Cullen Murray-Kemp
Staff Reporter
Disappointment, confusion, nervousness, slight anxiety, and serious back spasms were a few sweet emotions that I was greeted with when I moved into McDaniel this fall. Yet, for some reason I knew for a fact that this was where I needed to be, and as the days began to pass my gut became more and more in the right.
See, I came from one of the easiest and most successful social times of my life this summer, living with an assortment of high school friends in Ocean City, MD. The stories that would not be suitable for this piece of writing are endless. Waves, girls, beer, waiting tables, free styling, continuous parties, and all ever familiar situations had me never wanting to leave the beach (Two of my roommates decided to not return to school and do just that).
Before the beach, it was Millersville University. Now if you’re not familiar to the Lancaster area, it’s really not as bad as you may think. Aside from the traffic jams caused by the horse and buggies, Lancaster was a perfect home for me. Coach loved me, and friends were a dime a dozen because I was an athlete (not to sound shallow or conceited). Everything seemed perfect, but not everything always works out as intended- something I have learned to the fullest of extents over the last couple of years.
This led to that and I happened to find myself with little academic direction, and in need of a new scholastic escape. I picked up writing and the idea of journalism came, and at about the same time a friend guided me to the idea of studying journalism and playing basketball at McDaniel. In all honesty I looked at McDaniel with skepticism initially, thinking such a small school might not fit my bias. Yet, reluctantly I came to visit I was truly awestricken with the people I met. The teachers and coaches genuinely cared. I know this is such a cliché idea that every college would like to give, but the people at McDaniel were different. Our conversations consisted of personal happenings and experiences; swapping authentic stories of life’s recent ups and downs was a pleasant and unexpected from a Journalism Professor I had never met before in my life, I liked that.
I choose McDaniel. If not for any reason other than the impression I was left with after a day’s conversations, for the fact that I learned so much about the school through its people. According to statistics provided by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, I am one of 95 transfer students that entered the doors with the class of 2014. In the end it’s not the campus, the buildings, the football fields, or basketball courts that make a college- it’s the people that inhabit all these places. Learn from those around you, and allow your interactions make you.