As an Animal Science major, I decided to come to UMD because of the wonderful Animal Science Department and the opportunity to have hands-on experience with the animals at the Campus Farm. I also needed to choose which Honors College was best for me. Since I had always enjoyed science courses in high school, especially AP Biology, and I had chosen a scientific major, it seemed clear that the Integrated Life Sciences Honors College would be the best choice for me academically. Little did I know how much this choice would influence my college career for the better.
Coming from a small town of about 5,000 people, my biggest concern when I first arrived at UMD was the size and the number of people here. Luckily, I was able to find the “small town feel” in ILS because living with the same people you have classes with every single day instantly builds a tight-knit community where everyone cares about each other and we are all willing to help when someone needs it.
I believe being part of a Living & Learning Community has helped me be successful throughout my first two years at UMD. In addition to the ILS courses, I have had members of ILS in almost all of my courses because no matter our majors, we are all interested in science and take the same basic biology and chemistry courses. This means there are people on the hall who are available to help. These rigorous ILS courses have helped prepare me academically for my remaining years at UMD and for vet school, and have also led me to meet some of my closest friends here at UMD. Not only has ILS had the academic benefits I anticipated it would have, but it has also led me to meet some of my closest friends here at UMD.
