My daughter has narrowed down her list of potential colleges for environmental studies/science and Salisbury is one of her safety schools. She is really impressed with the academic offerings and the student body size. Before we go visit, I’m wondering if anyone has been to the campus and might give us a sense of what it’s like. We’ve watched some of the virtual tours but we are having a hard time getting a good sense of the campus.
Some of her specific questions include - is the campus contained or spread out? What’s the style of the buildings? Is it more uniform in style (building are similar) or eclectic? What’s the surrounding community like - college town vibe? urban? suburban? Anything else about the physical appearance of the campus would be greatly appreciated.
If it helps to put it in comparison terms, some of the campuses she has visited include Villanova, Lehigh, University of Delaware, Miami of Ohio, George Mason, William and Mary, and Bucknell.
It is on Maryland’s Eastern shore in a rural area that Purdue Chicken has invested heavily. The town has become a sleepy college town and it is not too far from Ocean City and Eastern Shore destinations if your child likes the water. The business school is support by the purdue family and graduates do well. I dont think it is similar to any of the schools listed, maybe Delaware but smaller.
It’s very rural. The eastern shore is a little more lively in the summer, and maybe in May and September, but it’s pretty rural.
For environmental studies, there are a lot of places to study like the ocean, the Chesapeake Bay and tidal basins, the Virginia coastal areas of Assateague and Chincoteaque.
All of this information is really helpful - thank you. Can anyone give us a sense of the style/type of buildings, how clean campus is, etc. My daughter is looking for a great education and she really loves a traditional “New England” college kinda look (e.g. Miami of Ohio, William and Mary, etc.)
Because you mentioned the “New England Type of feel” and are already looking in Maryland, check out Washington college in the eastern shore. Very pretty (albeit small) campus.
I have spent a fair bit of time in Salisbury. The campus is almost completely red brick, with a nicely maintained arboretum and grounds. Many of the buildings are traditionally styled, the stunning new library is still red brick but distinctly post-modern. The campus is organized so that many of the buildings and parking lots are on the edges of a long rectangle, with pleasant quads and green spaces in between. The college is surrounded on three sides by a leafy residential area, and on the east by Highway 13 (which separates the main campus from the extensive athletic fields - which can be reached by an underpass that goes under the highway - and some of the upperclassmen housing). Hwy 13 is lined with college-serving restaurants and shops, many chains, etc. I have also spent time at Miami (Ohio) - Salisbury is much more compact, but feels well organized and easily accessible . The care taken by the horticulture staff and the large mature trees throughout make the campus feel nicely maintained and peaceful.
The town of Salisbury is too large to be a college town - but it is certainly not a large city. It has a small downtown and an extensive commercial district with lots of box stores, a mall, car dealerships, etc - it has more shopping that you would expect for a city of its size because it is the medical and commercial center for a much larger area (including the beach resort towns). Most of this is north of the campus (on Hwy 13) by about 5 miles.
If you do decide to visit, I would encourage you to reach out to the Environmental Studies department in advance and if they have time they may be able to have someone talk to your daughter. We have known a few students who attended and have loved their experience there; they rave about the close connections and family-like feel of environmental studies at Salisbury, and all of the options to study the environment at this school. One transferred to SU from Grinnell, and spoke very positively of the quality of teaching in Environmental Studies at Salisbury. (As an interesting aside - the chair of the Bucknell Environmental Studies and Sciences got his Bachelor’s degree at Salisbury.)