<p>I'm a junior and I've decided to apply EA next year, but my parents are really reluctant about letting me go here, bacause they have heard Hyde Park is not a safe neighborhood. For me, UChicago is the college of my dream, I fell in love with the idea of the "life of the mind", and all that UChicago stands for. I tried to argue my point by pointing out some other colleges they don't have any problems with are also in disreputable areas, and I did some research into campus crime statistics as well, but so far they are unmoved. Could someone help me by explaining more about the safety issue? I really, really want to have the chance of becoming a UChicago student one day, and although I know my parents are just looking out for me, I'm scared that I'm going to lose that chance somehow. Help!</p>
<p>Call the school, ask about their campus safety policy. I know the school has its own police force and an efficient system to ensure the safety of every student.</p>
<p>Think about Yale.</p>
<p>College Pr0wler has an interesting writeup of the security situation at UChicago. I think they say it has the world's second largest private police, second to the Vatican, and the dorms are very secure. It's no more dangerous than any urban campus.<br>
If an intense intellectual experience is what you want, Chicago has few peers. Take your parents there for a tour, and if Chicago is still your first choice, stand firm.</p>
<p><a href="http://chicagolife.uchicago.edu/real/safety.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://chicagolife.uchicago.edu/real/safety.shtml</a> and <a href="http://commonsense.uchicago.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://commonsense.uchicago.edu/</a></p>
<p>lol the college campus is ridiculously safe. You are probably safer on campus than almost anywhere else in Chicago. Yeah, stuff happens because it is a city, but not if you are smart about what you are doing. the concern is way overrated on campus. Now, if you go out by yourseslf late night and walk through some not-as-safe areas and are not watchful, you could have issues, but then again, I know multiple people on my floor that have done this (girls included) and had absolutely NO issues whatsoever.</p>
<p>I concur with davan. I feel very safe on campus, and I have walked back to the dorms (alone) from the libraries from anywhere between 9:00 p.m.- 5:00 a.m., and I have had no trouble thus far. That said, it is best to use the "buddy system" and simply avoid the alleys after dark as a precaution. You should be fine then.</p>
<p>Bendrumfront mentioned Yale. My sister and mom visted the school since they were in the general viscinity anyway. Their conclusion: As people from Chicago and Hyde Park, they thought that the U Chicago campus has a much safer feel to it, and my mom told me outright that she wouldn't want me to attend there as a young female college student. </p>
<p>Hyde Park is in Chicago, so of course there are going to be issues at times. The U Chicago is in one of the countries major cities, so crime is unavoidable. But, if you keep your eyes open and not do anything stupid that would attract shady characters, you should be fine.</p>
<p>Hyde Park as a neighborhood is actually very nice, very safe. It's only when you venture out of Hyde Park and the surrounding campus that you get into the "disreputable neighborhoods." You won't walk off campus a lot, walking off into the bad neighborhoods. You'd have to walk a while.</p>
<p>And if you go downtown, there are buses and trains that take you to downtown without making you wait in a bad neighborhood. Don't worry. Tell them that it's really safe, and that you'll probably stay on campus a lot, being a first year, and even if you do go downtown, it'll still be safe.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help, everyone. I relayed these to my parents, and it looks like they're not as opposing to the idea as before. And I'm happy for that, since going to UChicago is my dream since freshman year, when I founded out about this school!</p>
<p>The University of Chicago's reputation has struggled with this for a long time. Get the facts. Go to <a href="http://ope.ed.gov/security/Search.asp%5B/url%5D">http://ope.ed.gov/security/Search.asp</a> . A comparison of crime stats shows that the University of Chicago is much safer than many peer schools.</p>
<p>It's just dumb - people who say it's unsafe are people who have never been there. Yes, Hyde Park is surrounded by bad neighborhoods. No, there's no reason you should ever leave Hyde Park by foot. Will you run into trouble south/west of Hyde Park? Yes. Why were you there in the first place? There's busses to downtown right inside HP.</p>
<p>The saddest about Hyde Park is that many people associate diversity with insecurity. Latent bigotry? I don't know. But it is interesting that in Chicago, many folks think areas like Gage Park near Midway airport, which is largely latino, is safer than the area north of Hyde Park/Kenwood, Bronzeville etc. Police stats say otherwise, particularly as Bronzeville and adjacent areas are re-developed.</p>
<p>It is true that the area SW of Hyde Park, Edgewood, may well be the worst neighborhood in Chicago. But it is some distance away and buffered by Cottage Grove Ave, the Midway and Washington Park. Quite a bit further south, in South Shore, conditions have deteriorated since the projects closed down, but that's a distance, too.</p>
<p>I think the safety perception is driven by impressions from years ago when North Kenwood was a very tough area, and the area west of Washington Park was dominated by the Robert Taylor Homes and all the problems they brought. Those are long gone. North Kenwood and Bronzeville are turning into a middle class african american enclave. You must see it to believe it.</p>
<p>I understand that Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics would build the games area just west and south of the University, is that correct? If so, big changes for that whole area are in store if Chicago wins its Olympics bid.</p>