I'm a pharmacy student at the University of Maryland which is a 5 minute walk away. Let me first say that I am not a city person in any way, I grew up in the suburbs and actaully have more of an exurban/small town mentality. Safety was a key issue being in Baltimore City and this is handled very well. This is a good deal.

Most other places with comparable prices are rowhouses that open directly on the street. Fayette Square not only has controlled access but also an exterior gate (its advertised as a gated community) and there is a security station staffed by the University's own security personnel. University Police also regularly patrol the area since this is technically on campus. The police run an escort van that many residents utilize and the University also has a "caravan" taxi service that goes further to places in the city, as far as Harborplace and the Light Street Pavilion. Yes, the area around is pretty ghetto to the north side, especially Lexington Market which is a hangout for drug dealers and hoodrats but avoid it and you are fine. Utilize the aforementioend resources when getting around. Yes it is a compound mentality sometimes. But this is big city life and you get used to it.

PROS: Safety is good as mentioned. My room is quiet but I have good roommates so idk about others but none of my friends have an issue. Depending on your location you may hear traffic outside but its no big deal and it quiets down at night. This being Baltimore, everything shuts down at 7PM around here, nothing is open after dark (though we are a 1 block walk to the hospital with its nice food court and cafeteria which opens very late) because business oweners don't want to attract crime. The biggest pros are the study lounges (important for me...this alone may keep me here all 4 years), free printing (it at least works 50% of the time but anything free is good...bring your own paper), the gym and free coffee (again, not always working but anything free is good). My rent of $840 a month for an apartment shared with 3 roommates (we have 2 bathrooms and everyone has their own sink) with a nice living room and kitchen is reasonable especially given the fact this is the only truly gated community around. There is a trash chute off the hallway so taking about garbage is easy!!!! Laundry rooms are available on half the floors...not many machines but I'm never had trouble finding one. Maintenance service tends to be fast.

The place comes prefurnished and the rent includes high speed Internet, cable TV (though my fav channel CMT is not there..you must buy an upgrade)and utilities. That means I can take a long hot shower or make my room nice and warm without worrying about extra bills. The location is close to my classes, the hospital has a food court and ATM, close to the library and a Rite Aid and Bank of America. I easily drive 10 minutes to Wal-Mart in the suburbs since we are not far from the freeway. Nearby we have Subway (in the hospital), McDonald's, Salsaritas (a new Mexican chain) and M and T Bank. We are not far from M and T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens, and the Inner Harbor which has plenty of nice restaurants. There are a couple nice bars nearby like Camden Pub and Pickles. Lexington Market is also close but do not go in there unless you are not afraid of drug dealers and junkies.

CONS: The biggest issue I have is with the AC and heating. There is no temperature thermostat (only a temp adjustemtn and lo medium high) so if you turn it on it stays on. In my apartment, one thermostat controls both my room and one of my roomies and the control is in HIS room. He likes it cold so I had to get a space heater, it takes compromising. The air vent is "custom made" so the vent covers from Home Depot that work on most vents don't work here....this was very frustrating for me. In the hot months its a good temperature during the day but the continuous AC running at night makes it cold. I sometimes have to go into my roommates room to adjust the temperature. The temp gets weird when nobody is here all day. My biggest suggestion is to get a space heater. I still will stay in my room b/c its the quietest in my apartment (far from the kitchen, bathrooms, living room) and because I have a great view of the Bromo Seltzer tower and the law school and several of Baltimore's skyscrapers.

Parking is a major issue if you are a first year resident. For $55 I get a garage 2 blocks away. At night you either have to walk in a large group (even groups of 2 or 3 can be robbed/mugged by local punks and hoodrats)or call the police van or the Caravan which can take some time. I already dread doing this waiting in the cold in the winter. Summertimes fine but walking 2 blocks in the cold is unpleasant in winter and Maryland has long terrible winters. However there is a lottery your second year for the garage in the basement, which costs $150 a month...bout $5 a day which is expensive in my opinion and I don't know it compares with other apartments. I personally hate paying anything for parking. My family used to live in a townhouse community with a homeowners association and the parking was free.

Oh yeah and I wish there was a pool since the campus currently doesn't have one.

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