Hi everyone! I’m a rising senior thinking of applying to JHU. However, I am anxious about Baltimore in regards to its safety and variety of activities. JHU alumni/students or people who live in Baltimore, please tell me some of your favorite things to do there.
Thank you!
Hopkins is in a pretty good area and its immediate surroundings are being extremely gentrified at this moment. The school has one of the largest private security forces in the nation and does a good job watching over students. There are very bad parts of Baltimore but that area is mostly west or east baltimore and there’s not really a reason to be hanging out there (draw a large X dividing baltimore with the Hopkins campus as the center and you’re safe to walk freely in the north and south quadrants).
There are so many things to do like explore a few of Baltimore’s art districts such as Station North and Mount Vernon. There’s also the inner harbor that is packed with a ton of restaurants and shops. One of my favorite things to do are weekend trips to DC since it’s only an 8$ 45 minute train ride away and there’s a plethora of museums, restaurants, clubs, and things to do at the nation’s capital. I mean it’s hard to list everything and I’ve never felt myself out of fun things to do. You can PM more personal questions : )!
2 people were robbed just a few blocks from campus yesterday. One of them was stabbed and went to the hospital. Make your own decision.
I (and others) posted previously about JHU safety, which can be read here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/johns-hopkins-university/1821701-questions-about-baltimore.html#latest
Basically, don’t conflate city crime statistics with campus safety. Unless you plan on living in the most dangerous parts of a large urban city then you won’t be exposed to the level of crime that is being reported. Schools are rarely located in the dangerous parts of town and this is why the US Government requires all schools to report crimes on and around campus to better inform students and their families on the risks of attendance. In this regard Hopkins is a very safe school (the safest? No, and of course bad things do happen) because it is in a “bubble” of safety from the increased security, the significantly more expensive property values in the immediate area and its relative distance from the downtown (which can attract some bad actors). Make sure you are making informed decisions about the school itself and not the city as a whole - there’s a surprisingly big difference when you to start to discern between the two! Hope this helps!
Just be aware that there are large areas of Baltimore where you should not wander.
I wouldn’t say Hopkins is in that great an area. Baltimore is a great city, but as mentioned above, just like with any city, you need a real awareness of what parts you should avoid. If you go, learn from the older students where to avoid. As far as variety of things to do, Orioles games are very affordable (not so much the Ravens). You’ll find college lacrosse to be HUGE. There are plenty of fun areas of Baltimore - Inner Harbor has great shops and restaurants, street entertainers, paddle boats, and more. Fells Point has quaint old houses, neat shops and restaurants. Hampden has cool vintage shops and bookstores.
There’s theater - including Broadway shows, there’s the symphony, museums, and more. D attends college in Baltimore and has thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the city has to offer. It’s also a quick trip by light rail to get to DC, and New York and Philadelphia make great weekend trips. Baltimore has been a wonderful “extra” as part of the college experience.
I agree with jsteez and NixonDenier. The area around Hopkins is admittedly pretty bad, but there is a bubble of a few blocks around Hopkins where everything is very safe. Sure, we get emails once in a while about robberies and such, but it’s also a matter of common sense, like walking in groups and not staying out too late. Additionally, Baltimore has some great areas, like Mount Vernon, Inner Harbor, and Fells Point.