While I was reading Heather Brody’s post, I couldn’t help but think of my freshman experience. It took me awhile to figure out how to live in a college environment, and at times I wondered if I made the right choice by coming to UD. But looking back on all of the experiences and opportunities that I have been exposed to as a Blue Hen, I know that I made the correct choice. When people ask me what it was about UD that made me pick it, I usually tell them the same thing: for me, UD is the perfect combination of large and small. What I mean is that UD has all of the perks and opportunities of a big school as well as a little one.
At over 17,000 undergraduate students, it is safe to assume that UD is a big university. And with that classification comes certain perks.
- Familiarity: When I tell people where I go to school, people recognize the name and have actually heard of it.
- Famous Alumni: The Vice President, Joe Flacco, Chris Christie, and Elena Delle Donne are just some of the famous public figures that have called UD home.
- Research Opportunities: Undergraduate research is a great opportunity for students to apply their knowledge, and with 75 research centers, UD has plenty of opportunities.
- Sports: Our football team has on multiple occasions made it to the Division I-AA championship game. Our basketball team made it to the March Madness tournament last year. You want top notch sports? We have them here.
But UD also has many of the benefits of a small school, and this is due, at least for me, because of the Honors Program.
- Familiarity: With most Honors classes capped at about 30 students, Honors professors are able to get to know students and develop lasting relationships.
- Fellows: Munson Fellows help build healthy and connected communities in freshman residence halls, and Senior Fellows continue this for upperclassmen residence halls. And Writing Fellows work with first-year students to improve writing skills.
- Events: The Honors Program plans TONS of awesome events both on and off campus, and they cover a wide range of interests.
- High Quality Education: UD gives its students an excellent education, and the Honors Program does that and more. Your Honors classes will make you work harder, but you will get so much out of them, and graduating from UD with an Honors degree definitely says something in the job market.
So, what I’m trying to say is that when it comes to colleges, UD is the best of both worlds (no, not the Hannah Montana theme song). As an Honors student, you will have all of the positive aspects of a large university, but you will also have that small school feeling because of your involvement in the Honors Program. When I first came to UD, I was not aware of this. But now, I have really come to appreciate the uniqueness of the university, and I intend on getting as much as I can out of my college experience!
Don’t these nifty nerds look like the best people ever?! (Spoiler alert: they are!!)
~Scott Eisenhart
