Campus Feel and Safety

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northeastern University
1

How is the campus feel at Northeastern? Does i feel small (it’s only 73 acres and 20,000 students)? How about safety? Do you feel safe walking or riding the T around campus, and Boston in general?

Thanks

2

I visited NEU and Boston this summer, and I can say that Boston itself feels about as safe as a city can feel. I never felt unsafe where I was but I imagine that there are areas that are rougher. The campus doesn’t really feel small to me, since it’s integrated so well into the whole city.

3

NEU itself as a campus is very safe. They have a lot of security and (I believe this was NEU’s campus - I’ve visited so many though that it might be a different one…) these security poles every 100-200 feet that you run to if something is awry and you can call for help. When you are on campus, you feel like you are on a secluded college campus, not in a big city.

My mom was a little uncomfortable with some of the neighborhoods it is near (or, more accurately, we stayed a little further down the green line about eight blocks away from the campus). To be honestly, it was the rougher part of Boston that we were around, and I probably wouldn’t want to walk alone there at night. Boston for sure has it’s rough spots, but it’s an all around very safe, navigable, and clean city. Like any city, if you’re a girl, take someone with you if you’re going to be walking about at night, but you shouldn’t feel too unsafe.

4

Boston itself is a city so with any city, the rule of thumb is to be street smart. Pay attention to the surroundings, don’t walk alone in the middle of the night, stay in places where there are people and you’ll be fine.
Northeastern also has several safety features in place:

  • NU police will escort you back to your apartment/residence hall within a 1.5 mile radius if you call
  • we have a shuttle called the Red Eye that runs every night into the next morning that will take you back to your apartment/residence hall within 1.5 mile radius
  • there’s usually police patrols throughout campus. They’re noticeable but not obtrusive.
  • we also work closely with Boston PD (the HQ is right across from IV) and MBTA PD (since we have 2 public transit lines on campus)

This is my 5th year on campus and I’ve never felt unsafe on campus or in Boston in general. Just be smart about what you do and where you go :slight_smile: