Thoughts on St. Mary's College of MD?

[Anonymous]

St Mary's grad from many years back, here - I adored my time there. Its just a very friendly and collegial student body (and, yes, the setting is beautiful) There's a good chunk of MoCo kids there that got through the honors/AP grind of HS up here and just wanted a lower key college experience and that made for great classmates - well prepared and laid back. There's also a pretty active alumni network in this area and the current president is, in my assessment, excellent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St Mary's grad from many years back, here - I adored my time there. Its just a very friendly and collegial student body (and, yes, the setting is beautiful) There's a good chunk of MoCo kids there that got through the honors/AP grind of HS up here and just wanted a lower key college experience and that made for great classmates - well prepared and laid back. There's also a pretty active alumni network in this area and the current president is, in my assessment, excellent.

And I should add that I have no affinity for rural areas and haven't lived in one since. St Mary's is just a really pretty and friendly place to spend time, learn a lot, and make life long friends.

[Anonymous]

Depends on major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So we have a junior and visited SMCM and Washington College this month. We are now just looking at different sized schools and settings. The mid-sized and large schools are upcoming.

From what I have read about SMCM and Washington College combined with our visits, I thought my kid would prefer WC hands down. I was sure kid might like the escape of walking to town for a meal option once in a while. Nothing against SMCM- it is beautiful.

This is the very beginning of this process and I can’t really tell if my kid’s opinion is based in anything other than being in a bad mood on a certain day. He is a textbook moody teen. Just venting and wondering if anyone else is thoroughly conditioned about tour feedback from their kids?? 🤷‍♀️

Yes. It's very pretty, but very isolated and small.

Yes we've had a lot of moody college tours too. I try to just grit my teeth and power through.

All of our tours have been like this. During the last one I announced I had to charge the car and left DD with her dad to finish the tour. Go figure, that's the school she loved.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone say more about the humanities cuts? Feel like I'm bucking trends here, but I actually want a humanities-focus for our kid. That's where their strengths lie. She's in at Washington College with merit and I know they have a good writing award... but during our (sulky kid) tours, both Washington College and St Mary's seemed heavily Stem focused.

Hard to tell if that's just what everyone wants to see or if it would be a problem. Neither has very big English or Art departments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t a lot of the expensive private SLAC in small towns ?
I don’t see the difference.

Ever been to Jamestown, VA? It's like the campus is there, without as many trees. There are houses and stuff around and a store on campus that has convenience store stuff, but I didn't even see a regular convenience store anyplace close. I think there was a bakery near the historic site, but it closed. It feels like you're at the edge of the world... Which is kind of cool, but you have to want that.

I'm assuming they must run shuttles to civilization. There's not even a public bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone say more about the humanities cuts? Feel like I'm bucking trends here, but I actually want a humanities-focus for our kid. That's where their strengths lie. She's in at Washington College with merit and I know they have a good writing award... but during our (sulky kid) tours, both Washington College and St Mary's seemed heavily Stem focused.

Hard to tell if that's just what everyone wants to see or if it would be a problem. Neither has very big English or Art departments.

St Mary's is very into enabling cross-disciplinary work, which you can leverage in interesting ways in the humanities if you cross, say literature and languages. Because the capstone project is a big deal, there, its a good chance to really deep dive on your major. So, I think good chances to do interesting humanities work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up down there. I got out at the first opportunity. Unless you sail I don't see why anyone would want to go. No place to intern or get a job. When I was in high school people drank because there was nothing else to do.

+1 here. It’s beautiful down there, but drinking is what there is to do. I’d get a house down there on the water in a heartbeat if I could talk DH into it at age 48, but at 20 I would have gone bananas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So we have a junior and visited SMCM and Washington College this month. We are now just looking at different sized schools and settings. The mid-sized and large schools are upcoming.

From what I have read about SMCM and Washington College combined with our visits, I thought my kid would prefer WC hands down. I was sure kid might like the escape of walking to town for a meal option once in a while. Nothing against SMCM- it is beautiful.

This is the very beginning of this process and I can’t really tell if my kid’s opinion is based in anything other than being in a bad mood on a certain day. He is a textbook moody teen. Just venting and wondering if anyone else is thoroughly conditioned about tour feedback from their kids?? 🤷‍♀️

Yes. It's very pretty, but very isolated and small.

Yes we've had a lot of moody college tours too. I try to just grit my teeth and power through.

All of our tours have been like this. During the last one I announced I had to charge the car and left DD with her dad to finish the tour. Go figure, that's the school she loved.

😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Terrible location.

Not everyone wants city life. I loved going to college in a rural location.
I didn't have to worry about crime on campus for once in my life, it was freeing as a young woman.

The base has more influence on the area than the College.

A few years ago I visited St. Mary's as it was part of a school field trip my then 4th grader was taking. I was excited to see it but when I got there I literally knew that if I'd had to attend, I would have slashed my wrists. It is RURAL and isolated and small. You have a 2.5 hour drive to civilization along one back-country road. No thank you.

Huh? Is this the campus by Frederick, MD? It's not THAT remote. And certainly not isolated from humanity. It's very small but really pretty. And some kids want that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ever heard of hyperbole?

Suicide is not a good reference for hyperbole.

In honor of suicide prevention month, let’s all commit to do better when it comes to this topic.

NP. I was thinking the same.

Friend 's kid is at SMCM and loving it. Don't have any details though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone say more about the humanities cuts? Feel like I'm bucking trends here, but I actually want a humanities-focus for our kid. That's where their strengths lie. She's in at Washington College with merit and I know they have a good writing award... but during our (sulky kid) tours, both Washington College and St Mary's seemed heavily Stem focused.

Hard to tell if that's just what everyone wants to see or if it would be a problem. Neither has very big English or Art departments.

They made a big deal about the “lit house” at our Washington College tour and how they promote an interdisciplinary approach. My husband and I really liked it and thought it was less remote than SMCM. Kid nixed it almost immediately - only explanation was he didn’t like the vibe. I think the tour was too rah rah and salesy fir him. It was a “open hose visit day” vs the laid back tour at St Marys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Terrible location.

Not everyone wants city life. I loved going to college in a rural location.
I didn't have to worry about crime on campus for once in my life, it was freeing as a young woman.

The base has more influence on the area than the College.

A few years ago I visited St. Mary's as it was part of a school field trip my then 4th grader was taking. I was excited to see it but when I got there I literally knew that if I'd had to attend, I would have slashed my wrists. It is RURAL and isolated and small. You have a 2.5 hour drive to civilization along one back-country road. No thank you.

Huh? Is this the campus by Frederick, MD? It's not THAT remote. And certainly not isolated from humanity. It's very small but really pretty. And some kids want that.

No, . Maybe you're thinking of Mt. St. Marys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ever heard of hyperbole?

Suicide is not a good reference for hyperbole.

In honor of suicide prevention month, let’s all commit to do better when it comes to this topic.

We got a do better bro in the house!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t a lot of the expensive private SLAC in small towns ?
I don’t see the difference.

Ever been to Jamestown, VA? It's like the campus is there, without as many trees. There are houses and stuff around and a store on campus that has convenience store stuff, but I didn't even see a regular convenience store anyplace close. I think there was a bakery near the historic site, but it closed. It feels like you're at the edge of the world... Which is kind of cool, but you have to want that.

I'm assuming they must run shuttles to civilization. There's not even a public bus.

Yes- they mentioned that they run shuttles to the shopping area that has a Target, grocery store, etc.