Post Classifieds

Take Pride

Be proud of your business school!

By Rasshmi Shankar

On November 9, 2009

Pin It

I'm just going to put it out there: I really can't stand complainers and the unsatisfied. Alright, those of you who have been in the ridiculously long sandwich line at The Diner with me are probably calling me a liar right now; and yeah, I'll admit Maryland football isn't really going to provide me with 100% satisfaction guarantee this season. However, I'm not talking about the little everyday things; I am talking about people who complain and are unsatisfied by things in their control and choices that they consciously made. Where is this coming from? The other day I overheard someone asking a Maryland student how he likes UMD and being a part of the business school. He replied, "Ehhh…it's okay. It's free because of my scholarship. So I guess that makes it okay." Here is what I have to say to him: it's better than okay. It's great and if you can't see that yourself, I am going to help you.

Even if the U.S. News Report's rankings that place Smith's undergraduate program as number sixteen overall in the country and many majors in top ten listings don't faze you, there are plenty of other qualities of the Smith school that should. Take, for example, our proximity to Washington D.C. and northern Virginia. Any upperclassman will tell you that being so close to the nation's capital and Fortune 500 companies in Virginia affords many internship opportunities. Many top companies come to the University of Maryland, hold information sessions, and specifically recruit Maryland students. Incidentally, I was telling a friend of mine who is a senior here about the comment I overheard, and she laughed it off, claiming he is probably freshman who hasn't fully realized what he is privileged to be a part of. She said that during her internship at Booz Allen Hamilton, a top consulting firm, her mentor told her that Smith students are among the most sought out because they have a rigorous work ethic but are also very personable: a hard balance to find.

Within the Smith school itself, there are many Fellows programs that allow students to dive a little deeper into their interests in business and other topics. For example, the Music Management Fellows program combines a student's interests in music and in management to teach them more about the music industry; these students learn skills such as participating in the design and promotion of records. If the fellow programs are not enough, many of our faculty members are involved in setting up effective programs like Social Value Creation that the community and students can benefit from in the future. It even seems as though SUSA has an organization for anything you might be interested in; and, unlike joining high school clubs, joining these organizations actually allows you to have an effect on the real world. The Smith School Womens Society for example is holding an event on the changing face the workplace and family environment. Having an organization like SUSA also gives students the opportunity to make changes in areas where they feel we can improve.

My main point? Well, we need to take pride in this establishment. We, as Smith students, need to speak of our school with pride and highlight the many privileges we receive as being members of this institution. If we don't, we not only bring our school down, but we bring ourselves down as well. With the Smith school becoming more and more selective, and more and more respected, students like this kid at Rudy's Café who is lucky enough to be receiving a scholarship to go here, need to be the first ones to accept the decision they made to come here with pride and excitement. So next time I walk by any of you, I'd like to see that famous Terp pride and hear screams of enthusiasm!