Only two weeks left of summer, and I can’t help but get excited over going back to school. McDaniel College, for those who don’t know, is a small liberal arts college about 45 minutes away from Baltimore and about an hour and a half from D.C. It’s also my second home and I couldn’t dream of attending anywhere else. If you’re one of the 1,706 students that get to experience this, I’m pretty sure you can relate to some of the items on this list:
1. Miss Bobbi’s Salads
Whenever I have time to wait in Miss Bobbi’s salad lines (they’re usually pretty long), I make sure I do so. Not only does she make the best salad dressings, she also makes sure to remember your name and ask about your day while she’s mixing up your choice of her salad options. Her best quote, “only __ days until Friday,” really helps during finals weeks or really tough points in the semester.
2. Vocelli’s is the most happening place on Saturday nights.
Our very own pizza place inside the Gill Gymnasium is open late on Friday and Saturday nights, and there’s nothing better than grabbing some pepperoni rolls or bread sticks after a long night with friends. Even if you’re not grabbing a bite to eat, just about everyone you know is probably there too, so it’s almost like a place to catch up on the night without music blasting in your ears.
3. Ms. Seal: The “Glardian”
Since it’s mandatory to live on campus for the first three years and underclassmen dorms don’t have kitchens, there’s a good chance that you’ve met Ms. Seal, the dining hall desk attendant that we call the “Glardian.” She’s only around for breakfast and lunch but she’s got a personality and a passion for her job that’s unlike any other. She’ll let you know if you’re handing your card to her the wrong way when you’re rushing to get into Glar, or when you’re doing something against “Glar Policy”, but she’ll also make sure to say hi and bye when you’re walking in and out, and will occasionally give you a term of endearment when you do something that makes her smile. My favorite? “Okay, baby, go ahead,” when you tell her you’re going to the bathroom so she knows not to swipe you in again.
4. There is kind of a seating chart in Glar.
So this isn’t set in stone, but when you walk into Glar, especially when all the athletic teams get out of practice, big groups on campus are usually sitting in the same place. You’ll find the softball and baseball team in the center, the Phi Mu sisters in the top right, the theater kids on the porch, the football and basketball team on the top left, and the field hockey or soccer girls right when you walk in. Other fraternities and sororities take up the larger tables, and it can become every man/woman for themselves when it gets the busiest.
5. Chicken tender Thursdays
One of the busiest Glar days is Thursday because Thursday means chicken tenders. The lines are huge, especially after the 9:40am-11:10am morning class. It’s usually paired with potatoes and corn, with many choosing boom boom sauce and Old Bay to enhance the flavor of the chicken tenders the school can’t get enough of.
6. You can tell where people live based on how they dress to the gym and Glar.
This is especially noticeable in the winter. When I was a freshman, and I first moved into Rouzer Hall, my RA used to joke that you know who lived in our building by what they wore to Glar, and I never thought it was real until winter came. Blanche residents are always covered in layers no matter where they go, but if Rouzer residents are going to Glar, there’s no reason to put on a jacket when all you’re going is downstairs. Albert Norman Ward Hall (ANW) residents are usually the ones wearing shorts to the gym, being only a few steps away, Whiteford residents try to get a few extra steps under the heater by cutting through Glar to get to their daily workouts.
7. Sledding on the golf course
This is usually done in the coldest months of the year, when I’m indoors playing softball, so I haven’t gotten a chance to experience this, but I heard it’s amazing. They don’t call our school “the hill” for nothing, and the biggest hills can be found on the golf course. When the snow really piles on and the snow days are present, the sheds or “makeshift” sleds (I’ve seen pictures of storage bin tops, air mattresses, and cardboard boxes), come out. It’s a really great bonding experience with friends and other McDaniel students, and it makes winter a little more enjoyable.
8. No, our pool is not located in the gym.
It’s actually under the dining hall. I’m serious. This is a question I get a lot, especially when I work as the lobby desk attendant in the gym. People mistakenly park near the gym thinking it’s close by, but I always end up giving directions to Glar when people are looking for the pool.
9. You can get anywhere on campus in eight minutes or less.
Not only are we a small school population wise, but we’re also a small school campus wise. There’s no reason to bike or take a bus to class, when you can make it to class in five minutes. On my worse days I’ve gotten up 30 minutes before class started and made it way before the professor got there. The farthest walk on campus? Probably Blanche Hall to golf course, but compared to the larger of schools around us, that’s a cake walk. The only thing to worry about is all the hills and stairs we have.
10. Tailgating on the Hill
This is one of my favorite parts about McDaniel and what I think sold me on my visit three years ago. Instead of watching the football games from the stands, we watch from the Hill, and it’s so fun no matter what the outcome of the game is. Fraternities and sororities spray paint their letters to mark their spots, sports teams come together and share tailgate food, and fans and alumni mark their spots to watch from the trunk of their cars, or lawn chairs from home. I’ve even seen students bring out couches, and we’re proud to be the third best place to tailgate among some of the biggest schools in the country, the only Division III school to place in the top 10.
Yeah, McDaniel has its pros and cons, but there is something comforting about the small school in small city Central Maryland that I feel everyone on campus can sense.
