Thoughts on St. Mary's College of MD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Please ignore typos- open house not "hose"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any experiences with this school? This is for a solid B student who would likely benefit from a smaller environment. I can't seem to find much first hand experience about the school but did[b] read that a few years ago it partnered with Washington University in St. Louis to offer a dual engineering degree.

A good instate option for B/C students. Bolded part must be a joke. Two different caliber student bodies between St. Mary's and WUSTL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any experiences with this school? This is for a solid B student who would likely benefit from a smaller environment. I can't seem to find much first hand experience about the school but did[b] read that a few years ago it partnered with Washington University in St. Louis to offer a dual engineering degree.

A good instate option for B/C students. Bolded part must be a joke. Two different caliber student bodies between St. Mary's and WUSTL.

Not a joke: https://www.smcm.edu/physics/dual-degree-engineering-program/

SMCM is a hidden gem, iykyk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yeah we saw WAC on an open house day too, and it was very rah rah. But the school is continuing to impress me the more I look. This decision is far from settled for us... kid has been knocking it out of the park getting into these schools, and I'm really stuck trying to figure out the differences between them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yeah we saw WAC on an open house day too, and it was very rah rah. But the school is continuing to impress me the more I look. This decision is far from settled for us... kid has been knocking it out of the park getting into these schools, and I'm really stuck trying to figure out the differences between them.

DD also considered both WAC and SMCM last year. She definitely preferred WAC's proximity to Chestertown vs. the more remote SMCM (she wasn't going to have a car on campus). And, liked WAC's Chesapeake Semester + accelerated master's partnership with Duke. She went back for a 2nd visit and interview (I think that may have been for an additional scholarship?) and just didn't feel the "vibe" was right vs. other options. But I think if you like the "vibe" (she really couldn't explain what it was vs. the school she picked) I think it's a great option, especially for environmental science and writing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yeah we saw WAC on an open house day too, and it was very rah rah. But the school is continuing to impress me the more I look. This decision is far from settled for us... kid has been knocking it out of the park getting into these schools, and I'm really stuck trying to figure out the differences between them.

DD also considered both WAC and SMCM last year. She definitely preferred WAC's proximity to Chestertown vs. the more remote SMCM (she wasn't going to have a car on campus). And, liked WAC's Chesapeake Semester + accelerated master's partnership with Duke. She went back for a 2nd visit and interview (I think that may have been for an additional scholarship?) and just didn't feel the "vibe" was right vs. other options. But I think if you like the "vibe" (she really couldn't explain what it was vs. the school she picked) I think it's a great option, especially for environmental science and writing.

Also, one thing I appreciated about it when we visited was that most colleges will say they are GREAT at everything. But WAC was very clear -- we have three "centers of excellence" and those are writing, history, environmental science.

[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.

My experience was the opposite--the school is quite strong in the humanities. Their English department is very strong as is the history department. Best of all--there is strong support for the humanities in the college community--lots of arts based student programs, a strong network of visiting professors and artists-in-residence (particularly for writing) and a small but vibrant theater program. SMCM also has a very good biology and environmental science program but the school is, at it's core, a liberal arts institution. No matter what your major, you are going to get a well-rounded education in the arts and sciences and humanities. I am an alum from way-back-when, but I know several recent graduates who have recently gone on to graduate programs in english, creative writing, law school and medicine. My own DC just finished their MA and is working for a few years before starting a PhD program.

If your kid is looking for a small and close knit community they should really take a look. Long live the St. Mary's way.

[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, it is in Southern Maryland near Leonardtown which, btw, is a bed-room community for the DC area. Leonardtown is a 20 min drive; Lexington Park is 15 mins; Solomon's Island are similar distances. It is a 2 hourish drive from DC on major highways. If you were driving around on a country back road for 2.5 you were very lost. Colgate and Hamilton are also in the middle of nowhere but no one complains about that.

And for the person who said drinking is the thing to do at SMCM, that's the case at any school. The school runs a van shuttle for anyone who has had too much to drink and needs a ride home. It's a great work-study job (my dc did it for two years)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yeah we saw WAC on an open house day too, and it was very rah rah. But the school is continuing to impress me the more I look. This decision is far from settled for us... kid has been knocking it out of the park getting into these schools, and I'm really stuck trying to figure out the differences between them.

A good problem!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Terrible location.

Disagree. The kids get to spend 4 years hanging out with their friends on the water (sunsets, free boating). Idyllic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

My experience was the opposite--the school is quite strong in the humanities. Their English department is very strong as is the history department. Best of all--there is strong support for the humanities in the college community--lots of arts based student programs, a strong network of visiting professors and artists-in-residence (particularly for writing) and a small but vibrant theater program. SMCM also has a very good biology and environmental science program but the school is, at it's core, a liberal arts institution. No matter what your major, you are going to get a well-rounded education in the arts and sciences and humanities. I am an alum from way-back-when, but I know several recent graduates who have recently gone on to graduate programs in english, creative writing, law school and medicine. My own DC just finished their MA and is working for a few years before starting a PhD program.

If your kid is looking for a small and close knit community they should really take a look. Long live the St. Mary's way.

All the alumni we have met loved the place!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are with all of your college friends! Not wandering around the area alone.

[Anonymous]

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.

That's for sure.

[Anonymous]

Do the students actually hang out at the water, swim, use the boats?? Went to the open house on a Saturday in September, it was a perfect, beautiful, 80 degree day and NO students were outside at water. Didn't even student hanging outside the dorms enjoying the day. Do they all leave on the weekends?

[Anonymous]

Edit:
Didn't even see students hanging outside the dorms enjoying the day.