So, I just got accepted to JHU’s MFA program in creative writing and am totally over the moon, but before I can commit I need to figure out transportation. I currently do not have a car and would rather not get one. Driving gives me major anxiety, and if I can hardly handle it in a small South Georgia town, then I doubt I could handle it in Baltimore. I figure if I live in an apartment next to campus I’ll be fine, but I’ve heard that Baltimore is extremely unsafe. I need to be able to walk home from classes at night, since grad school classes are generally in the evening, and I also need a way to get groceries. I imagine campus has its own bus route for students without cars, so I assume I could just use that (I haven’t checked their website yet, which is probably something I should do right now). I just want to be sure I can be both self-sufficient and safe without a vehicle. Right now I live in a small college town (around 30,000 people, I think) off campus and am doing fine, so I like to think if I can make it work here, I can make it work anywhere…thoughts?
Transportation shouldn’t be an issue for you. If you look at the maps on this site (http://ts.jhu.edu/Shuttles/), you’ll see that there are Blue Jay shuttles that will take you to areas around the perimeter of the campus. There’s also a free shuttle that will take you down to places like Penn Station, the Peabody campus, and the medical campus; some shuttles that will take you to nearby Hopkins campuses; and a Collegetown Shuttle that goes between some college campuses such as Towson University, and also stops at Target, Walmart, and a mall (though they’re pretty far out; I’ve only used this shuttle twice or so). This is in addition to the free Charm City Circulator that will take you downtown and to places such as the Inner Harbor, and the (non-free) MTA bus system.
As for security, there are security guards patrolling outside who stay out pretty late; they cover from University Pkwy to ~29th street, so the breadth of campus and then some, as well as 1-2 blocks forward (where a lot of the apartments are as well as stores and restaurants). I haven’t had any problems walking around at night (~11pm-1am) staying within this zone (being a 5’2" girl). If you still don’t feel comfortable walking, there’s a special Blue Jay Shuttle called the Night Ride, which is on-demand and curb-to-curb throughout the shuttle routes. You can call any time after dusk and be chauffeured wherever you need to go.
There’s a Giant and a Safeway within walking distance of campus (out of the safety zone), and an even closer (though smaller) grocery store within the zone, as well as a CVS. The Blue Jay shuttle can take you to the Giant and Safeway.
I went to JHU over 20 years ago, so my info is dated. I did not need a car and all the necessities were within walking distance. There was a great weekly farmer’s market a few blocks east of campus on the weekends and the Giant supermarket was a 15 minute walk away. It did not feel unsafe near the university but you did need to exercise some basic street smarts. Weekly, the university ran a free shuttle van to Washington DC for grad students to do research at the National Library and other repositories - check if they still do this. Back in the day, the public buses got me where I needed to go. It sounds like there are even more options, based on the post above. ˆ
This is really awesome info from both of you–and I’m super interested in seeing if they still have a free shuttle for grad students to DC! These replies coupled with some research I’ve done since last night have really helped ease my anxieties. Thank you!!!
Just to add on, there is plenty of housing within the “security zone” of Homewood campus which is heavily patrolled and generally safe. In my experience, while Baltimore is certainly not the safest city you can definitely get around without a car if you take some basic safety precautions and take advantage of the public transit and university sponsored shuttle systems.
I don’t know about a free shuttle to DC - I imagine that there may be a shuttle between Homewood and SAIS in DC but I can’t be sure. However you can get to DC for about $5 via the MARC train.
To add to all the info above, the Hopkins security bubble is very safe. Once in a while we’ll hear about burglaries or people getting mugged, but that is usually on the edges of the bubble at very late hours of the night. Additionally, I have never felt unsafe on campus, and I’ve walked home to my dorm from the frats at 3am. As long as you’re smart and stay close to campus, you’ll be fine.
Regarding groceries and general life, I know that there is a grocery store pretty close to campus and Giant stores offer a delivery service called Peapod. Additionally, many students have zipcars and find it a good compromise