It was close to 2am when a group of us were all sitting on the stairway asking each other questions out of curiosity. Then, Zach turns to us and says, “I’m really glad I met you all. Coming to USG over College Park was one of the best decisions I made.” We all smiled and agreed, because at that moment, we knew the reason we had created these amazing bonds on this Deep Creek trip was because we had made the decision to follow the pathway to USG.

They claim that you meet life-long friends when you go to college. For many, it’s a thought that excites and scares students when they start at a new university. Just the other day, I had a prospective student who was beginning her college career ask me about my experience with making friends at USG. Needless to say, I did not have much difficulty giving an answer.

Coming into an environment at USG that already encourages students to develop friendships easily, the Smith School of Business family has fostered the growth of these relationships to take it to an even higher level.

Our theme: Whether it is studying for our exams, or engaging in activities for leisure, we work hard and play hard together.

After grinding out for the first half of the semester, we felt it was time for a well-deserved break. On Sunday morning, about 20 of us met at USG, loaded our bags to the 4 cars, and headed off to Deep Creek for 3 days.

Going on hikes, playing board games, laughing over games of Cards Against Humanity, dancing to bachata and salsa music, and having deep conversations until dawn—this was exactly what we needed to put away the thoughts of exams for a few days and connect on a whole new level.