When Dean Prabhudev Konana initiated the Office of Experiential Learning (OEL) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, he described its mission as “to expand and deepen existing alumni and corporate relationships to increase career success odds for students opportunities for our students to get the type of real-world, practical learning that will make them the most sought after by employers when they graduate.”

The Smith School has always known how important experiential learning is for students. These hands-on, immersive experiences and opportunities to solve real problems for real companies help them develop critical thinking skills, greater resilience, and an ability to lead the organizations of the future. Smith has offered this type of learning—both in the classroom and beyond—for years.

Smith student Philip Peker ’18 writes about “100 days until Graduation,” a special event for seniors at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business to celebrate their final 100 days as a Smith undergraduate and to prepare them for their entry into the Smith Terp Alumni community. As students, we all jump at the sight of the number “100.” You get that exam back, and boom, a 100% shines its brilliant smile at you from the top right corner of the page. Elation washes over you.