Amber Slater
Staff Reporter
Have you ever considered what it would be like to attend college in the same town where you grew up? For some students, McDaniel is not a home away from home, but a home within their hometown.
Of the 1,254 students who reside on campus, 131 have roots in Carroll County. That’s about one in ten.
“I’ve never felt the need to get away like some high school kids do,” Nate Adamczyk says. “Besides, living this close allows me to run home every weekend so my mom can do the laundry.”
Adamsczyk noted the ROTC program and “mountain of financial aid” he received as key factors in his decision to attend McDaniel. Some of the money was through the Carroll County grant of $2,000 that is given to all residents of Carroll who choose to attend McDaniel.
Casey Dunn did not always share Adamczyk’s confidence in the idea of attending a school so close to home. “I was worried I wasn’t pushing my boundaries enough, and that I wouldn’t be getting the full college experience.”
Living on campus, however, changed his mind. “It’s great attending a college 30 minutes from home. I get to be independent when I want to, but I also get to go home every few weeks if I want,” he explains.
Forest Fleischer also saw the benefits of attending a school close to home, though she admits, “At first a lot of my friends would tease me for being a townie, but after a while they realized the advantage of having a friend who was familiar with the area.”
Adamczyk concedes, “There will always be the townie stereotype. That is, until the other students want to know where they can find food at one in the morning or what the fastest way to Frederick is.”
Inside information from a townie
Best coffee shop: Westminster Station
Best desserts: Starry Night Bakery
Best non-chain restaurant: Legends Cafe
Best place to go on a run: Tahoma Farms
Best place to hike: Hashawha Environmental Center
Best place to relax: Bennett Cerf Pond