<p>My son (finishing his second yr in BME at Wash-U) is choosing between some summer research internship possibilities around the country. He's most excited about an opportunity at the Johns Hopkins Medical School campus. Unfortunately, while his parental units know a great deal about the environs and surroundings of some of his other possibilities, we're pulling a Sgt. Schultz ("we know nut-ting") about JHU and Baltimore (and to be honest, what we do know, is somewhat scary).</p>
<p>Feel free to throw in your $0.02 either here or via PM. Some questions which jump out for me, include:</p>
<p>1 -- What is the area like around the JHU Med School campus?</p>
<p>2 -- It's still to be determined whether his internship will allow him to stay in university dorms, but, if so:
----(a) are there any dorms or university housing at the med school campus?
----(b) if dorms or university housing is only available at the main campus, how easy/safe is the commute from one to the other?</p>
<p>3 -- Any ideas about other housing choices in the JHU Med School area?</p>
<p>4 -- Just for the heck of it: Is it feasible to commute daily between the College Park or Bethesda areas and JHU (I'm guessing the relatively short distance from the perspective of a midwesterner is outweighed by significant urban gridlock)?</p>
<p>Thanks all. As others have stated before me, college related issues don't stop once your kid has been admitted to his undergraduate school.</p>
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<li><p>It's like most other urban areas, use common sense. There are plenty of students around, just don't wander by yourself at night into unknown areas several block from the campus.</p></li>
<li><p>Can't answer that, don't know the specifics about where dorms are located.</p></li>
<li><p>I would imagine there would be plenty of opportunities to sublease for the summer from current students who will be going home for the summer and would love for you to pay their rent for the summer. My DD did this for an internship at near UVA and it worked out great.</p></li>
<li><p>I would not suggest commuting from either College Park or Bethesda unless you account for at least 1 hour of driving time in each direction, maybe that is ok for you but that traffic is killer some days. You would be better subleasing in the suburbs near Towson U. or UMBC and traveling into the city.</p></li>
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<p>As a Bethesda resident, I can tell you that the commute would be a minimum 1 hour. But if you go during the rush period (lasts a lot longer than an hour!) it can take more. I remember one time it took me a good hour and a half to get to BWI Airport (usually 45 minutes), which is south of the city. And if there is an accident, who knows how long it would take you!</p>
<p>College Park would be a somewhat shorter commute, but my perception is that it isn't any safer than Baltimore. I don't know why you would pick it. Don't be fooled by the idyllic name ...</p>
<p>The school itself should be able to answer questions about housing possibilities and crime. My son looked into the possibility of attending JHU (he's now at WUSTL too!) and I remember something about a shuttle that goes between the campuses. This is something the school would be able to address also.</p>
<p>My perception also is that Baltimore is no less safe than St. Louis.</p>
<p>I'm a BME freshman at Hopkins right now, so I can answer a few of your questions. Like seenitall said, the area around the Med School is pretty urban. I don't know specifically about security at the Med School campus, but if it's like Homewood (main) campus, the security really isn't a big deal as long as you use common sense (ie walk in groups, stay near campus in well lit areas, use the security escort vans etc). [url=<a href="http://www.jhu.edu/security/annual_report.htm%5DHere's%5B/url">http://www.jhu.edu/security/annual_report.htm]Here's[/url</a>] the campus security report from a few years ago. </p>
<p>I can respond to the questions for two reasons: my husband had surgery at JHU Hospital several years ago, and DS is a student (graduating!!!!) at Peabody, which is much closer to the hospital campus than Homewood is.</p>
<p>I think it's lovely that everyone has been so generous and politically correct when talking about the hospital neighborhood, but in truth it's awful. The security ON the hospital grounds is phenomenol - I don't think there are more security-patrolled city hospital facilities or parking areas anywhere in the country. When my husband was a patient in the hospital, the kids and I stayed in a small rowhouse that was about three blocks from the hospital. I was told that under no circumstances should I walk from the house to the hospital, that I should always drive over and park in the hospital garage. Not being a fool, I did as I was told. DH and I have driven through the area on occasion, and in all honesty, we prefer to take a different route if possible. I think there's a time and a place for being politically correct, but I also think sometimes the truth is really important. On the flip side, I think that in general B'more has a worse reputation than it deserves. DS and his friends walk everywhere, all the time, and I think only one kid ever had a problem (and that was at about 3AM when he was drunk and alone). Belongings did and do disappear from unsecured practice rooms, but that's more an issue of student stupidity than of being in a "dangerous" neighborhood. I have walked all around the Peab. neighborhoods at all hours, and have never felt uncomfortable or in danger (on the contrary, I've never been so totally entertained as I was last year when we went walking on Halloween!). Of course, I was never alone when I was out walking. You have to use common sense in any city, as tanman said.</p>
<p>There should probably be medical campus dorm housing available for summer students and interns (the non-medical kind) - the son of friends stayed in a dorm last summer when he worked in one of the hospital labs. Another option might be to check over at Peabody to see if there are any summer sub-leases available in that neighborhood. I recall seeing signs for them in the past, usually posted on bulletin boards near the dining hall and in the hallways near the practice rooms. You could call the Residence Life Office and ask them if they know of any sub-leases - since you're calling from out of town, they may physically go and check for you. The Peab. campus is closer to the med. school than Homewood is, and it's MUCH closer than College Park or Bethesda. As tanman said, the traffic can be really bad coming into B'more from just about any direction, and unless your son wants to get up with the birds, he'd probably be better off staying in town somewhere. Presumably he'll have a car, since you asked about commuting, but there is a shuttle that runs between all the JHU campuses. However, I don't know what kind of schedule it operates on during the summer. That's something else can probably find out about by calling the Res. Life Office. </p>
<p>Good luck, and happy hunting. If there's anything else I can answer for you, holler.</p>