CA daughter attending UM (Orono: crime rates, dorms, schools)

[from CA to UM]

My daughter will be attending UM in fall of 09 to play volleyball and study engineering. We have visited the university and were very impressed with the campus and the people, but I still have some questions and thought maybe some locals may be able to help.

I want to know how secure parents in Maine are in sending their daughters to that University. How safe is it?

Can anyone tell me some first hand information about the engineering program? We have spoken to faculty, sat in on classes and looked at the brochures, but I would like to hear some more from parents who have sent their children there.

She will also be attending on a volleyball scholarship and I was wondering how manageable academics were while playing a division one sport. Can anyone help me?

[AustinB]

"Can anyone tell me some first hand information about the engineering program? "


I attended UM, School of Engineering Technology. The professors were top notch. They had actually done the things that they teach. The school is still small enough that you can get individual attention. The core classes had the same 15-20 people in them. The engineering at UM is really as good as most other schools.

Can't help you on the athletics, I was a non-traditional student. I went back later in life, because I didn't put any effort in when I went right out of school.

[Coaster]

My niece is entering the engineering program as a freshman in September. The engineering department at UM has always had a reputation for being topnotch. The wood composites lab is internationally known.

As for safety, Maine has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation, and Orono -- where UM is located -- is a small town with typical small-town issues. Nothing major IOW. That said, UM can be something of a party school. A lot depends on which dorm your daughter is in, what group she hangs out with, that sort of thing.

I wish her luck. It's a demanding program, and she has some work ahead of her to handle both engineering and a major sports commitment.

[Submariner]

If she will be attending at UM Orono [which is very close to my farm] she would be welcome to come here on weekends and have dinner with my family. [We could provide transportation]

A chance to get away from the dorms perhaps; kayak on the river, hike in a forest, fish, hunt, play with our dogs or our herd of goats, help my Dw pick mushrooms [we have been trying to grow portobellas, s-h-i-t-a-k-e-s, and white buttons], help us transplanting stuff in our greenhouse.

Whatever, or just to kick back on a river bank and to watch the clouds go by.

We try to host a dinner party with StarWalker/K and KAF/T every other weekend.

Feel free to contact either of them as references, If you wish.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by from CA to UM

My daughter will be attending UM in fall of 09 to play volleyball and study engineering. We have visited the university and were very impressed with the campus and the people, but I still have some questions and thought maybe some locals may be able to help.

I want to know how secure parents in Maine are in sending their daughters to that University. How safe is it?

Can anyone tell me some first hand information about the engineering program? We have spoken to faculty, sat in on classes and looked at the brochures, but I would like to hear some more from parents who have sent their children there.

She will also be attending on a volleyball scholarship and I was wondering how manageable academics were while playing a division one sport. Can anyone help me?

I grew up in the Modesto - Merced area of California. My mother and my siblings all still live in the central valley [Modesto, Turlock, Merced, Mariposa] area. I attended college at Fresno.

Where are you?

What is drawing your child to Maine?

[K-Luv]

UM is similar to Humboldt, in both location and crime. Aside from the usual college shinanagins, the area is safe and if I had a college-aged daughter my mind would be at ease with her attending a Maine college.

While I never played (and probably never will) college sports I know of a few who have. Judging by what they went through, it seemed tough to juggle practice, homework and college life on top of going to class and playing in the games. Because of that they all had 'easy' majors (they went to college to play college ball, for the most part).

[AustinB]

We had a fellow, starting guard on the football team, in our structural mechanics class. He was all black and blue every monday morning. It is hard to do the engineering and the varsity sports. We could watch all the liberal arts majors out on the mall while we were taking tests.

[deerislesmile]

A lot will depend on who she hangs out with and how responsible she is. It's been a few years, but when I was there, students were provided an escort if they needed one for walking across campus at night (I think it was through Public Safety, but you may want to double check), but I would say a normal sense of safety is all that's needed- don't go to places you don't know without telling someone where you're going (and who you're going to see!), walk with someone when you can, don't go drinking at unsafe locations...don't leave drinks unattended.. stuff she already hopefully knows.

[deerislesmile]

Originally Posted by AustinB

We had a fellow, starting guard on the football team, in our structural mechanics class. He was all black and blue every monday morning. It is hard to do the engineering and the varsity sports. We could watch all the liberal arts majors out on the mall while we were taking tests.

I was the one out there playing with the devil sticks, Austin..did you see me?

[AustinB]

If you were the one in the pink bikini, maybe... but where were the sticks?