<p>My D is a junior, living off campus. Commuting back and forth to waitressing job in Chinatown late at night. She has never had any problems. She does try to walk in a group at night, and if the shuttle is not running, she’ll call a male roommate to meet her at the metro and walk her home. As in any urban areas, we tell her to be aware of her surroundings, walk in well-lit areas, etc. Our D feels very safe (although she grew up in an urban area, so it might take a bit to make her wary!)</p>
<p>Northwest DC is the nicest part of DC. AU is literally right across the street from Homeland Security. As a student living on the main campus (I am a woman) I can tell you that I have never felt unsafe.</p>
<p>Most of the crimes appear to be thefts (mostly laptops, as far as I know). As the above student said, AU is in the safest part of DC (although not all of Northwest DC is as safe). Still, I wouldn’t suggest walking alone anywhere off-campus after dark, since of course you are still in a big city.</p>
<p>It’s perfectly fine to walk alone many places “after dark” near the campus and elsewhere in DC–“after dark” being what, 4:30 in the afternoon these days? Of course one would be stupid to frequent isolated and dark areas at night (even accompanied), but much of DC is well lit, bustling and safe throughout the evening. If you’re going to be nervous about being in a big city, best not to attend college in one. I’ll add that my D is a senior and has never felt unsafe or been a victim of any kind of crime while at AU. </p>
<p>On a positive note, I’ll mention that D dropped her nice little wallet thingy on the Metro last week–it contained her school ID, Metro card and keys (no money). She filed a report online, figuring it was hopeless, that for sure someone picked it up and kept it, but got a call from the DC Metro folks a few days later saying they had her wallet, come and get it. DC public transportation is awesome–clean, dependable and competent, with excellent signage and helpful personnel–and apparently honest riders! I can’t even imagine getting an item back that was left on the NYC transit system.</p>
<p>Funny but true story…when my son was a freshman, he and some friends were walking back to campus from the Metro on Nebraska, late at night. Maybe 1 a.m.? As they were passing the embassy across from Homeland Security, they were curious as to what was on the other side of the high wall, and climbed on each other’s shoulders to look over (no, they did not touch the wall or try to climb over–just look over). In less than a minute, there were 4 squad cars there!</p>
<p>The kids sometimes feel almost overly safe (which can be bad) because there are so many patrols in the area, between DC police and the campus security patrol, plus all the security at Homeland Security, NBC, the various emabassies…and there seem to be cameras all over the place (including the trees in some areas…look up!).</p>
<p>Students still need to use common sense, but I feel my sons in DC are safer on the streets than my son who lives in Boston (Cambridge).</p>