Salisbury University

Date: Oct 01 2010
Major: Computer Science (This Major's Salary over time)
I'm a Freshman, and while I may not have been here too long I figured that I came to this website so much while applying that I may as well write a review now that I'm here. Anyways, I'm a Computer Science major (one of twelve in the Freshman class), a probably Political Science major (have to run it by some people first), Math minor, and in the Honors program.

Ok, first some general stuff about the school. The size is perfect for me so far. The campus is just small enough so that I can get to class on time but big enough that if I'm walking I'll probably only run into one person I know, and that's generally right near the dorm. Aesthetically it's pretty nice, we have a lot of construction going on and all the buildings are gradually looking really nice. There's a lot of trees, and outside the Commons it looks nice but honestly after being here for a while none of that really matters, aesthetics aren't important except for to make a good impression on visitors and prospective students such as yourself.

Safety is kind of weird here. On campus I'll frequently walk alone at night and I feel fine about it (I'm an 18 year old male that isn't in the Marines due to a back injury, I don't worry, some of the girls do though), but Salisbury is a pretty bad area in general. I view campus and the stretch of generally student owned off campus houses (New Zoo, Old Zoo, University Park) as our little oasis. Campus police doesn't have too huge of a presence, but just use common sense and you'll be fine. Saferide is important to mention too, they'll pick you up if you're drunk somewhere within about a 2 mile radius and take you back to school. It's school sponsored and it's a great program, the truth is that college students are going to drink and it's better that they get home safely than put themselves and others at risk. Parents - don't be turned off by this. Trust me, this is much better than the alternative - not having this program. It's not encouraging students to drink or something, it's just to encourage them to get home without dying after they drink (an act that will happen regardless of safety concerns (it's college, what do you expect)).

I have mixed feelings about the academics here. Personally I've found all my classes extremely interesting with great teachers who really care about what they're teaching. Classes are fun, in my opinion, but I'm sort of a nerd about that. The students in the classes, however, don't generally share my opinion. A perfect example is my Microeconomics class this semester. I sit up front and I participate, yet I'm the only one that decides to do so. The teacher is one of the best teachers I've ever had, yet no one cares enough to talk but me. Class sizes are small, average this semester for me is about 15 per class, and that's really cool in my opinion. One thing that I found was pretty awesome if you're like me about academics is the Honors program. They have a Honors House, which is basically an awesome early 20th century themed house that only honors students can get into (24/7 access via keycard!) with a computer lab, study areas, kitchen, ping pong/pool tables, and even a movie room. There's also an honors classroom built into the back of the house where you take all your honors classes. I love it there, I normally go there to study/kill time with a close friend also in the Honors program until about 4AM most nights. The Honors program is that academic oasis that will connect you to smart people, if you're interested in that. Classes are discussion based and awesome (everyone talks intelligently in class). Don't live on the Honors floor, though, I opted out of that luckily but the people on the Honors floor describe their floor as "dead" and come make friends in my building.

Socially it's pretty cool depending on what aspect you're talking about. I've made some really good friends here, generally not the most academically involved but still they're great. There's a pretty large mix of people here, diversity isn't great but that wasn't really a factor for me. In terms of personalities, though, I'm sure if you make an attempt to find friends there will be someone there for you. Just put yourself out there during that first week and meet as many people as you can, I had to force myself to do that but it really payed off; I'm really happy with the group of friends I found, and I'm acquaintances with so many people that it's rare that I ever walk out of my room without saying hello to someone. In terms of parties, however, why this school earned the title of "Party School" is beyond me. Maybe it's just because I'm a Freshman, but parties are incredibly hard to find. It's mostly just get-togethers with various upperclassmen groups of friends. You have to know someone to get in, generally. I can't count the number of times I've gone out to find a party, walked around with friends in the New Zoo, Old Zoo, and University Park (off campus housing places) just to walk back 3 hours later sore, tired, and sober. So far most drinking has occurred in the dorms, finding a party just isn't worth the hassle to most. This will probably get better as my time here goes on (or worse, depending on if you're a parent reading this), but I'm just giving you my honest opinion. Oh, and the police and security guards here have been busting parties like crazy. That'll probably die down soon, but the police presence in the party scene is pretty large. And I won't go into too much detail, but if you want attractive girls this is the place to go.

So, I should probably wrap this up. Given the chance, would I choose Salisbury again? Well, considering my other options, probably. I'd go to UMD if I could have, honestly, but fate conspired against me. I can't say that I'm having a bad time though, honestly. This is probably the happiest I've been in my life, I have some great friends, and I'm not upset about being here in the slightest. If you're like me and you want to be around smart people, get in the Honors program. That is seriously the best thing about this school at the moment. Find a good group of friends and you'll be fine. Always use RateMyProfessors when registering for courses. This whole college thing is what you make of it, go in with the right attitude and it'll all work out regardless of where you go.

I owe a lot to this site, I basically lived on here during the whole college process (somehow it kept me sane during December), so I feel like I should give back to it and to you guys (I've been in your situation before too, I know how much it sucks). Therefore, if anyone has any questions at all about Salisbury University feel free to contact me at and I'll be happy to help in as honest of a way as possible.