Reviews of Towson

Colleges and Universities A-Z Towson University
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<p>Since there has been some talk about Towson lately, I thought I’d post a review I did of it in late September after my son and I visited. Not sure if I posted it here or not:</p>

<p>Saturday my son, his friend and her mother and I visited Towson University in Towson, Maryland. It came up on my radar screen when our next door neighbors son, who happens to be my son’s close friend, was accepted and decided to go there. He’s a freshman this year. My son’s friend that visited with us is a senior in hs this year so this was her last college to look at. She’s also good friends with the current student.</p>

<p>Towson is a large College with about 16,000 students. Most of them are from Maryland and my guess is many applied to U of Md., and chose Towson as a safety. My son’s friend’s roommate for instance, goes home every weekend. We were told that the avg. SAT scores for admitted students ranged from 970 - 1100. There is an honors college with merit money, special housing and perks.</p>

<p>Our son’s friend is a history major and would like one day to teach at a college level. One of the reasons he picked Towson was because of the depth of the history classes. It has a broad range of majors and one in computer security that I thought might interest my son. </p>

<p>When we arrived on campus we went to the Enrollment Services building. We were given a very brief talk about the college and watched a fairly generic video that featured students talking about why they LOVED Towson. It was good - I’ve just seen so many it was hard to pay attention. Afterwards we were broken up into groups of about 20 people and three guides. My son’s friend joined us for the tour. </p>

<p>The campus is quite large, hilly and fairly well maintained. Lots of trees, open grassy areas and places to hang out. The dining facilities looked great - large variety and well placed. The meal plan was flexible and freshman could choose between 14 - 19 meals a week or something called 19 unlimited meals which I think was meant for football players… There was a lot of activity on campus but I think many students were on their way to the stadium when we arrived, getting ready for the first football game. My son’s friend had joined an ultimate frisbee team and it was much more competitive then what he was used to. But he was getting used to and enjoying it.</p>

<p>The dorms were pretty typical except they don’t seperate freshman out so you could potentially share a dorm with juniors or seniors. In actuallity most dorms are freshman and sophmores because they have very nearby off campus housing that the upperclassman use. They had two orientation mixers that our son’s friend declined before school started. I think one was a raft trip and the other was helping to build a Habitat for Humanity house. His mother was quite frustrated when he wouldn’t do either one.</p>

<p>Classrooms looked nice. Avg. class size was about 20 students although some beginning classes could have 100 students with labs broken down to groups of 20. They were renovating a very large theatre arts building and said it would be done by summer 2005.</p>

<p>We ate on campus in the dining hall. I had a made to order omelet, tater tots and a salad. It was good. My son liked the all you can eat thing and got a grilled cheese, 4 slices (small) of pizza and a bowl of ice cream. A good candidate for the freshman 15 - but that wouldn’t be a bad thing!</p>

<p>Something appealing about Towson is it’s proximity to Baltimore. The tour guide said it was about 15 minutes to Inner Harbour. There’s a nearby bus service into the city and the walk to the town of Towson was just a mile. We saw the town and it had a beautiful large library, a Borders book store and a nearby mall. Very conveinent.</p>

<p>The cost for out of state students is about $22,000. My son did like it as did his girl friend (those two words are not hooked together on purpose!) and she did decide to apply at Towson. Her other schools to apply to are Elon and NC State. Her mother is also suggesting she decide on a Pennsylvania safety school.</p>

<p>All in all, I liked Towson. It was a fairly pleasant 3 hour drive - we decided to go west through PA and then South into Md. instead of the faster, but more congested route on route I-95. I think it would be a match school for my son and slightly challenging and enjoyable college experience. </p>

<p>Postscript: My son’s friend who attends Towson has been really enjoying his freshman year and is doing very, very well academically. </p>

<p>SECOND REVIEW
Today, 04:08 PM #2<br>
taxguy
Member</p>

<p>Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Rockville, Maryland
Posts: 500 My son also goes to Towson. I should note that the median SATS for last year’s entering class is around 1150. </p>

<p>My son LOVES Towson. Why?
1, It is a large school that seems like a small school. All of his classes, even introductory classes are small. He has never had any class over 60 kids and most are under 25. In fact, two of his honors classes are under 12 kids!</p>

<li><p>There is a LOT to do at Towson. Kids can rend videos, see movies, have access to numerous sports leagues from field hocky to ultimate frisbee etc. If a kid is bored there, they haven’t left their dorm room. </p></li>
<li><p>Food is good, We have eaten in the Towson cafeteria and loved the daily salid bar and Mongolian Barbecue. Lots of grilled stuff such as chicken and hamburgers etc. They even have a kosher dining room. They also have Subarros on campus too.</p></li>
<li><p>No teaching assistants are used: All professors are professors and not graduate students or TAs. Also, my son noted that he has never had a professor that didn’t speak English well. These foreign professors may exist,but they are not that common.</p></li>
<li><p>Very diverse majors and thus very diverse kids: Towson not only has a strong humanities program but has strong programs in performing arts, music, voice, and dance and in visual arts. The only customary majors that Towson doesn’t have is engineering. If you want engineering, you go to Univ. of Maryland.</p></li>
<li><p>Towson does use a lot of part-time adjunct professors: This is a mixed blessing. Most professors have worked or are currently working in their field. However, they may not be as accessible as what you would find in a small LAC. This does tend to be a problem.</p></li>
<li><p>Towson has lots of scholarship money. I don’t know the reason,but Towson, more than that of other Maryland state universites, has a lot of scholarship money. Every kid that gets into the honors college gets some money. Considering that their tuition isn’t bad even for out of state students, this makes Towson a real deal!</p></li>
<li><p>Towson is near Baltimore: Baltimore can be a fun city. Lots of stuff to do and see. It also has some terrific restaurants if you want to take advantage of these places.Morover, Towson is very near one of the biggest and best shopping malls in the country for those that want to take advantage of this.</p></li>
<li><p>Towson has a very pretty compus. You really get a nice college campus feel at Towson. Frankly, I think it has a nicer campus than that of the University of Maryland. I don’t get that sprawl feel at Towson and many of the buildings are “classically designed.” Univ. of Maryland has all types of buildings that don’t necessarily match.
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<p>Today, 04:11 PM</p>

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<p>Update: My son's friend who was a senior did end up applying and was accepted to Towson. However, she was also accepted at NC State and chose to go there. My son, now a rising senior,has decided to apply to Towson. If he's accepted, he'll probably go back for a second visit to decide. BTW, son's friend had an excellent gpa but SAT scores at about 1000.</p>

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<p>I know these posts are old - just trying to get some current info. I have never visited the campus but am planning a visit in two weeks with my daughter. She's interested in the fine arts program and has decided to consider Towson because she's getting nervous about possibly attending a stand alone art school, which are her other two acceptances. I've read some posts that mention housing shortages and tripling up as well as out of state students wanting to transfer out. Anyone out there who can give me some positive and/or honest information?</p>

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<p>taxguy- thanks so much for your posts-- they are very helpful. You seem to know alot about alot of schools. May I ask, is it business related or personal interest or a little of both?
My youngest is a senior in H.S. this year, and is trying to decide between College Park, Towson, or UMBC.
We still have not heard from Towson honors college..........am a little nervous as I called and they said letters went out on the 15th of this month. One of her friends got a rejection letter from honors. This week is spring break so maybe everyone is gone......
Glad to hear that your son likes it.</p>

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<p>marylandgirl, taxguy's posts were written two years ago - I just posted my message the other day trying to get some recent updated comments. I agree, taxguy's posts are very informative and I'm looking forward to our visit in a couple of weeks to see my daughter's reaction. I thought I read some of your posts last year that you had a daughter interested in Towson. I guess she didn't attend? Do you know much about the school, how kids like it, housing, and anything about the art program?</p>

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<p>yes- but he just added to it.....</p>

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<p>I don't think so. Look at the post. The first half of the post I believe is one he copied and pasted from someone else's review prior to his - I thought I read it in a different forum written by someone else. I think that person lives somewhere in PA, they said it was a three hour drive. The one below he posted on 4/13/05, which was his review to add on to the previous review.</p>

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<p>ohhhhhhhh.....I see. I have posted several long posts to you but every time I submit them they vanish! ARGGHH! I will try again......</p>

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<p>Yes- my oldest daughter looked at Towson last year but chose to go to Univ. Of MD College Park. Towson offered her almost a free ride.....My other d is a senior in high school and she is trying to decide now. She got into Univ of MD College Park Scholars, but she does not seem too thrilled with the school and I don't think she wants to go there even though her sister is there.</p>

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<p>I will tell you what I know, (which isn't much) and what I think. I like the location as it is within walking distance of Towson Towne Center (nice Mall). We have toured it about three times and are going again soon on the tour for admitted students. My d loves music but wants to be a math major--I know nothing about the math dept! They have a good music program form what I hear-- I don't know about the art program. They have a brand new fine arts building which is very nice. We were told there is a terrible housing crunch, but freshman are guarenteed housing, and if you put in for it for the next year after you are already there, you are ok. My d.s stats are act 29, sat math 670 verbal 650 (may be off 10 points one way or the other) can't remember) so she should be ok for Towson. Our only concern is in the past Towson has not been very selective. In some of the college books, it is not even listed! i have never understood it......I guess my concerns are "parent" concerns. We all want the best for our kids.. the "best" school, or a "good" school. My youngest has never been that interested in school. It's just not her thing so where ever she wants to go will be fine. I just want her to be happy. She is also a International Baccalaureate full diploma candidate, and if she gets the diploma, Towson gives her 30 credits. IF she gets it......we'll see. Please post after your visit and let me know what you think. It is my hope that we can all help and support each other through these difficult decision times.</p>

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<p>Let me give an update on my original post.</p>

<p>First, I do like Towson, overall, more than University of Maryland for the reasons noted above. They have particularly strong programs in business, accounting, dance, music, and a few other programs. They are a LOT more nurturing than that of Maryland,which sticks kids with a lot of grad students for their first year or two.</p>

<p>Second, my son loved the school. There were plenty of things to do and see. He thought the programs were demanding and the school's facilities were great. Towson also has some nice additions to majors that other schools may not have. For example, my son was able to major in accounting and minor in financial planning,which is unusual for an accounting program.</p>

<p>There are, however, things about Towson that I don't like and didn't realize.
First, due to their crazy policy of admitting almost 2,000 more kids for the freshmen class, there is a severe housing shortage. Essentially the only kids that are guaranteed on campus housing are freshmen and sophomores. Juniors can get it by lottery. I really, really didn't like this. </p>

<p>Secondly, Towson is a very hard school especially in business. There is certainly little grade inflation. Many kids, who made honors and received scholarships, failed to maintain their required GPA of a 3.4.</p>

<p>With the advent of the sudden influx of students, Towson isn't as nurturing as it once was. This is a sad change that I am sorry to see.</p>

<p>Yes, Towson is still a good school and especially good for the money invested. It just doesn't give me the same "warm furries" that I had when my son started 4 years ago.</p>

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<p>also, the kids we know that go there love it. It is a good size but not huge. It is the second largest school (after college park) in Maryland. It's interesting-my d and I talk about it alot, but the only kids we have ever known that were not happy at the schools they were at were kids who went to small schools . All ended up leaving and going to larger schools and were then very happy. It had nothing to do with the quality of education, as they were all good schools like Goucher, Dickinson, Univ. of Richmond, St. Mary's, etc. All said there was no diversity, not much to do but drink, and "cliquish".
I guess my point is, the state schools, or somewhat larger schools, seem to have more diversity-- my kids seemed to like them better. But I have come to realize that there is no perfect school and they all have their plus and minus points. I have had "mixed" feelings about all the schools we have visited. I have loosened up alot with the second kid. I was much more difficult trying to decide where my first one would go. Also, my first one was a serious student. My second one is not that interested. Sorry to post in so many "snippets', but it kept eating my posts.....</p>

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<p>Tax guy- thanks for that housing info. I thought they said if you kept requesting your same room you could keep it each year....guess not. I don't like that either about the housing as I want mine to be on campus. Also don't want to get into the whole "car" thing. UMBC was very good this way. Plenty of housing, etc. You're right about College Park. They don't hold your hand there. i haven't decided exactly what I think of it yet. My d is a freshman there. She just got back from alternative spring break and had a great time. But she is a much harder worker and serious student than my other one so it seems to be working for her.</p>

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<p>marylandgirl and taxguy - thanks for your comments. I just sent you a PM marylandgirl before I saw these posts. First, when is admitted students day? My daughter received a very basic acceptance package with no mention of this. I just went online to schedule a tour during her spring break and spoke to someone in the art department to set up a tour the same day of the fine arts building. I've read about the housing and some comments made it sound like there are more problems for out of staters. I hope this isn't the case. As long as it's guaranteed the first two years, I don't see that as as issue since most kids move into apartments by junior year anyway. I think all schools at this point are going to have some kind of issues because of the incredible increase in enrollment over the past several years. I just hope my daughter loves the school when we visit since she suddenly decided she doesn't want to go to a stand alone art school which are her two other acceptances at this point, although she seems to change her mind day to day. </p>

<p>Some comments I've read about the school made it sound like the academics weren't that challenging but it sound like this isn't the case from your posts. I'm not terribly concerned about this aspect - my main concern for this daughter, who is more artsy and less into academics, is that she's in an environment that she feels she fits into and that she's happy. And if she's happy, I'm very happy.</p>

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<p>marylandgirl - just saw your last couple of posts. I have a similar situation with my two daughters. First one is a much more serious student and applied to 12 schools. But she knew exactly what she wanted - she's now a junior at WashU and still in her original major, biomedical engineering. It was such an effort with my youngest daughter to get her to complete the few applications that she did. I thought she was set on going to art school but maybe she's having second thoughts. I just hope she likes Towson.</p>

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<p>ha! That's so funny! My first applied to 9 schools and did it all herself. My second only applied to 3 and it was like pulling teeth to get her to do that!
Maybe it's the second child syndrome.....</p>

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<p>MOM of Alex, Towson just build a brand new, state of the art, visual and performing arts facility,which looks fabulous. I am,however, troubled that Towson is NOT NASAD accredited, (National Schools of Art and Design). This isn't a necessary accreditation since they do have their normal regional accreditation,but it is nice to have and many of the top art programs have this duel accreditation. Towson does have a duel accreditation in business but not in visual art.</p>

<p>Marylandgirl, you asked me how I know about schools. First, school like Towson are near where I live. Thus, I am familiar with them.Secondly, I took a personal interest in evaluating art and design programs for my daughter. Third, I am a writer. I tend to overly research everything to the Nth degree,which makes me a bit obsessive- compulsive.</p>

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<p>taxguy - glad you like to overly research everything and post here. Makes it easier to find information for people like me! I have heard about the new arts facility and am excited to see it. I'm sure it will make a big impression on my daughter. I didn't think I saw NASAD accreditation anywhere on the Towson site, but honestly, I think if it's a good school with good professors and the kids come out with good portfolios, that's what really matters. And she has to like to overall environment. This could be a perfect fit for her.</p>

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<p>Just wanted to say that my d is graduating in may from the business school . She has done extremely well at Towson . She went there bc of swimming and it being a larger but not to large of a school . I feel it has a strong academic program and the teachers there were always more then willing to help my d. She is having much success in interiewing for her future employment. And she did it all in just 4 years . I believe no mattter what school you attend as long as you give it your best you can succeed. Again Towson was a great fit for my d. and most of her friends come from N.J. and N.Y. so there are kids from other areas But it is still labeled a commuter school. Oh and about housing my d only lived on campus freshman yr after that she moved off with her friends. Seems to be the thing they all want to do.</p>

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<p>is towson a suitcase school?</p>