Yem2808

it has kind of a bad reputation, but most of it is fine. exactly what are are looking at, its geographically pretty large.

i've been a grad student at UMD for 5 years now and have only met a handful of grad students that actually live in College Park. I actually did live in CP my first two years -- there's some nice apartments down route 1 that are mostly rented to grad students and are reasonably priced. Most of my colleagues are in Washington DC or downtown Silver Spring, which are a bit more on the expensive side. I live in Takoma Park now and love it.

ive lived four places since moving here and three of the four had gas stoves. the one that didn't was in DC, the three that did were in MD. not sure if that means anything.

yes they have interviews .. i am a current student in the program .. do not come here. for your own good. the program is broke and cannot support their own students, despite what they may tell you at recruitment day. the program is a mess.

i wrote earlier that its impossible to find a studio or one bedroom for under a grand. actually, i recently moved into a one bedroom apartment in takoma park. it isn't luxury, but it is safe and inexpensive and i am happy here. MD definitely isnt all a dump. it is possible to find something affordable and nice if you look hard enough (on craiglist and the umd housing website)

downtown Rockville, Silver Spring, and Bethesda are nice but expensive. You could maybe pull it off with a roommate or two, but not for under 700-800. In fact, if you want to live *by yourself* anywhere in this area, and you don't want to live in a complete dump, you're looking to pay at least a grand. I live in College Park (not luxurious but not unsafe) with two roommates and pay $650.

columbia heights seems to be pretty popular these days, but unless you don't mind living in a house with a bunch of other people, it's very expensive. it also can get pretty sketchy in some areas. mt vernon square and chinatown are on the green line and are in general nice, but also very pricey. the waterfront area/SW is being revitalized (again, can be sketchy once you get away from the main area). i actually have a pal that's moving to SW from college park. it's marginally less expensive than the other areas i've mentioned.

cpep does not do interviews. they invite admitted students to visit, and usually do not send out rejections until after all of the admitted students have made their decision as to whether or not they will go. they typically have a waiting list that they will draw from if admitted students decline their offer. you can, however, e-mail the program and ask about the status of your app, and i am pretty sure they will let you know if you are on the waiting list or will be rejected.

want a roommate? i would LOVE to live in dc. i hate college park!

DC proper -- you may not need a car depending on where you live. and if you do find a small affordable apartment in a safe DC area PLEASE let me know where, lol. takoma park -- there is one metro station in takoma park so if you live near there, you could potentially take that to campus although you'd have to switch lines. i know a couple people who live in takoma park and they have cars. it just makes it a lot easier to get to the grocery store, run errands, etc. but YMMV, of course i hope you get good news from maryland soon!

i am a first-year phd student at the university of maryland. if you are planning on coming here, i would suggest you begin your housing search now - it's going to be a nightmare. i live in an apartment which is about a 20 minute walk away from campus. it is OLD, i can hear everything my downstairs neighbors say, and has zero amenities. on the other hand, and you can walk to the metro, which in itself makes it worth it. i pay 700 for half of a 2-bedroom. from what ive seen, most of the housing in college park is pretty much the same way -- decrepit, overpriced, and somewhat sketchy (my neighbor's apartment was broken into). crime, such as armed robbery, is rampant here. i do like being able to walk to class and to college park's tiny downtown. most grad students ive met live in silver spring (outside the downtown area) or certain areas of greenbelt, where the prices are about the same but it is safer and nicer. i might be moving out there for next year. the downside to that is that you may or may not be close to public transit, and driving to campus can apparently be a headache in traffic. the cities immediately outside of college park such as hyattsville and adelphi have a bad reputation. i can't say much about them as i haven't experienced them firsthand. if you can afford it, live in dowtown silver spring or dc proper. most grad students, however, cannot afford it. also -- you need a car here. even if youre by a metro station, it doesnt go very many places in the 'burbs and the buses are notoriously unreliable (and stop running after a certain time). for getting around campus and college park, the campus buses are pretty good. anything else, i'd be glad to help

sorry, after all that i realized i never really answered your question. detroit is a really big city, physically. some areas definitely are as bad as you've heard. i never felt unsafe around wayne state, at least during the day. occasionally stuff happens on campus -- a robbery or whatever. if you consider the overall crime rate in the city, the campus is extremely safe, comparable to other colleges in michigan. the statistics are out there. the campus police have a very good reputation. if you do decide to live in detroit stick to the areas around campus where other students live.

i worked at wayne state for two years, but lived in the 'burbs (with my family, for purely economic reasons). a lot of students live in the suburbs and commute, but i honestly think living in detroit near campus isnt a bad idea. for starters, commuting during rush hour is a nightmare. there is plenty of housing (on and off campus) for grad students. the area is relatively safe -- fine during the day, i wouldnt recommend walking alone at night, but plenty of people do. its not the most exciting place in the world, but there are some good restaurants and the museums are nearby. go a little further off campus (you'll definitely want to bring a car -- public transit is practically nonexistent) and there's more stuff to do. i recently moved but am really familiar with wayne and detroit in general so feel free to hit me up with any questions.

the town isn't bad .. you just might start to get a little bored/restless toward the end. and not everyone is like that .. some people could never imagine leaving. don't know about toronto, but there is a megabus that goes to chicago or detroit for only a few dollars. there's amtrak and greyhound stations too, but the megabus is much cheaper/faster.

hi to my fellow future terps! human development here

haha, i felt the exact same way when i was leaving ann arbor! though now that i haven't lived there for almost 2 years i miss it .. guess the grass is always greener, eh? and i second the neighborhood north of rackham as being a good place for grad students .. my boyfriend lives on kingsley and its usually pretty quiet (save for the medical helicopters and the occasional party .. but i used to live in the packard/east u ghetto and its SO MUCH nicer than that). its a good mix of undergrads/grads/young professionals, not to mention close to kerrytown and downtown.

i'm going to the university of maryland. a far cry from ann arbor, but im excited nonetheless. go terps!

i think a stipend of 1,500 would be fine in ann arbor (ill be getting a *lot* lower stipend next year in a city with an even higher COL! ), especially if you live further off campus. i don't know much about specific apartment complexes (i always lived on campus so never looked further out), but check out http://www.arborweb.com/apartmentsindex.html -- in the middle of the page there is a drop-down menu where you can click "outer ann arbor apartments" and there is a pretty good listing there. just make sure you get something with a bus stop nearby if you are planning on riding the bus! also, parking is not impossible (though it may be a bit of a headache from time to time). you can definitely get a parking pass as a graduate student -- i dont know what program you'll be entering, but there are parking structures scattered throughout campus. though the environmentalist in me would recommend using public transit as much as possible ? , dont think that driving is not an option.

i can't say much about co-ops as i never lived in one. but you are absolutely right that they have varying reputations. i would strongly advise you to visit several before you sign a lease on one. most have a reputation for being places where not a lot of studying gets done, which is not good for a grad student. however, there is a new-ish (just started last year) all grad student co-op (the former jones house), so that might be an option.

ann arbor is a great college town -- there are a LOT of students, but its not completely run by undergrads. there are a lot of grad students and young professionals too. really, theres something for everyone. most people in ann arbor absolutely love it. one of the biggest complaints is the winter weather, i dont think you can ever completely get used to it, but you learn to live with it. on the flip side, the summers are beautiful. just pack a lot of warm clothes to get you through the winter and you'll be fine. cost of living is higher than most other midwest college towns (i.e. bloomington, urbana-champaign) but lower than a big city. i think its doable on a grad student stipend, my boyfriend manages fine. also, rent gets cheaper the farther you get away from campus (and the apartments get a lot nicer as you go farther away as well!) so if you dont mind taking a bus or driving to campus, you can save a little money by living farther out.

as someone who once considered teachers college to be my dream school, i will tell you to avoid the MA program there at all costs. there are too many students and too little money, not to mention that there isnt much you can do with a terminal masters in psych -- except go on to a phd. if you have an offer for a phd program, i would take it. cuny may not have the prestige of columbia, but .. you'd be surprised at the things i heard about TC (from academics) while i was out visiting and interviewing at other programs. i would run, not walk, as far away from TC as possible and enjoy cuny.

i am also seriously considering grad school at umd college park this fall. while i loved the department and campus, i wasn't too impressed with college park itself (possibly because i'm coming from ann arbor, an ultimate 'college town). still, im excited at the prospect of being near d.c. does anyone have any housing recommendations? i will more than likely have a roommate -- living on one's own is just too expensive out there. but i would like my own room, so a 2 bedroom apartment would be ideal. right now i'm drawn to the grad housing complexes -- my host when i visited lived there and its proximity to campus is nice. still, theres not much to do in the area so i'm also considering silver spring, but most complexes there are SO expensive. if anyone knows any hidden gems in the area that are affordable and near a metro station (i'm starting to think the two are mutually exclusive) .. please let me know

if you get a chance, walk to the kerrytown area (the area roughly north of catherine, east of main, and west of division). theres some nice shops and a farmers market -- though i have no idea how active it will be given how cold the weather is. just south of kerrytown is the general downtown area, which is also fun to stroll through. if it weren't so cold i would suggest nichols arboretum, which is absolutely beautiful to walk through. if you end up going to michigan in the fall, definitely do that. try arbor brewing company (washington & main st. area) or ashleys (on state st., just across from the diag) if you want to grab a drink. they are the more classy bars that arent overrun with undergrads (though if you want undergrad hangouts, there is certainly no shortage of those either!) if you like breakfast, its worth making the trip to angelos on catherine just east of glen (near the hospital) -- its hands down the best breakfast ive ever had! get there early though, there's usually a lineup (though u-m is on spring break right now so it will probably less crowded than usual) the big house is being renovated right now, so i have no clue if it is open to the public or not, but if youre at all interested, drive down to that area and try taking a peek inside if you can. if you're driving, street parking is free on sundays, and if you get there early enough before all the students return on spring break, you shouldnt have trouble finding a parking spot. my boyfriend is a current grad student at u-m, and we both did undergrad there, so i know the place inside & out. if you want any restaurant suggestions or have any questions about u-m or ann arbor, please ask!