I am very pleased with the education I received at McDaniel. Instead of 'math proficiency exams,' though, I wish I had instead been encouraged to take exams more applicable to real life. What about a job-finding class or a seminar on how to evaluate a potential mortgage and balance the check book? I think McDaniel's students would be better served by these real life experiences. McDaniel offered a very supportive network of faculty and staff. I enjoyed the small size and the fact that I could easily find a place in my areas of interest. This enabled me (formerly a shy high school student) to take an active leadership role in music groups and on the college newspaper. I constantly use the leadership skills I learned and developed at McDaniel; they are directly relevant to my job as I am self-employed. I agree with the first reviewer--you are not a number here--people will remember and recognize you and your professors will intervene if you need help. College life here is also fun for Greeks and independents and there are two large service groups to join as well. It is somewhat a suitcase school. This was rough on my wallet since I lived in Pennsylvania and found myself also going home frequently when most of my friends did the same. read more

If I could rate it less, I would. I hated going to this school. The teachers were unsympathetic, financial aid was predatory, and as a non-traditional student (19 BIPOC) and a first gen college student this school offered the worst experience I've had in my life. From finding a picture of a lynched puppet in one of the yearbooks from the 1960's to meeting apathetic mental health professionals. Don't send your kids here. This school is not at all what it seems and there is very little help for 'certain' students. If your a white traditional student you may have a better experience but if you don't fit that motif, it will feel like hell on earth. Caveat, unless you play a sport or came from a predominantly white school. read more

My daughter has had an excellent experience at McDaniel with very caring professors, small classes, and good friends. A professor helped her get a great internship, and she had a good study abroad experience. The town is small but charming, and it is close enough to Baltimore and D.C. for occasional weekends. read more

As you can imagine this school like many others has turned into an indoctrination camp, and it is hard to explain in a yelp review but I just type this as a warning. I attended this college for 3 years and was even an RA for 2 of them so I have been inside the system looking out at points. The teachers in the gen-Ed's are subpar to true educators, same goes for anything to do with the social sciences. I have had multiple teachers at the college tell me if I did not write to the to their point of view I would have a "very hard time getting a good grade" said an English teacher who's prompt was about racial social issues for some reason In an English 1101 class. Issues like this don't stop there, there are LGBTQIA+ flags everywhere as well as BLM flags flown from teachers windows. The school in a attempt to diversify raised their acceptance rate from 60%ish to what I think is about 90% now. There were periods of time where there are people with speakers in the library and no one will dare correct issues like this. The first year I attended there was a gun pulled In front of the library and multiple people jumped on campus. Which I doubt you can find anywhere in police reports because they tell you to report these cases to campus police so stats such as these don't show up on the schools record. If you're going to pay the high tuition price please attend a college that deserves your money. I would not like anyone to have an experience like I did for 20k a year. Some other Radom bits you might want to know - most dorms don't have AC - I think a parking spot is about 400$ - the cafeteria food is terrible - many classes are online and are still paid for as if you're in a classroom - If you don't play a sport it might be tough to find friends unless you join a frat and I do not recommend joining a frat. read more

I tried contacting them because I was interested in one of their programs. After getting the runaround because no one knew who I was supposed to talk to, I finally ended up being transferred to the department director for the program I was interested in (Clinical Mental Health Counseling , MS) as well as admissions. I never heard a word back from either of them (it's been months, and I am not chasing a place that clearly didn't seem to care.) I decided to move on and get my degree elsewhere. I highly suggest other colleges in the area and can not recommend this one. First impressions are everything, and they left a permanently negative experience. read more

My son had a really good college experience at McDaniel. He was provided a lot of opportunities to get involved. It is a smaller school with a sense of community. College is what you make it and he made the most of it. Definitely recommend. read more

I'm in my last year here at McDaniel College, and it's been a good experience. It's a small school in a pretty rural area. If you're looking for a college that gives their students a lot of attention and small classes, then this is the place. They offer a lot of services to help with academics, and your advisor is very easy to get a hold of if you need them. I feel like I've gotten a lot of help and a good education. I'm definitely a person with a name here, not a number. If you're looking for a college town, this place is kind of lacking. The downtown is kind of dangerous and there isn't too much to do anyway. I do however recommend the Down Under pub for open mic nights and kareoke nights, and O'Lordan's Irish Pub. Stay away from Ernies Bar..that place is creepy with lots of sketchy townies. If you're looking for more night life Baltimore is only about 30 mins away, so hop on the metro..or take a drive. Getting involved on campus is fairly easy. I recommend that. That's the best way to meet new people and be active on campus. I also recommend studying abroad. I studied abroad in Australia for 5 months and had the most amazing time of my life. McDaniel also has a sister school in Budpest, Hungary, so a lot of kids go here and have a blast. Definitely take advantage of the study abroad programs!!! You won't regret it. Housing kind of sucks...unless you get lucky and live in North Village, a house or the Garden Apartment. Good luck getting those though, unless you're a senior or involved in a club. If you do get into these places, they're great! As for the students, not much diversity.. a lot of white rich kids. McDaniel is trying to change this though. A lot of kids go home on the weekends as well. Overall, I think every school has it's good and bad aspects, but I've enjoyed my time here at McDaniel and do feel part of the McDaniel community. It's been a fun and enriching experience, but I'm ready to graduate and get out of here! read more

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Small, cozy, home-type feel if a college. I went to UMBC before transferring to McDaniel and I absolutely hated it there. This is a much better fit for me, it's just not everyone's cup of tea and that's fine. Westminster as a whole is not sketchy like some of the other comments state. Yes there are sketchy areas that I wouldn't walk down at night (like Smith Ave). But for the most part, Westminster and Carroll County as a whole is pretty safe. And Westminster is also currently trying to upscale a lot with new shopping centers and modern places to eat. It's come a long way the last several years. read more

I had two children graduate from McDaniel. I did not see where it was so outstanding compared to any other college. One child felt they learned more from being in a fraternity, an athletic team and ROTC than anything in the classroom. Another child received very poor academic counseling and had to take extra courses, more money at another. As far as the majority of the students receivng financial aid. Well one child did. But what she failed to understand, is that she paid more in interest than the tuition loan was for. So she paid double for that semester. As it was she worked at a low paying job, that she loved but could not afford to move on her own for a couple of years. She did however appreciate her training in becoming a teacher. I just read an article about the class of 2026 class make up. Is this correct? 82% of applicants accepted, 58% female and 49% people of color? I don't understand where the white male fits in? Just trying to understand. read more

Like most of you looking at colleges, I decided on McDaniel as a means of launching a career. I wanted a place where I could stand out and achieve, to be noticeable to future employers. What I discovered after graduating is that McDaniel's advertising about career readiness was all fluff, no substance. Their career services department wouldn't offer resume help--I had to get that from a connection at a local community college. They had a very small job bank, with not enough jobs for the number of graduates, and not much diversity in fields represented. They treated the job bank as a help wanted board, and refused to make direct introductions to potential employers. They didn't teach, nor did they offer any support, for networking. If you want a college that will take your money while providing absolutely nothing towards finding employment, McDaniel is the college for you. I'll never get back all that I've lost for that paper and I would happily trade it in for a full refund in a heartbeat; my jobs out of college were previously done by high school students. If I had gone right into those jobs instead of attending McDaniel, I wouldn't be crushed under student debt, I would have been far more career-ready, I'd have found full-time work much sooner, and I'd have about $100,000 of savings (that instead went to my loans) right now. Yet the leeches operating McDaniel had no problem begging the underemployed grad who could barely pay his loans, for donations. Going to McDaniel is the only regret I have in life. McDaniel definitely changes lives--my degree was a ticket to poverty for the last ten years. read more

My first semester here, I didn't even know where I was living until two weeks before the semester started. I was in a room where the heater was behind one wall so it was constantly hot. In order to do laundry I had to go outside and in through another door. The food sucks, not much variety and I've gotten food that was still frozen. I came here because I was told that they had a large ASL program. ASL 3 got canceled because not enough people signed up for the class. The town area is sketchy and I would not advise walking around there at night. I eventually transferred to another school after a year. read more

Don't bother wasting your money at McDaniel softball camp. It was more like a kiddie camp. Nothing college related The lack of coaching skill caused my daughter to be injuries that she never got in her four years of playing softball. read more

Don't go here if you're a transfer student or a commuter. The "McDaniel plan" is ridiculous and unnecessary. All events such as tutoring, or some events you get graded on for classes are at night. They try to give off the vibe that they're really organized, but they're actually not at all. I was happier at my community college. This school is very overrated. I'm thinking about transferring again and going somewhere that doesn't try to force their school pride on you, and somewhere I can actually keep my GPA up. I'm so frustrated with all the requirements they have. It's such a waste of time. I got my associates with a 3.78 GPA, and then I come to McDaniel and can barely pass. I worked so hard to have that GPA, and I'm pretty sad about how fast it could be ruined. All the work is busy work, and most classes either have you only write long papers or only take exams for your entire grade in the class. It's horrible because if you do bad on one assignment, you're basically done. Oh, and just so you know if you've taken pre-calc thinking it would fill in for your math credit, it won't. There is a very slim selection for summer and winter classes, and there aren't online classes either. Also, if you're not a liberal you aren't welcome here but hey I guess that's most colleges these days. read more