Attending UT, need help with area and pharmacy program (Toledo: apartments, rent)

[amshukla]

Hello,
I just transferred to UT this semester and plan to apply to their pharmacy school this winter. I currently live in a small, safe town in Michigan and I am thinking about moving into the University City apartments on Secor/Dorr St. I don't really know much about Ohio but I have heard that Toledo is not that safe. Is that true?? Is the area above safe or the apartment?

Also, does anyone know how good the UT is and how good their pharmacy program is or how hard it is to get accepted? Is it worth going to UT pharmacy if the city is not safe, or should I just look around and apply somewhere else?? I am a girl and am kinda paranoid about safety. Thank you so much, i really appreciate it!!!

[AnytimeAnywhere]

Toledo isn't that bad. In the UT area, stay away from east Bancroft Street and the area south of UT. I used to go to the Burger King at Dorr and Secor and I never had the most secure feeling. I can't comment on the apartments.

I never had a problem walking around UT. Parking was tough after 10am and I used to park off campus and ride the bus. I took night classes at times and usually walked with groups going to a building or the parking lot. I never had any problems.

[SonnyDaze]

I'm a UT student and have a pretty good feel for everywhere around campus and the city itself. I'm not familiar with the complex you mentioned but I know that Campus Village is the main complex in the Secor/Dorr area. I live on the other side of campus so I'm not sure if safety is a legitimate issue there or not but I know that there are "safer" complexes within walking distance of UT. University Hills would be my top recommendation. That one is just north of campus. Just east of campus is Old Towne which happens to be the priciest within walking distance of campus but is also the nicest. If you're willing to drive everyday to class, I know a good number of students live in apartments a few miles west of campus along Dorr St.

The city of Toledo is relatively safe as long as you use common sense. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything for you; there have been several armed robberies, shootings, and even a murder or two that have occurred not too far from campus since I've been a student here. But I'd say 95% of students never run into any major problems and would say they feel safe in the immediate area on a day-to-day basis.

I have a number of friends in the pharmacy programs and it may be fair to say it is THE most competitive undergraduate program at the university. Most students in this program had the smarts and grades to go to whatever college they pleased but specifically chose UT because of the highly rated pharmacy program. Be prepared to work very hard if you get accepted, but be rewarded in the workplace once you graduate.

PM me if you have any more specific questions about UT.

[Piggy]

If you don't want to live near the campus, try the area of Sylvania, Maumee or Perrysburg. All three are decent low crime areas.

[greenvillebuckeye]

regardless of the area UT still has some shady students just as any big state school does. ann arbor, east lansing, columbus and hec even athens and oxford, ohio have some not so great students ethically speaking. with that being said what everyone has said is more or less true. east of douglas is not for students unless you count the alvin and kensington neighborhoods which is primarily student housing with some residents still living there. north of bancroft is gorgeous and very residential. some really nice homes. south of dorr is a pit. don't go south of door street unless you're in a car. west of secor is very nice as you get into Ottawa Hills.

apts - anything around the univ. is ok and if you go down to airport you'll find some decent apts.

i lived on campus for four years and off campus for my final year in kenwood apts. was an ok experience off campus. little more privacy and by my 5th year i had already made more friends than i needed so the social aspect of living off campus didn't impact me any. if you were an 18 year old freshman living off campus it'd be tough to make friends. not impossible just tough for some i guess.

pharm program - best friend from UT was a pharm major and graduated with his Pharm D I guess its called. works in akron now, has a very nice home, good job, wife, kids, etc.... speaks well of the program to this day as being very intensive. i knew people who after their first 2 years at UT knew they would not get into the "upper school" of the pharm D program at UT so they transferred to Ohio Northern which basically had minimal admissions standards. at UT the pharm program is cut up into 2 levels still i think.....first 2 years they make you take like bio and chem and basically enough high level science courses to make you re-think pharmacy school and then they take like the top kids into the 6 year program to get their pharm d degree. again from what i could tell from the outside it was pretty intense academically.

[greenvillebuckeye]

i should also mention in my 4 years living on campus i only experienced "crime" once. never got mugged, or anything like that. had my bike stolen my junior year. UT during the summer has some issues with neighborhoods kids wondering onto the campus and yea they tend to get into trouble b/c they're bored and on a college campus. you do the math haha. the bike path is actually really safe too. mainly b/c the toledo PD patrol it after dark and you're not allowed on it after the sun goes down. makes sense right?

point as i think many have alluded to - stay on campus and know where you are walking to. if you know your surroundings you're ok. just as if you were in cincinnati, or dayton or columbus, etc.... every big city has areas around its college that kids know not to wonder off into.

[Tobias C]

Like everyone has said, UT is next to some bad neighborhoods, and next to the best ones in the area as well. Im sure im repeating what the others have said but just to give you my take...(You should look at a map, like google maps, to follow exactly what im talking about)

If youre apartment is right by Secor and Dorr, thats the sketchier side of UT. The south side of the campus, south of Dorr St, is a rougher neighborhood, kind of ghetto-ey...Its not terrible. Theres no gangs walking around or frequent violent crimes but its rougher. I wouldnt recommend just walking around Dorr St. by yourself really. There are some shady people. Its better to play it safe around there. There are some eateries and bars off of Dorr and Secor though you might find yourself going to so like I said, just go in a group, and youll be alright.

On the Secor side of campus, closer to Dorr is where Campus Village apartments are, and apparently whatever ones youve described, and most of the fast food places. Subway, BK, Taco Bell and Arbys are all nice enough. The KFC on Dorr St is disgusting and trashy. Do not go there. Further up on the west side of the campus, along Secor, is Ottawa Hills, which is arguably the nicest, suburbs, very wealthy, completely safe. I would say the area around the corner of Bancroft and Secor is very safe. Its all residential up there. The campus bookstore and a restaurant are on Bancroft right there. That area is safe.

The North side of UT is Bancroft St. This is relatively safe as well. The neighborhood to the direct north of campus is called Old Orchard and its very nice and safe neighborhood that you can feel completely safe walking through if you ever desire.

The East side of UT is Douglas Ave. Its not that dangerous. I dont see to many people really doing walking along it so you probably wont much unless you visit the apartments and houses over there. The neighborhood to the east of UT is where most of the kids who rent houses live, on streets like Wyndhurst, Alvin, & Perth. I dont know if youre much of a partier or not but this is where all the house parties are. As far as safety goes, theres a lot of college kids around here but theres also some shady people living in the neighborhood. As long as youre with other people youre going to be alright around here. I just wouldnt walk by myself at night. Theres a coffeeshop/hookah bar called Maxwells Brew at the corner of Westwood and Bancroft, by Douglas thats kinda cool, and a dance club/music venue/bar called The Omni behind it that are both popular. This areas not really that dangerous, however, to be honest....a kid was stabbed to death, right next to Maxwells, this past year. This was a rare occurrence though. You dont need to be afraid for your safety up here, just be aware.

The area you need to worry about most is the south side along Dorr. Like someone else said, sometimes bad people stray onto campus, and theres even some bad seeds that go to school there, but itll be like that almost anywhere you go. You just gotta have a good head on your shoulders and be aware of things. Toledo in general is not a bad city whatsoever. It has rougher neighborhoods and it has beautiful, awesome, safe ones as well. I know nothing about your particular program, but I hope you do indeed choose UT, and good luck!