Admissions

I'd recommend visiting the campus in early fall or in the spring- you'll fall in love! Stay overnight with a student (the Admissions office will set you up). Take every experience you can get, and take advantage of all that St. Mary's has to offer!

Before signing up for you 1st Year seminar class, be sure to do proper research on the seminar and speak to someone if possible that has taken the one you're interested in before. Because chances are you might not like it like what happened to me. I took Galileo and the Birth of Modern Science, very interesting topic but the teacher was a bit boring and in terms of the variety of topics, it was a bit limited so be sure to choose wisely.
In terms of dorm life, be sure to really answer those profile questions for dorm matching carefully or else you will end up with the wrong roomate and trust me you do not want that. I was luckily placed in a room with no roomate for the first 1 month but that was because it had air-conditioning. If you can, somehow avoid getting placed in Dorchester. It's not where you want to end up if you're a boy, it's an al boys dorm and it smells. Go for Prince georges or Caroline dorms.
What will help is if you had AP credits from high school, chances are if you're lucky you'll get placed into those good dorms. In terms of cleaning material for your dorm, be sure to stack up on Lysol and a swifter if you can. Also, maybe invest in a broom because that helped me clean up the after party messes in my room on weekends.
If you're a party'er places to check out between 9pm-12am on Friday and Saturday is WC (warren commons). Don't take random drinks from some people there. Friend of mine learnt that the hard way. Eat before you go party'ing for god sakes. Don't get caught by public safety. You will get a J-board if you get caught, which is not a good thing.
When choosing classes be sure to sign up carefully for the ones that match your sleeping schedule, try to avoid early classes if you're a evening afternoon type or try to avoid evening classes if you're the morning type of person. Also it'll be helpful to check out rate my profesor website on the school's page. It'll let you know what teachers to look out for interms of teaching proficieny.

When writing your essay or shooting you application video: be yourself! The staff goes through each and every application individually, and they want to be reading about and getting to know a snippet about a person. They do want students with leadership skills, a love of learning, and involvement in high school and their community (like any college), but they also want to hear about your uniqueness, hobbies and goals! The students here make the campus, and we want to welcome people with ideas, personality, and a love of a community!

Definitely come on a visit to campus if you can find the time, but don't let your impression of campus be all that makes your decision. Try to visit South Campus and the boat house at all possible-- that's where you'll realize how truly beautiful it is. When you're applying, creativity is hugely rewarded-- students have been known to be accepted who have terrible grades but killer essays, and thinking outside the box will get you noticed.

Transferring into St. Mary's may be easier than a first-time enrollment. If you do not get in the first time you apply, do not give up--I transferred in as a Sophomore after being rejected during my Freshman year. And remember when writing the essay for application that creativity and innovation will get you far.

Always remember to ask a handful of current students about their opinion of the school. There will probably be a fairly large variety of answers, but If you do choose to attend St.Maryâ??s take advantage of the opportunities that are available to first year students, like the Roommate Matching Profile, orientation, and programs. These all can ease the transition into the school, and can begin the process of building a support system that will last throughout the college experience.

VISIT THE CAMPUS. You'll feel the community sense I was talking about. And you can see the beauty for yourself! Make sure to look at the river and the campus center. Oh, and the library. You'll be spending some time there. When you're applying, there is usually an option between a traditional essay and a video component. No matter which you choose, be creative. Be yourself. As always, grades/extracurriculars/SATs are important. But SMCM looks at the whole student. Don't get too hung up on one bad grade or one low SAT score. Scheduling an interview with admissions also shows that you're interested in the school.

Visit the campus so that you can fall in love with the beach-side view and friendly atmosphere. And once you are here, live-love- and learn.

Do not underestimate college. It is a one-in-a-lifetime experience, you must remember that you're main priority is to obtain an education. If you are not doing as well as you thought you were going to so, don't get upset of give-up. Simply have a determined mindset and allow yourself to adjust to the new lifestyle. You are finally living on your own and you will find that there are always both good and bad times. Learn from the bad times and become a better person, and relax and enjoy the good times because you deserve them.

* get a bike
* join club sports
* befriend chef big T