08/10/2026
University of Maryland Campus Visit! ❤️💛🖤
The GTA team recently toured University of Maryland in College Park, MD. With a quintessential red brick college look and large grassy lawns, you’d never know it is just 9 miles away from the U.S. Capitol. It is easily accessible to downtown Washington, D.C. via the Metro line, and the new purple light rail will run right through the heart of campus (scheduled to open in 2027). Rumor has it you can see the Washington Monument from the top row of the football stadium!
As a part of the Big Ten conference, Maryland has all of the energy and excitement of big college sports, and the tradition and charm of a tight-knit campus community! 🐢
In honor of their mascot the Terrapin (Terps), students rub the head of a statue of a turtle outside the library for good luck and leave the Terp offerings during exam week. It’s also a tradition to jump in a fountain in the center of campus once during your time as a student. There is a working farm on campus, and the tour guides were eager to tell us about the delicious homemade ice cream at the Maryland Dairy in the Union. 🍦
This is a proudly diverse campus naming recently built dorms after trailblazing students at the university; including the first black female undergraduate student and early Asian American pioneers at the school. The favorite dining hall, “The Y” is named Yahentamitsi Dining Hall honoring its indigenous heritage and created in partnership with Piscataway tribal members and elders.
Maryland’s Thurgood Marshall School of Public Policy is recognized as a leader and housed in a new home, built in 2022. They host the Do Good Institute where students present their ideas for social change in a Shark Tank style format.
As a final fun fact, Jeff Kinney, author of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, is a proud Terp.
The University of Maryland is a competitive school and applying in the Early Action cycle is important. 90% of the current freshman class were admitted in this cycle last year.
Maryland has a work hard, play hard energy with lively students who are well informed, ready to make connections, and have fun!
