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Anyone out there?
clp said:yessiree..... thanks for starting this thread!
Any of you who come up to Bmore to look for a place, lemme know if you wanna swing by The Sail Cloth Factory for an apt (where I live now). I have a nicely sized loft by myself and pay $900 rent with $110 parking ($1010 total). This is a little pricy, but you get a washer and dryer in the place and the parking is VALET! And, it's only 2 blocks from the school and 3 blocks from Camden Yards. The room has a really sweet setup and very comfortable to live in. If you wanted to have a roommate (which many people do in the Sail Cloth), it's much cheaper at around $1100 and up ($550 each and up). The utilities run around $45-75 a month for me. So, definitely hit me up if you're interested in checking it out. Congrats on comin it MD guys!coolraz said:dunno yet, i'm thinking about the apartment communities around the campus since they seem pretty sweet. Univeristy Suites is not bad, I went to see it when I went back a second time post-interview. But it's really small and very expensive if you're trying to get your own place. If you get one of those huge things and share tho it's not bad. Btw, it's weird but the floorplans they have up on their website arent the actual ones.
One of the residents at the dental clinic where I work graduated from MD last year, so I'm gonna ask him about the best places to live. BTW he said that despite some bad things about baltimroe, he had an awesome time and (surprise!) would gladly do it all over again.
TiggerJSA said:Any of you who come up to Bmore to look for a place, lemme know if you wanna swing by The Sail Cloth Factory for an apt (where I live now). I have a nicely sized loft by myself and pay $900 rent with $110 parking ($1010 total). This is a little pricy, but you get a washer and dryer in the place and the parking is VALET! And, it's only 2 blocks from the school and 3 blocks from Camden Yards. The room has a really sweet setup and very comfortable to live in. If you wanted to have a roommate (which many people do in the Sail Cloth), it's much cheaper at around $1100 and up ($550 each and up). The utilities run around $45-75 a month for me. So, definitely hit me up if you're interested in checking it out. Congrats on comin it MD guys!
clp said:so yeah, i've lived in MD, outside of DC, my entire life (except for when i was in college in illinois)....... here are my thoughts on baltimore:
- people bag on it, but baltimore is a solid, typical, east coast city with a lot of character. you have your good parts and your bad parts. ladies have got to be smart and be safe (don't walk alone at night anywhere etc.) the best part is that many areas have been revived around the city in the last few years, and the Westside (where UMD is located) is the area currently experiencing the rennaissance. not to mention the fact that baltimore is not a huge huge city so you can get to other places pretty quickly... ie the inner harbor, hot areas for young people like canton, fells point, or federal hill.
- i've been up to visit twice since the interview (once right before christmas and once yesterday) to check out living options and start to get a feel for the city. i plan to go up there about once or twice a month till we start, so i'll have more updates frequently. what i've seen so far has been positive though - university suites is indeed not a bad option. its close to the d-school, close to the library, still looks brand new, furnished, has utilities included, on the MD internet server, and a super way to meet other MD students. its a bit pricey, not gonna lie, but a tremendous option i think for first year so that you can get to know other kids. i have visited several of the other apt complexes near the school and was most impressed! many of them are in splendid condition and seem like great alternatives as well. it seems standard that these places all have gyms, and business centers (where you have access to computers and printers if you need them).
- also wanted to mention that you really need a car to live in baltimore, in my opinion. the public transportation is borderline terrible, and not a safe option for us ladies at night. don't bring a flashy car though - i talked to a security guard at one of the apts yesterday who said the biggest crime in the area were cars that were broken into. the best bet if you do bring a car would be to suck it up and pay for garage parking, and not to park on the street.
....anyway i can't think of much more right now, but i hope that some of this was helpful. i'll be in touch more soon.
p.s. coolraz, you should post your name under the official attendance thread!
i lived in bmore for 6 years so i'll share the good, the bad and the very ugly...clp said:any other opinions on MD and baltimore are welcome...
Most D1 students live in a variety of apts. One is mine, The Sail Cloth Factory, then there's the Malboro, the Malboro Classic, The Redwood (the most expensive), University Suites, and then a bunch of town homes. I think all of these complexes are similar in price for the most part. Again, if you want a secure parking garage, you can't beat The Sail Cloth Factory (24 hour valet on duty and gated in). You will just inch over $1000 a month with all included (probably around $1075-1100 with rent, parking, and utilities).La Miraflorina said:Tigger, where do most D1s live? Though I'm guessing that it doesn't matter if I live near other D1s because we'll all get a chance to meet in classes anyway. Maybe you can help me... I'm looking for a studio or 1BR to live in alone within walking distance of the Dschool. I'm bringing my car, so I'd like a place with a secure parking garage but I definitely don't want to drive to class everyday. Ideally, I'd like a modern place... and I definitely don't want to spend more than $1000 on rent, utilities and parking combined, if possible. The two reasons that attracted me to University Suites were that they are furnished (I have no furniture of my own since I was living abroad for the last 4 years and had to leave my stuff behind) and because they are literally right behind the Dschool. But if what clp said is true, I'd rather get my own place off campus.
Another unrelated question...
What's the summer research training program like? I'd like to move to Bmore as early as possible since I'm not too thrilled with where I'm living right now and I'd also like to get a chance to check the city out before classes start. Have you heard anything good (or bad) about that program?
syn_apse said:i lived in bmore for 6 years so i'll share the good, the bad and the very ugly...
the good: camden yards and ravens stadium are right down the street! fells point (average bars -- the highlight is the halloween party on the square, if you like jazz goto bertha's bar), federal hill and canton (great areas, yuppy crowds). my favorite bar was "red maple" in mt. vernon (best martinis and tapas in town... kinda pricey though so make friends with a bartender bc the owners never take inventory). a funny aside, olympian michael phelps used to frequent red maple until his DUI. for culture, the hippodrome and BSO have good deals for students. goto the baltimore museum of art (BMA) and go straight to the top floor, great modern art section. the ottobar, sonar and the funk box are the only decent music venues in town, you'll have to go DC or Philly for most shows bc artists usually skip over bmore. best breakfast in town is at "pete's grille" in charles village. best movie theater is "the charles" -- lots of indie and foreign flix... the maryland film festival in april/may is a must for any film buff!
the bad: baltimore is a very poor, addicted and violent city. the public schools system is a mess ($30M off budget), the police force is corrupt and the politicians are inept. i'd say 20% of the housing in bmore is condemned, once you leave the inner harbor, you'll see what i'm talking about. investments are beginning to turn things around, but it is a very long road. until bmore gets a hold of the heroin problem and fixes the school system, the cycle will continue.
the very ugly: i can't stress enough how dangerous bmore is. i worked at hopkins hospital and there is a bmore police officer stationed on every corner of the medical campus 24/7... no joke. unfortunately, i speak about the violence from personal experience... two of my friends (a classmate and soccer teammate) were murdered in seperate incidents last year. i'm not trying to scaremonger but the violence is real -- please please be smart and be safe!
in the end, i'm glad i went to school in the city (i city life) but in hindsight i'm not sure i picked the right city...
my classmate was sexually assaulted and strangled when she startled a burglar who broke into her apartment. my soccer teammate was stabbed in the heart when he confronted a burglar in his rowhouse. both homicides were in charles village -- an area of baltimore that is considered "safe" relative to the rest of the city.La Miraflorina said:Hmmmm, I've heard that the city is dangerous from just about everyone I've talked to. May I ask how your friends were killed?
syn_apse said:my classmate was sexually assaulted and strangled when she startled a burglar who broke into her apartment. my soccer teammate was stabbed in the heart when he confronted a burglar in his rowhouse. both homicides were in charles village -- an area of baltimore that is considered "safe" relative to the rest of the city.
sorry if i'm bumming anybody out. these were isolated and random murders, yet they are also symptoms of the larger problems of baltimore city. two johns hopkins students, so smart and full of promise... may they rest in peace.
baltimore's motto is "the greatest city in america"...
i am not in love with the modern world...
fightingspirit said:the 2 murdered students were Chris Elser and Linda Trihn. google them. thier murder was such a sad story. especially that of Chris. the dude was alive after the murder and his friends said their goodbyes the next morning before he succumbed. i hate baltimore!!!!!...it smells like murder...but umd dental is good and so is the new building....
still, personnaly, i would never live in bmore. sure the risk of being murdered is minute, but i would never take that risk. there are things in life that are worth dying for, but umd d-school is not one of them.
berryfremont said:I am interested in meeting up with my future classmates as well. I will hopefully be moving up there in may or june from Georgia. I want to get settled down and get used to my surroundings before starting the hectic life of a Dental student. My future wife and I are going to try and find a place between d.c. and baltimore to be in a safer environment and b.c. she will be a nurse in the d.c. area. We should get a date up for a few of us to meet this summer. Of course we have a lot of time to do so. Just a fun thought.
Definitely do the summer research if you're gonna be there and want a job. Also, give me a PM when you're coming up and I can give you a brief tour of my building (3 minutes walking distance, not that expensive in my opinion, and very nice)....La Miraflorina said:Wow, it's so good to finally see more names on this thread! Congrats everyone
So it sounds like some of you are moving up late spring/early summer... I was thinking of doing that too. I can't decide if I should do the summer research program or just get a job in a restaurant... or... if I should just take off and travel. I know D1 is going to be pretty intense and so traveling would probably be best... but I really wanted to settle into Bmore before starting...
Ayyy, what to do? What to do?
Anyway, back to the housing options. So is it the general consensus (sp.?) that University Suites are really small and not worth the $$? My only problem with other housing options is that I don't want to have to walk 20 minutes everyday, especially in the cold and snow!
Let's keep each other updated as to when we're moving so if some of us are there over the summer, we can get together and check out the city.
Audio said:HEY, you copied our fancy title style
fightingspirit said:the 2 murdered students were Chris Elser and Linda Trihn. google them. thier murder was such a sad story. especially that of Chris. the dude was alive after the murder and his friends said their goodbyes the next morning before he succumbed. i hate baltimore!!!!!...it smells like murder...but umd dental is good and so is the new building....
still, personnaly, i would never live in bmore. sure the risk of being murdered is minute, but i would never take that risk. there are things in life that are worth dying for, but umd d-school is not one of them.
La Miraflorina said:AHHHH the plagerism-police
No seriously, I thought it looked really nice so thanks for the idea
I got the email on the 18th (I think) and then recieved the offical letter this past saturday. It includes a congratulations letter, a form to send back, and a packet about their requirements for matriculation. If you haven't received it yet, you may want to call.berryfremont said:bump....still wanna know if anyone has recieved an acceptance package from the last offers of admission...wondering if i should call them and ask or if i should just wait for it..I'm getting antsy and want to go ahead and send in my 300 bucks (i think that's what it is)
berryfremont said:bump....still wanna know if anyone has recieved an acceptance package from the last offers of admission...wondering if i should call them and ask or if i should just wait for it..I'm getting antsy and want to go ahead and send in my 300 bucks (i think that's what it is)
WhoooaaaBUNDY said:ahoy hoy - i finally came off the bench and have whole heartedly committed to MD. i finally got unofficial word that i will be able to get in state tuition by the spring of 1st year, or fall of second ... so it can be done!