PROFILES 
Q. SMCM chose you, why did you choose SMCM?
A. I liked that the students seemed happy to be here, and I wanted to experience that same happiness. I realized that the students at St. Mary's are here for the experience and the opportunity to learn and grow. When I went to visit other schools, it appeared to me that their students were just there because of the school's prestige. I knew St. Mary's was more than that.
Q. What were you looking for in a college?
A. When I began my search, I did not have a strong sense of what I was looking for in a college. It was not until after I visited a couple schools, and talked to some college counselors that I realized I wanted something small, public, strong academically.
Q. What made you choose St. Mary's over other schools that accepted you?
A. One thing that really stuck out to me was my experience at the Open House. During one of the sessions, Mr. Edgar, Director of Admissions, let us know that it is OK if we aren't 100% sure what we want to do with our future which came as a relief. It was a breath of fresh air from the other schools telling me what I was going to take and what I was going to learn. He explained that college is also about finding yourself, and that SMCM would be a place that would support me in my search.
Q. What have you learned about yourself since being at SMCM?
A. I have learned that I can be independent. Being an out-of-state student, this is my first time living away from home and living on my own. My family was supportive of me looking outside of Pennsylvania which I think helped. I also have had the experience of going outside my comfort zone and try new things. I could have never imagined being on the crew team but after meeting a few team members I was encouraged to participate. I'm glad that I had the opportunity and the support to try something new.
Q. Are there any people that impacted your selection?
A. My Mom is the reason I found out about SMCM. My brother is four years older than me and when he was receiving mail about college, she pulled some of the materials aside for me. She knew that I was interested in smaller, liberal arts schools and so she kept the St. Mary's mailings. My family was very supportive of me through my college search and my Mom helped with a lot of the research. We came to visit the campus three times. Each time I came to campus, I learned something new. I really enjoyed seeing the campus with students walking around. As silly as that seems, it gave me a good sense of what campus life was like and what students were like.
Q. What is one thing you have learned about SMCM since you've been here?
A. I have learned that this campus has a very "everything goes attitude." There is a lot of mobility between groups and different types of people. It is not a clique place.
Q. Any advice?
A. My advice to students still deciding where to be in the fall is to think about what stands out to you. Every school has something different to offer and you really have to think about what is the most important thing to you, what fits you the best.
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