was just Baltimore. Let’s just say, as a girl from the coast of Connecticut, I’ve learned too much about this area of Maryland.

4. Beach Week

What’s beach week you ask? I had the same question. Well, around high school graduation, seniors spend a week in Ocean City, or any other beach town, living it up with their friends and celebrating their graduation. I think I learned about beach week within the first 24 hours of my time at UMD because literally everyone from Maryland, which is most of the school, goes to beach week. It seems like a great way to spend the last few months with your high school friends, and will probably be one of the most memorable weeks of your childhood--I wish I went, if you couldn't tell.

5. Only talk about crabs that are from Maryland

My dad makes the best crab cakes I’ve ever had, but not according to anyone from the Old Line State. When I tried to explain how good they are to anyone from Maryland, I was immediately shut down. “Have you even tried the crab cakes here? No? Oh, just wait and try one, you’ll see.” Maryland is known for its incredible crab, so I don’t really argue with people when they say it’s better in Maryland. I still have yet to try the crab, and when I do I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.