BALTIMORE (Map, News) - On Brendan Cunningham’s first day at Washington College in Chestertown, he met the captain of the rowing team. That day, he became the team’s newest member.

“You get on the [Chester] River, it’s 5 a.m. [and] it’s so beautiful,” Cunningham said. “I didn’t think I’d get that experience anywhere else.”

His experience encapsulates what students say is the spirit of Washington College. Community, a sense of adventure and a strong connection to the 112-acre campus on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and a 90-minute drive from Baltimore has made this college an attractive choice for area students.

“The whole campus has good camaraderie,” said Gillian Strobel, a senior at Washington College.

The college, known for the liberal arts, has about 1,400 students. Students are encouraged to take a broad curriculum, and classes are small.

Cunningham, 24, remembers a Rembrandt class he took one year that had only six students, and he still keeps in touch with his favorite art history professor.

“Everybody has one professor that they still do that with,” Cunningham said.

Strobel, a psychology major, said that professors are always available outside of class to provide extra help.

“You really got to know your professors,” she said.

Washington College students do more than study. Nearly 30 percent play sports.

“We have a lot of teams, and we are not very big. It’s a good place to be a student athlete because you are not an athlete who also has to go to class, you’re a student who is also an athlete,” said Baird Tipson, president of the college.

Total cost for the 2007-08 school year at Washington College is about $40,000. But Tipson says the school is working to make the college more affordable. For example, the college offers a $40,000 scholarship ($10,000 a year for four years) to all admitted applicants who are National Honor Society members.

But even with rising costs, Strobel says, she wouldn’t have wanted any other college experience.

“Going to Washington College was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Strobel said.

mmcilroy@baltimoreexaminer.com