Safety on campus

<p>I read some disturbing things about the UMDCP campus. Carjackings and daylight robberies. Anyone have any knowledge of the campus safety?</p>

<p>Yeah, I live about 15 minutes away. I think around 50 students from my school go there each year. I've heard stories of people beign raped on campus by people from the surrounding ghetto. I've alse heard that a few people have been robbed in broad daylight. I know the surrounding area is HORRIBLE, but I don't think the campus itself is that bad.</p>

<p>i think some people just over react. College park a gheto? wow if you think that place is bad then well you have know nothing. i live in a upscale area and went to visit cp. okay it is not even close to where il live but it did not look that bad. i walked around and no one bothered me and it was real safe. some people just overact and think its a ghetto because it looks different. i actually been ot the real ghetto and even there people overact. if you dont act stupid and mind your bussiness nothing happens. and im a kid who lives in an area that is real upper class and been to places like the bronx and queens. it was fine and people just act stupid and say things like wow this place is so ugly and stuff. but it is pretty much safe.</p>

<p>i live near college park and know several people that go there. college park is a fine area but right outside of it is not the best. the actual campus is nice but you do have to watch out for robberies. just travel in groups and well-lit areas. the more dangerous areas are right off campus but not on.</p>

<p>I pulled up the crime stats on College Park and compared them to William and Mary and also to UNC before my daughter made her decision. I was surprised to see that statistically they were very very similar in numbers. William and Mary if I recall had the same # of rapes and its a much smaller school!
The biggest difference was in theft..CP did have a higher incidence than the other schools.</p>

<p>Those are crimes committed by students of the University. The students aren't who you have to worry about, you have to worry about the people from the surrounding ghetto, and YES, it IS a ghetto. I live about 15 minutes away, and UMD gets an EXTREMELY bad rep for being unsafe. Probably 1/2 the kids from my school don't even apply there.</p>

<p>there was a fire at UMD like 2 weeks ago and someone was killed (they claim it was arson). This was the 2nd arson fire this year i think. There are a lot of robberies and rapes on camous. Just dont walk around by urself at night.</p>

<p>UMD is not a ghetto Poog. A few minutes from the campus brings million dollar homes in addition to areas that are ok but not the greatest. I dont know why you insist on calling it a ghetto.
As far as reputation goes..the statistics are very clear. UMDCP and UNC and William and Mary which I compared had very very similar stats as far as crime goes. I am very careful with my daughter and I checked out UMDCP carefully.
Sorry you dont like UMDCP..but I think its time you moved on to the college of your choice and stop bashing UMDCP.</p>

<p>I never said there were a lot of crimes committed by students, the crimes are all committed by residents of the area.</p>

<p>The stats I compared take into account all the crime commited on campus by students or residents.
As a parent I would advise any student to take precautions at any school they attend.
The area is definitely not a ghetto and I really think your bashing the school is unfair to the kids who want to attend there and the kids who do go there.
I dont want to seem unkindly but my D. looked at JMU (your choice I believe ) and she thought it was really sad in comparison to MD but we are not on the JMU college list bashing the school.
Move on to the school of your choice instead of criticizing others.</p>

<p>I'm sorry I started a thread that has caused some harsh words. I had read some comments on other sites and wanted to get some more input on the UMD campus. Ironically, my son was accepted to both UMD and JMU and appreciated both for their unique differences. He did not select either school. He chose an urban school, Duquesne University, with a campus rated as one of the safest in the country. That had no part in his decision, the decsion was based on the academic program offered in his major. I would have been thrilled with either UMD or JMU. Congrats to both the UMD and JMU students and good luck.</p>

<p>I think your thread is a very valid one. It was a definite concern of mine when we were deciding on colleges, thats why I looked into it very carefully - comparing crime stats etc.
I actually went to Duquesne for a special program years ago. Really enjoyed it. Good luck to your son!</p>