Should I make college safety a factor in making a college list or leave that for making a decision later?
Not quite clear on your meaning, but you should have at least one solid safety school on your list that you can afford and would be happy to attend.
I think OP meant safety of campus
Its definitely a factor to consider, but I would think that geography, rural/urban, Having your major, affordability would be the first factors.
Also you have to consider where you grew up and what you are used to.
Virtually all major private universities are in urban settings as are some state flagships. They all have campus police forces and students are safe as long as they use common sense. By eliminating them out of paranoia you will be denying yourself many options.
Most campuses are safe, but not all areas surrounding some campuses are safe. I’d say, if two schools are tied and you can’t decide, you could use safety of the area to choose. But using common sense goes a long way: lock your door(s), don’t go out alone late at night, especially off campus, use well lighted/busy streets, etc.
You are at least as likely to be assaulted by a fellow student on most campuses vs someone from outside campus. You can read the Cleary report for each campus to get an idea of crime rates. But it is important to familiarize yourself with ways to keep yourself safe on campus, too.
Also, know that reporting a possible crime to campus police isn’t always the same as reporting to the actual police. Campus security is usually most worried about student safety, but they also have an interest in protecting the reputation of the college.
I was just about to write the same thing, @intparent. Each year about 6% of male college students and 20-25% of female college students report being sexually assaulted on campus. It is a far greater danger than the odds of someone jumping out from behind a trash can and mugging you at knifepoint off campus.
Somewhat paradoxically, colleges in “dangerous” areas are often the safest for exactly this reason. They have large security forces that patrol the area regularly and take campus security seriously.
I have attended several colleges in less-than-desirable areas and one in a reasonably upscale neighborhood (UCLA). I found UCLA to be by far the most complacent and the worst in terms of campus security.
Any college, any town, any workplace can be considered “safe”-- until one person decides to make it not so.
So it’s less about choosing a “safe” location and more about learning what you can and should do to ensure you own safety. It’s about being aware of your surroundings. It’s about making sure you’re always sober/straight enough to make wise decisions. It’s about listening to that little voice in your head when it tells you that something just doesn’t feel right. It’s about making friends who will look out for you, and choosing to look out for them. It’s about knowing when to ask for help.
And, very often, it’s about dumb luck. That’s the part of the process you can’t control. But the rest of it is in your hands.
That is what I’m trying to understand. Should I consider campus security a factor? There are lots of small liberal arts colleges that seem really nice but don’t have good security:/
I wouldn’t worry about it, but that’s me. From a risk perspective, you are at greatest danger traveling across town in a car. Be smart, as @bjkmom wrote, and go about your life. You can’t walk around in fear all the time.