Convince my teenager to consider Johns Hopkins/Baltimore
Mar 14th, 2008, 03:49 AM
#41
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Unlike others I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are not pressuring your daughter--that you want to give her another chance to consider the school and city. I suggest taking her to Fells Point and Little Italy (esp for dinner), Hampden, Harborplace, and Mt Vernon. Have brunch at the art museum on campus (make a reserv!), breakfast at Cafe Hon, and lunch at Paper Moon (it gets busy, so plan to wait for your freshly prep'd food) and/or Helen's Garden. See an Orioles game at Camden Yards. Visit the Amr Visionary Art Museum (and have dinner there/can't think of name of restaurant - Joy something?). Our son and his girlfriend, recent grads of JHU, enjoyed their 4 years there and grew to appreciate the charm of Baltimore; they both benefited enormously from the u/grad research opportunities in the engineering and public health disciplines, not to mention the fun they had on the ultimate frisbee teams. Given their experiences they were both accepted into PhD programs straight from JHU (and are still playing frisbee with the many good friends they made in their 4 yrs in Baltimore).
Mar 14th, 2008, 03:56 AM
#42
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ps I stayed out of our son's decision, only lending support, even tho I didn't want him to go to JHU, thinking it was terribly competitive and all work/no play; he was determined to go there, however, and it's a good thing I kept out of his way! He found his niche and was very happy there.
Mar 14th, 2008, 07:05 AM
#44
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GW, I don't know where you live, but I live in the heart of Baltimore and STRONGLY DISAGREE with your blanket statement!! Of course we have have some serious problems with drugs and the relationship to poverty, but in many many areas we are an upward bound city. We have interesting and historical neighborhoods, Federal Hill, Locust Point, Fells Point, Butchers Hill to start. We have some great restaurants, not all too expensive, we have world class museums,etc. I would guess you don't live in the city, or you are wearing blinders like the arab horses!!
Mar 14th, 2008, 09:20 AM
#45
I thought Johns Hopkins had the most attractive campus of any we visited. The school is of course first rate.
As for Baltimore -- I don't know whether it's on the way up or down, but at present large parts are pretty rough.
As for Baltimore -- I don't know whether it's on the way up or down, but at present large parts are pretty rough.
Mar 14th, 2008, 09:28 AM
#46
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Federal Hill, Canton, Camden and Fells Point are fine neighborhoods but most rents are pretty steep there. All are pretty far from the Hopkins campus.
The sad truth is that much of Baltimore is blocks and blocks of slums. The murder and violent crime rate is one of the worst in the country. The old ethnic neighborhoods like Highlandtown have declined over the past forty years or so. When your schools have metal detectors, your city has got problems. Sorry.
The sad truth is that much of Baltimore is blocks and blocks of slums. The murder and violent crime rate is one of the worst in the country. The old ethnic neighborhoods like Highlandtown have declined over the past forty years or so. When your schools have metal detectors, your city has got problems. Sorry.
Mar 14th, 2008, 12:07 PM
#47
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gw, I didn't mean to live in these areas while at JHU, but, they are nice places to visit and enjoy and contribute to the fabric of the city. I can't believe you think Baltimore is unique with it's problems. Most major cities share our problems.As an example, I was just in Chicago this week and they certainly have alot of problems in the schools(one boy murdered at school while we were there).They also have drug and gun troubles. .So you may want to reconsider before you try to scare people away from here.
Mar 14th, 2008, 12:22 PM
#48
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Well, this was 2003 and maybe it's changed in the last 4-5 years, but Baltimore certainly fared worse than Chicago:
http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime....imore&state=MD
http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime....icago&state=IL
http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime....imore&state=MD
http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime....icago&state=IL
Mar 14th, 2008, 02:06 PM
#49
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I'd also agree with GeorgeW. Johns Hopkins is a wonderful university but it sits in the middle of a troubled area. How do I know??
My daughter got her master's there and went into the main campus for only select classes that could not be taken at satellite campuses.
I'd probably feel a bit better pushing my daughter into the college environment in a smaller, more homogenized college atmosphere. Many people feel the same about Catholic University which is another jewel in the midst of a troubled area.
My daughter got her master's there and went into the main campus for only select classes that could not be taken at satellite campuses.
I'd probably feel a bit better pushing my daughter into the college environment in a smaller, more homogenized college atmosphere. Many people feel the same about Catholic University which is another jewel in the midst of a troubled area.
Mar 14th, 2008, 02:13 PM
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I spent 9 years in Baltimore and have a wistful fondness for it. That being said, I feel fortunate to have gotten through it unscathed. Many of those years were spent in East Baltimore in very very dangerous neighborhoods arriving at 5 am in the dark and parking and walking through the slum areas to get to work. A fourth year medical student at Hopkins was shot and killed the year I arrived in 1978. True, Baltimore should not be singled out...there is violent crime in most major cities. I would be happy if my son went to JHU but I would certainly take much greater precautions with him than I did with myself during those years.
Mar 21st, 2008, 08:15 AM
#51
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Our daughter graduated from JHU last May. It is an amazing school, and the most gorgeous east coast campus we have ever seen.
The campus itself is safe, and they work very hard to keep it that way. There are blue emergency lights on campus, with phones that reach a live person in case of need. The campus is fenced and guarded.
Hopkins also works hard to keep the surrounding neighborhoods safe for its students, by cooperating with the local police force and I think even patrolling some of the buildings with JHU "Hop Cops".
The city of Baltimore seems very intent on keeping the peace in the general area of JHU, as Hopkins is a huge force in that city. I always saw lots of city cop cars in the neighborhood.
JHU sits at a point of high contrast: going north to Towson, you pass through lovely older homes and neighborhoods and parks; but going south to the city, you pass through very blighted areas.
It's kind of a patchwork quilt of a city. As one Baltimore city cop told me, you can be fine on one block, but if you go two blocks over, you're in a scary place. He said the problems he'd seen were the result of a student getting into the wrong area. Problem is, it's easy to mistakenly take the wrong turn and get into a bad neighborhood. That happened once when my daughter was a freshman. The cab company wouldn't even send a cab to get her and her friend.
The Charles Village area, directly adjoining the campus, has improved a lot, since my daughter started there. JHU has built an entire new building that occupies about a block. Other new construction is in the works.
There are lots of apartments in the Charles Village area for students, and my daughter said students from the Loyola U. nearby stay there, too.
However, I still felt a bit uneasy about my daughter walking those neighborhood streets, having to park her car on the street. It's still an area that can be cruised by people who are interested in stealing from the students to support their habits. Her car was randomly vandalized one night-- someone poured paint thinner all along the side of it. Ruined the paint on that side of the car, of course.
Her freshman year, a young man was murdered in his fraternity house bedroom. Stabbed in the heart, very scary. By an intruder who was never found. It happened early one morning, following a frat party my daughter had attended at that house. She knew the young man, and it was a terrible tragedy her freshman year.
Like I said, Baltimore is a city of contrasts. There are amazing clubs and restaurants in that city, catering to people who can afford to spend money there. I remember one called Red Maple that the JHU kids liked. And one called Tazu, or something like that. We went to Saffron for dinner, and it is one of the best restaurants we've ever been to.
The students take cabs to and from downtown together, and it's not very expensive to get around that way. Also, safer we felt than her driving her car with friends.
My daughter said that she had been so drawn to the looks of the JHU campus itself, but over the years it was the surrounding city where she felt she LIVED. She didn't like Baltimore per se, nor did I. Somehow it's a city that just doesn't operate seamlessly.
It's hard to explain, but we felt everything was an uphill battle in that town. Getting information from city officials, getting parking permits, dealing with store personnel, having things delivered. . . just not a lot of good customer service, we felt. And sometimes, we did experience a bad attitude toward the Hopkins students somewhat-- "privileged kids", etc.
>-
The campus itself is safe, and they work very hard to keep it that way. There are blue emergency lights on campus, with phones that reach a live person in case of need. The campus is fenced and guarded.
Hopkins also works hard to keep the surrounding neighborhoods safe for its students, by cooperating with the local police force and I think even patrolling some of the buildings with JHU "Hop Cops".
The city of Baltimore seems very intent on keeping the peace in the general area of JHU, as Hopkins is a huge force in that city. I always saw lots of city cop cars in the neighborhood.
JHU sits at a point of high contrast: going north to Towson, you pass through lovely older homes and neighborhoods and parks; but going south to the city, you pass through very blighted areas.
It's kind of a patchwork quilt of a city. As one Baltimore city cop told me, you can be fine on one block, but if you go two blocks over, you're in a scary place. He said the problems he'd seen were the result of a student getting into the wrong area. Problem is, it's easy to mistakenly take the wrong turn and get into a bad neighborhood. That happened once when my daughter was a freshman. The cab company wouldn't even send a cab to get her and her friend.
The Charles Village area, directly adjoining the campus, has improved a lot, since my daughter started there. JHU has built an entire new building that occupies about a block. Other new construction is in the works.
There are lots of apartments in the Charles Village area for students, and my daughter said students from the Loyola U. nearby stay there, too.
However, I still felt a bit uneasy about my daughter walking those neighborhood streets, having to park her car on the street. It's still an area that can be cruised by people who are interested in stealing from the students to support their habits. Her car was randomly vandalized one night-- someone poured paint thinner all along the side of it. Ruined the paint on that side of the car, of course.
Her freshman year, a young man was murdered in his fraternity house bedroom. Stabbed in the heart, very scary. By an intruder who was never found. It happened early one morning, following a frat party my daughter had attended at that house. She knew the young man, and it was a terrible tragedy her freshman year.
Like I said, Baltimore is a city of contrasts. There are amazing clubs and restaurants in that city, catering to people who can afford to spend money there. I remember one called Red Maple that the JHU kids liked. And one called Tazu, or something like that. We went to Saffron for dinner, and it is one of the best restaurants we've ever been to.
The students take cabs to and from downtown together, and it's not very expensive to get around that way. Also, safer we felt than her driving her car with friends.
My daughter said that she had been so drawn to the looks of the JHU campus itself, but over the years it was the surrounding city where she felt she LIVED. She didn't like Baltimore per se, nor did I. Somehow it's a city that just doesn't operate seamlessly.
It's hard to explain, but we felt everything was an uphill battle in that town. Getting information from city officials, getting parking permits, dealing with store personnel, having things delivered. . . just not a lot of good customer service, we felt. And sometimes, we did experience a bad attitude toward the Hopkins students somewhat-- "privileged kids", etc.
>-
Mar 25th, 2008, 03:31 AM
#52
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It's been a long time since I've been to Baltimore - JH Hospital was one of my clients, and I'm sorry, but I only remember going to a great aquarium there, and Inner Harbor.
We stayed at a Holiday Inn within walking distance to Inner Harbor and were told specifically by hotel staff not to venture more than a block behind our hotel. Didn't make me feel too safe.
Your daughter sounds like a smart kid. If she doesn't feel safe in that environment, why push her? We all forget that kids are kids with not much "life experience". Look at what happened to Eve Carson in the supposedly "safe" smallish city of Chapel Hill. Why compound the problem with adding a dangerous environment.
Yes the campus may be fenced and guarded (??!!) but does your daughter want to spend all her time on campus and will she? Probably not.
If it was my daughter, and she made that comment, I would not try and "show her" other "better" parts of a place she didn't feel comfortable and I knew was known to be dangerous. I'd let her look at other comparable schools in a place she felt safe walking around and going out and having fun - half of what college is about - so she could concentrate on her studies and college life and not have to worry about being "safe".
There are plenty of other options.
We stayed at a Holiday Inn within walking distance to Inner Harbor and were told specifically by hotel staff not to venture more than a block behind our hotel. Didn't make me feel too safe.
Your daughter sounds like a smart kid. If she doesn't feel safe in that environment, why push her? We all forget that kids are kids with not much "life experience". Look at what happened to Eve Carson in the supposedly "safe" smallish city of Chapel Hill. Why compound the problem with adding a dangerous environment.
Yes the campus may be fenced and guarded (??!!) but does your daughter want to spend all her time on campus and will she? Probably not.
If it was my daughter, and she made that comment, I would not try and "show her" other "better" parts of a place she didn't feel comfortable and I knew was known to be dangerous. I'd let her look at other comparable schools in a place she felt safe walking around and going out and having fun - half of what college is about - so she could concentrate on her studies and college life and not have to worry about being "safe".
There are plenty of other options.
Mar 25th, 2008, 07:30 AM
#53
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hi
Funny enough, my story is a bit similar. I applied for a fellowship in Manhattan, got accepted, was thrilled at the opportunity to work and live in New York City, when the guy I was supposed to work for got accepted at a position at JHMI in Baltimore.
I really hated Baltimore for a good number of months, finding there to be too much black-white segregation...finding the streets downtown bizarrely empty on weekends...finding city living seemed almost discouraged with irregular/infrequent public transit on weekends...being disturbed by crime statistics and letting myself assume individuals on deserted streets as trouble rather than passersby (in my paranoia).
Taking Amtrak to DC, but moreso Philadelphia for day trips helped calm my restless spirit for the first year or so. I especially liked going to Philly for the markets and more vibrant street life and restaurant scene on weekends.
However, with time, I developed a steely patience for Baltimore public transit buses (I didn't have a car); and learned to arm myself with schedules to allow me to venture out more easily to various parts of the city. I explored Hampden, Federal Hill, Mount Vernon, Mount Washington, Fell's Point, the markets... neighborhoods with interesting architecture and some fun, funky hangouts. After awhile, I found I preferred being in Baltimore to being in DC, finding the former to have a more unique "character", despite its warts. I can say now that I like the city and would enjoy visiting again.
I do think that Baltimore is a "tough sell"...that a teenager used to a leafy, grassy suburban existence or a nightlife- and streetlife-privileged Manhattan existence for example is not going to be be drawn toward in one visit. Even showing the historic, charming areas, the impressions of the sometimes rough-and-tumble urban grittiness and poverty win out. I know since it took me about a year to appreciate (I lived there 3 years total 1999-2002)...Living in Montreal again though, Baltimore is one of the US cities I most look forward to introducing my Canadian friends to, as I think it's one of the most interesting and if you let it, charming!
DAN
Funny enough, my story is a bit similar. I applied for a fellowship in Manhattan, got accepted, was thrilled at the opportunity to work and live in New York City, when the guy I was supposed to work for got accepted at a position at JHMI in Baltimore.
I really hated Baltimore for a good number of months, finding there to be too much black-white segregation...finding the streets downtown bizarrely empty on weekends...finding city living seemed almost discouraged with irregular/infrequent public transit on weekends...being disturbed by crime statistics and letting myself assume individuals on deserted streets as trouble rather than passersby (in my paranoia).
Taking Amtrak to DC, but moreso Philadelphia for day trips helped calm my restless spirit for the first year or so. I especially liked going to Philly for the markets and more vibrant street life and restaurant scene on weekends.
However, with time, I developed a steely patience for Baltimore public transit buses (I didn't have a car); and learned to arm myself with schedules to allow me to venture out more easily to various parts of the city. I explored Hampden, Federal Hill, Mount Vernon, Mount Washington, Fell's Point, the markets... neighborhoods with interesting architecture and some fun, funky hangouts. After awhile, I found I preferred being in Baltimore to being in DC, finding the former to have a more unique "character", despite its warts. I can say now that I like the city and would enjoy visiting again.
I do think that Baltimore is a "tough sell"...that a teenager used to a leafy, grassy suburban existence or a nightlife- and streetlife-privileged Manhattan existence for example is not going to be be drawn toward in one visit. Even showing the historic, charming areas, the impressions of the sometimes rough-and-tumble urban grittiness and poverty win out. I know since it took me about a year to appreciate (I lived there 3 years total 1999-2002)...Living in Montreal again though, Baltimore is one of the US cities I most look forward to introducing my Canadian friends to, as I think it's one of the most interesting and if you let it, charming!
DAN
Mar 25th, 2008, 07:56 AM
#54
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I'm not sure if this was suggested yet (couldn't read every response): but I found that staying on campus with a current student (either ask the H.S. guidance counselor if anyone from her H.S. is there, or check with the admissions office), is a much better way to get a student's eye view of campus life.
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