SUNY Maritime vs Maine Maritime

Stingray

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Our youngest son has been accepted into both SUNY Maritime and Maine Maritime (MMA). Any past and present recommendations from those who have or are currently at either school?

He has been accepted at MMA for a Marine Engineering Technology (MET) major, and SUNY has accepted him as a Marine Engineer major. He says he would prefer to be sea-going with an eventual shore job, is super hands-on, and loves being on the water.. has had several USNCC (US Navy Sea Cadet Corp) sea-going training experiences from small boat ops, to working on a Liberty ship, to a week on the Harvey Gamage, a 2 masted schooner. He is thoroughly fascinated with Engineering and enjoys his Engineering class in high school, and although Math is pretty hard for him is getting A's in his PreCalc class with tutoring, hence the preference for the MET major over the Marine Engineering degree. SUNY does not have a similar BSc in MET.
Any suggestions or advice would be welcome, in particular from those who have attended either (or both) schools.
 
Where do you live? I don't know much about Maine Maritime. I did visit both SUNY Maritime and Mass Maritime with my DS. I know Mass Maritime and SUNY Maritime offer reduced tuition if you live in the "region" so there is that to consider. Also, I am told that most students leave campus on weekends, so that is also a factor to consider. Last;y, SUNY Maritime is right next to NYC, so he has that to consider as a place to blow off some steam. I suggest you visit all 3 and make up your mind from there.
 
SUNY Maritime is pretty cool if you like the city. My DS looked there and at USMMA but ended up taking the Army route and went to VMI. As a young man I can't imagine a cooler place than SUNY Maritime. At my age now I'd prefer Maine.

So many people say to visit both and one will feel right, I think that's great advice, Maine will obviously be much colder. Depending on where you live that may help you decide. I had one kid who was 5 hours away, an easy drive, one that's 10 hours without a major airport, it's a total pain to get there, and one who is 24 hours away but with a major airport and a relatively cheap 3 hour flight, he was the cheapest and easiest to visit. NYC would have a lot of inexpensive flights and SUNY Maritime is near the airports.
 
My DS is currently a first-year at Maine Maritime and I was just in Castine over the weekend. He also was admitted to SUNY Maritime. He decided on Maine Maritime because of the NROTC program (he is a Marine Option and receives full room and board due to being a scholarship recipient) and the lacrosse team. Castine is very, very beautiful and the programs are very hands-on. It is a tight knit community and has been a good fit for my DS. Students can get out on the water easily through a number of programs. We drove over to Acadia National Park while visiting since it is only about an hour away. If you like the outdoors and quiet that comes with it, MMA is a great fit.

It is isolated though. The closest airport is Bangor, which is an hour away, and flights are limited (American, Delta, United and Allegiant are the only airlines). If you happen to live near one of the hub airports that has flights to Bangor, you can get a non-stop flight. Otherwise, it is at least one-stop and fares tend to be high. You can fly into Portland (2.5 hours away), Boston (4.5 hours away) or Manchester (4 hours away) but then you have to have a way to and from the airport. Students also find that there is not much to do in Castine over the weekend (unless you are an athlete or part of the NROTC unit). Many MMA students are Maine residents so they head home for the weekend or head into Bangor. There are on campus guest rooms so visiting is relatively simple and affordable for parents. The weather is not as cold as you might think since being near the coast tends to moderate the cold somewhat. It does tend to be a bit cloudy, especially in the morning when fog often blows in off Penobscot Bay. If winter is a season where you live, Castine will not seem too strange.
 
Where do you live? I don't know much about Maine Maritime. I did visit both SUNY Maritime and Mass Maritime with my DS. I know Mass Maritime and SUNY Maritime offer reduced tuition if you live in the "region" so there is that to consider. Also, I am told that most students leave campus on weekends, so that is also a factor to consider. Last;y, SUNY Maritime is right next to NYC, so he has that to consider as a place to blow off some steam. I suggest you visit all 3 and make up your mind from there.
Thank you, We did visit both Maine and SUNY last year and he loved them both. THere are pros and cons for both.. Maine is very remote , we live in Northern VA so SUNY would be a better fit as far as travel. He hasn't visited Mass Maritime nor applied as he was originally going to apply NROTC which Mass Maritime does not have. Unfortunately, his Math SAT prevented him from being able to apply to ROTC.
 
SUNY Maritime is pretty cool if you like the city. My DS looked there and at USMMA but ended up taking the Army route and went to VMI. As a young man I can't imagine a cooler place than SUNY Maritime. At my age now I'd prefer Maine.

So many people say to visit both and one will feel right, I think that's great advice, Maine will obviously be much colder. Depending on where you live that may help you decide. I had one kid who was 5 hours away, an easy drive, one that's 10 hours without a major airport, it's a total pain to get there, and one who is 24 hours away but with a major airport and a relatively cheap 3 hour flight, he was the cheapest and easiest to visit. NYC would have a lot of inexpensive flights and SUNY Maritime is near the airports.
Our eldest is at GMU which is 20 minutes away and our middle son is at VMI ( 3 hours drive) on an NROTC scholarship. , so a flight to Maine seems extremely far away..I don't know if our youngest would like the urban city or not, NOVA is the closest we have been. He loves being ON the water which Maine seems to have more availability for, but we have family in NY and NJ so SUNY seems more practical.
 
Thank you, We did visit both Maine and SUNY last year and he loved them both. THere are pros and cons for both.. Maine is very remote , we live in Northern VA so SUNY would be a better fit as far as travel. He hasn't visited Mass Maritime nor applied as he was originally going to apply NROTC which Mass Maritime does not have. Unfortunately, his Math SAT prevented him from being able to apply to ROTC.
Mass Maritime most certainly does have NROTC, but the SSMP option, which would be a great option for him if he loves being on the water. It's basically the same commission as USMMA. If he doesn't do well in math, his options to commission as an active duty SWO officer will be very limited regardless. Navy wants heavy STEM students. SSMP puts him in the Navy too, but in a different way.

 
Our eldest is at GMU which is 20 minutes away and our middle son is at VMI ( 3 hours drive) on an NROTC scholarship. , so a flight to Maine seems extremely far away..I don't know if our youngest would like the urban city or not, NOVA is the closest we have been. He loves being ON the water which Maine seems to have more availability for, but we have family in NY and NJ so SUNY seems more practical.
All of the Maritimes put the students on the water the same amount of time. There is no difference with regards to that. He should also consider which school is getting a new ship and when. The first vessel, expected in 2023, will go to SUNY Maritime Academy. The second to Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Who knows when the 3rd ship will be delivered to Maine Maritime. I know that Mass Maritime's ship the John F. Kennedy is going to Texas A&M Maritime in Galveston after they get their new ship.

 
Haven't seen Maine, but SUNY sits right under the Throgs Neck Bridge. If he likes being on boats, he'd have a contained harbor to putter around in and USMMA is literally aross the bay from it.
 
Haven't seen Maine, but SUNY sits right under the Throgs Neck Bridge. If he likes being on boats, he'd have a contained harbor to putter around in and USMMA is literally aross the bay from it.
Yes, and Mass sits right on Buzzards bay at the mouth of the Cape Cod canal. All the Maritimes are on the water. Mass is 25 mins from Boston and SUNY is practically in NYC harbor. My nephew went to SUNY Maritime. He loved the NYC melting pot community and said the new ship at SUNY would great for the school. He loved walking around NYC in his white uniform and tourists would always be stopping him for pictures and the restaurants and bars often give them free drinks. He is now a 1st mate and just secured a huge 6 figure landside position at Hapag-Loyd.
 
We have a daughter at Mass Maritime. She loves it there. Beautiful little campus. They're about to bring in a new training ship, open a new STEM building and new dorms that sit 50 feet from the beach. The Regiment is tough but rewarding. I highly recommend a visit.
 
We have a daughter at Mass Maritime. She loves it there. Beautiful little campus. They're about to bring in a new training ship, open a new STEM building and new dorms that sit 50 feet from the beach. The Regiment is tough but rewarding. I highly recommend a visit.
You're getting the new ship while my son's alma matter is awaiting the arrival of your old one to have until theirs is ready in a couple years. :cool:
 
NYC is getting nasty right now, I grew up across from SUNY Maritime in Whitestone and it stinks to see the place go back to the 70's again.
 
NYC is getting nasty right now, I grew up across from SUNY Maritime in Whitestone and it stinks to see the place go back to the 70's again.
If that is true, that is a shame. My dauhters attended college and grad school in NYC in the early 2000s and it was just a great and decently safe place for them to experience being on their own. No big city is perfectly safe especially for young women, but NYC was good back then. Sorry to see it changing.
 
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