Hi, our son is going to apply to all of
the above schools for entrance in the
fall of 16. We live in So Cal and are
not familiar with the surrounding
areas of these schools. We did tour all these campuses over the summer and felt like the campuses themselves
were safe.
If anyone can give us info pertaining to safety in the above areas, that would
be great. I’ve looked up some crime
statistics and noticed less crime in
some areas. I’d like to hear first hand
experiences please. Thanks!
Parent of a 3rd year at UCD and just came back from moving him in. UCD is a very family friendly and safe college town. My son has taken several evening classes and has had no problems with safety in town or around campus. Highest crime in Davis is bike theft.
DD is a senior at Davis this year. She bikes everywhere at all hours. She loves Davis!!! It is a very typical college town.
It takes us 9-10 hours to drive there on the 99 or I-5 from San Diego.
Thank you both! We did venture outside the campus for lunch. Davis seems like a really nice community.
My son graduated from UCSC in 2014. He lived in the dorms and two different off campus houses in different areas of town. All of the areas were safe.
Student fees included a bus pass, so safe transportation all over town was always available.
Former Slug here 
UCSC is very safe and the surrounding towns: SC, Capitola, Aptos…are great places, pricey but great to live.
SJSU is in downtown San Jose. It’s not a residential neighborhood but I’ve never heard that there was a problem with crime.
I used to live near USF. It’s a great neighborhood.
I was just checking some crime stats and found San Jose has had some incidents that are pretty scary just outside of the SJSU campus. Crime rate is very high and I read police response time is poor. This school has one of the best graphic design programs in the state and SJSU is the top feeder school for employment in the Silicon Valley for tech jobs. Our son can get a degree at a reasonable cost here, but the crime statistics are alarming…and this is his first choice.
When we toured the above schools, he chose SJSU, USF, UCSC, USD, & SLO in that order. I preferred USF for their high 4 year grad rate, amazing internship program, & job placement assistance.
SJSU is not in a nice area. But I have two relatives that graduated from there. So just to beware of the environment. But SLO and USD are pretty safe.
Dr. Google, thank you! A few more questions to answer, if you will. Did the 2 relatives ever witness any incidents of crime while attending? Did they live on campus? If they did live on campus, did they venture off campus very often?
They didn’t live on campus. But they were dirt poor so they rent a house near there. I did visit the house once but can’t remember where it was now but near down town if I remember. I used to attend a church near downtown, where there were a lot of homeless people too, first street, but because we went as a family of 4 so there was no fear of anything. Nothing happened.
But my husband’s very good friend has a son who went to SJSU for his graphics degree, maybe industrial design. But they live near Palo Alto so the kids might have commuted too, both kids have jobs in SV.
If you are looking for crime-free cities, that’s not gonna happen.
You have to prepare your son to be aware of his surroundings, and not place himself in precarious situations.
I live in the community of San Diego and did some undergrad at USD. The school is beautiful and relatively safe, but the surrounding area is the city of San Diego, and it is not crime free, like most cities.
My opinion is that your son has to get admitted first.
All of this pre-worry about his becoming a victim of crime is needless worry.
We all worry about our children, every minute of every day now that they are on their own.
If you’ve instilled safety and good values in him, he’ll be as safe as he can be.
Let him apply to wherever he wants to go. As a California kid, he (thankfully) has a lot of good choices in universities. Once he gets in, you can worry about his grades, eating, exercising, laundry, tuition bills, your care packages, etc.
Now is the time for excitement for him! Don’t weigh him down with your fears. Let him choose where he will feel comfortable.
SJSU and USF are in cities, which differ from the other schools having a more rural/suburban environment. The neighborhood surrounding USF is a “good” neighborhood but you are still in a city, so students still need to always be aware of their surroundings. SJSU is in a sketchier part of town comparatively, but again, diligence is key. It’s not like it’s a cesspool of violent activity, but you probably need to be more aware than the other schools, and use common sense.
There are many schools in the US situated in cities near sketchy areas and the crime stats at those schools are way below the neighborhoods around them. That doesn’t mean crime doesn’t exist, but it means you need to exercise common sense - don’t go to surrounding areas alone and at night, keep watch of your personal belongings at all times, etc.
I would not discourage your son from applying to topnotch programs in his desired course of study based on crime at SJSU. The school has 26,000 undergrads, and is located in an urban area. If one kid gets mugged per year out of 26K, is that enough to not send your kid? Also, typically student victims of crime in those situations are either drunk, walking alone in a bad area at 2 am, or doing something else where they are not using their heads.
Also, while there is less likelihood of violent crimes at the other schools, don’t kid yourself in thinking that petty theft doesn’t occur all the time at all campuses.
Thank you both for the additional info!
Aunt Bea, I have not even mentioned these concerns to him. I was the victim of a hold-up robbery where a gun was fired off next to my head. I was actually 8 months pregnant with said son at the time. Crime is, and always will be, on my mind. My son knows how to take note of his surroundings, travel in a group, and keep valuables put away in shady areas. These questions are mostly for my peace of mind. I guess I should have stated that from the beginning!
I live near USF and it’s in a very nice part of town. No derelict areas immediately adjacent. I would feel very comfortable sending my kids there (but they want to leave town!).
Samsung, I’m am so sorry you had such a scary mugging. No wonder you have such concerns.
Sorry Samsung! That would be a daily concern for me. Thinking about him in utero, at 8 months is very traumatic.
You need to know that boys don’t communicate often with the parents during the first year-they don’t call and they don’t email. Have him check in daily, via text, and tell him its for your comfort and peace of mind. You may want to explain to him why his going away is traumatic for you. Then, he’ll text you daily.
I grew up in SF. The area of town surrounding USF used to be sketchy. That is no longer the case. The security concern to consider is where your S will live when he no longer resided in campus housing. How will he travel to campus, what public transportation will he need to take and what areas does it traverse.
One of mine went to CalPoly SLO. I’d say the most dangerous thing about that campus (deep breath, I’m just going to say it) is Fraternity row on weekends. But, one has the complete ability to avoid the area. The campus as well as the town is safe and beautiful.
UCSC as a campus is safe, as is most of the immediate Santa Cruz areas. There are certainly parts of Santa Cruz which are best avoided, but that the case just about everywhere.
I attended SJSU, and often work out of an office in downtown San Jose. The campus neighborhood is much nicer now than it was when I attended way back when. It’s an urban campus and they are certainly neighborhoods nearby to be avoided - but there are lots of good things happening on campus and downtown. I was just on campus for a sporting event a few weeks ago. It’s no longer the commuter campus it once was. If it’s the best school for his major, I vote to let him go - if he’s admitted!
Thank you both, I appreciate you answering and sharing your personal experiences. I did notice the SJSU campus was a giant construction zone in June. The plans we saw looked really amazing though. My son felt at ease when we toured this campus. He liked UCSC, but thought the buildings were spaced way too far apart.
I know housing after his freshman year is something else to consider for USF. Thanks dietz199!
I’m feeling a little less stressed. Now he just needs to get those apps out! Thank you everyone!