Community / September 9, 2016

A Special Evening Held For New Smith Students

A Special Evening Held For New Smith Students

Smith student Philip Peker ’18 writes about the welcome event for transfer students on Sept. 7, 2016, at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

On Sept. 7, 2016, the Robert H. Smith School of Business welcomed a new wave of students, none of which were freshmen. This unique group of students are transfer students from far and near, and to them, a whole new world is about to reveal itself.

The Transfer Students Welcome Night began with a short introduction by Dean Victor Mullins, who applauded the students and warmly extended his appreciation for their hard work and dedication. Afterwards, he introduced the faculty representatives from various departments, including accounting, marketing and even more niche ones like the Center for Social Value Creation. Next, he went around the room inviting the student leaders to introduce themselves, representing organizations such as terpAMA, MasTERPiece, the Maryland Music Business Society, the Supply Chain Management Society, and many more. Dean Mullins then let the evening do its ethereal magic, helped largely by the delectable treats of focaccia sandwiches, avocado salad and steak skewers. As the students began to spread themselves across the room to mingle with the faculty, staff and student leaders, the room began to buzz with excitement and opportunity.

Elizabeth Soens; newly admitted transfer student, mother, accounting professional, and life warrior; explained to me how excited she is to start her education at Smith, and that it is never too late to go back to school to better oneself. “I worked in accounting before, when my husband and I were living in England, and I was without an educational background in accounting, and you know, I did pretty well. And so I thought that if I had the proper theoretical background, there would be no limit to what I could do. Now living in Maryland, Smith was always on my radar, and finally, I was able to make it happen and come here.” Elizabeth’s story is an exceptional one, but one that perfectly characterizes the Smith spirit.

Mimi Verdonk, president of the Smith Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA), told me how important it is to make sure transfer students realize their involvement potential here at Smith. “So many clubs, so many organizations, just get involved, because it will pay off.”

A special thanks to Ebony Fullwood, associate director and academic advisor at Smith. Ebony has been organizing this special event for the past few years and has done an exceptional job. According to Ebony, “Our students are joining a community of their peers who’ve been meeting with recruiters from companies like EY, Unilever, Under Armour, Goldman, and so on. They’ve been involved in organizations, had leadership roles, conducted research projects, and completed externships; I encourage our new transfer students to work hard to make sure they become active participants.” The good news? Smith grants transfer students distinguishing tools and resources to help them become competitive in the internship and job market. “For example, we offer a one-credit networking and resume-building class tailored specifically for transfer students,” says Ebony. Smith makes sure to take care of all of its students. Once a Smith student, always a Smith student; all it takes is taking the first step and self-initializing your journey towards a more successful you. 

For more information about the undergraduate program at Smith, visit: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/undergrad 

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About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

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