Review of the Global Communities Program at the University of Maryland

Global Communities is a special living-and-learning program offered to undergraduate students at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Students who are part of the Global Communities program are in either one of two groups: exchange students from foreign countries, or normal students enrolled fulltime at the university. Exchange students typically stay for either a semester or a whole school year, while normal students are part of the program for two years.

The focus of the program is to learn about different cultures, and build an international community within the university. Students who enter the program are typically interested in learning more about the world outside of the U.S., and also want to meet students from abroad.

The program is located in Dorchester Hall, and participants of Global Communities almost always live in this dormitory. There is a chance to bond with many students from all over the world, and there is a chance that you will have an exchange student as a roommate.

Each semester in the program, students are required to participate in a one-credit colloquium discussion class, and are also offered special trips and events.

During my first semester in the Global Communities program, I visited various museums in D.C., and also went to the Costa Rica Embassy. The one-credit class I took is no longer offered, as the Global Communities program was completely overhauled during my second year (2007-2008).

The workload in the program is very easy to handle. The class typically meets only once a week and the assignments are all given in advance, so there is plenty of time to prepare for them. The classes now vary from learning how to write research proposals, to learning opportunities for working abroad. There are also guest speakers and lecturers available in the class at times, who offer excellent insight about topics such as working as a U.S. government agent in sub-Sahara Africa.

There are special trips and cultural events throughout the year. Aside from visiting the Costa Rica Embassy, there was also a special chance to visit the Amish Community in Pennsylvania. Cultural events included international movie screenings, and dumpling wrapping.

The program really is what you make of it. If you chose to do the minimum amount of required participation to stay in the program, then you will gain the minimum amount of results. Likewise, if you do the opposite, then you will find many rewarding opportunities and experiences available. I had the chance to make friends with exchange students from all over the world, and that experience is something that I probably never would have received elsewhere in the university.

The best thing about the program is probably how it makes the university a lot smaller, and thus it is easier to make friends. What I feel should be improved on for the program is how there needs to be more stability. I have seen the head of the Global Communities program change around four times. Each time there is a change, the curriculum also changes, as does the various requirements for the program (e.g.: the number of mandatory events that you must participate in).