Does Surrounding Area Really Matter?

College Search & Selection
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Here’s Comparing Urban vs Rural vs Suburban Campuses

Urban Pros
-Can be spread throughout a city or self-contained within a city.
-Many urban colleges offer off-campus learning experiences. These may include opportunities to explore the work world through cooperative classes and internships.
-Generally more diverse student body
-Students can find entertainment options — such as museums, parks, restaurants, concerts and plays — on and off urban campuses.
-Strong public-transportation options
-Interaction with other nearby universities
-Close to other cities & towns

Urban Cons
-Parts of the city will be much more dangerous than others
-Students need to be more street smart
-Generally higher % of commuters
-Generally smaller campus(in area)

Rural Pros
-Self-contained
-Generally higher % of dormers
-Rural campuses can provide access to outdoor learning opportunities, particularly in fields like agriculture or environmental science.
-Generally bigger campus(in area)
-Many rural colleges bring entertainment to their students and provide free events. Comedians and bands may perform on campus during college tours.
-On-campus transportation options, such as buses, for students.

Rural Cons
-Isolated
-Generally less diverse student body
-Not as much stuff to do off campus

Suburban Pros
-Combines some of the features of both urban & rural campuses
-Has less negative aspects than urban & rural campuses
-Suburban campuses usually offer access to nearby cities and to outdoor activities.
-Suburban colleges are frequently self-contained
-Suburban colleges often have connections to the towns where they are located. This can provide opportunities such as jobs and entertainment.
-Public transportation may be available in addition to a college’s transportation options.

Suburban Cons
-Can be isolated
-Has less positive aspects than urban & rural campuses
-Can have both negative aspects of urban & rural campuses

Examples of these types of Campuses(Urban,Rural,Suburban)
Large- UCLA, Texas A&M, Penn State University Park
Ivy- Yale, Cornell, Princeton
Small-MCPHS,Colgate,Arcadia

Cities- Pittsburgh,PA/Bozeman,MT/Charlottesville,VA
Camden,NJ/Potsdam,NY/Ewing,NJ

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That’s a great summary @ASJackson923 Thanks for doing it.

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I think the location of the school is very important-not whether the few blocks contiguous with the school are nice but whether you can easily access a nice city. A school in a bad area of Philadelphia would be far preferable to me than a school stuck in a remote rural area an hour from a decent city or a school in an isolated economically depressed city. Both the rural area and the economically depressed isolated city seem depressogenic to me.-leaving not much to do on weekends but drink. I also think isolated depressed cities provide few opportunities for students. But worse, they make poverty and “dead end” seem normative. I would discourage a student from spending a few years in an economically depressed isolated area even if they “liked” the college.

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This is a great thread! I love it that there are so many different opinions but that everyone is being very respectful.

My son is off to college in the fall. I’m glad that he will experience life on the east coast and in a lively urban area – much different than the west-coast suburb, in which he currently lives. I think that broadening horizons is important for maturity.

As a parent, I’m also glad that my kid will be in a relatively safe area. “Relatively” is the key word here! Of course there are no perfectly safe places. But I firmly believe that some places are generally safer than others and that there is nothing wrong in considering safety an important factor in college searches.

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No problem

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@ASJackson923
my D is a rising senior and is going to be applying to the neighboring NJIT. We visited the campus, and were concerned about the area, although we were much more impressed with the school than we thought we would be (it was our first school tour). Do you live on campus? is there much going on socially in university heights? any input would be greatly appreciated

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Someone posted on CC a while ago that they removed Cornell from their college list because the area of Ithaca around the campus was sketchy! Or it may have been a parent. They must live in a gated community.

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As other posters have said, this is definitely something that depends. I have a friend that went to NYU largely because she wanted to live in New York. That is why many students attend there, and she and most of the other students there took full advantage of the city.

Same with a friend I knew in Tulane, students were constantly hanging out in New Orleans.

Yes, there are many college campuses where students rarely leave campus and explore the surrounding area, but that is nowhere close to a universal thing.

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D1 went to school in Baltimore. One block from campus was VERY sketchy. One block in the opposite directions was VERY prosperous. She learned where to go and not go. She ended up loving the city; it became an extension of her college home - the friendly, quirky people, free themed street festivals and/or farmers’ markets almost every weekend. Lots of art and culture and always something to do. She lived in Philadelphia during Grad School. While it may not have been a location she would have chosen to live in, she made the most of what the city had to offer - historic sites, food trucks, sporting events, etc.

S went to school in the midwest in “the cornfields” in a town most people would say sucks. He and his fiance (now wife) spent a lot of their social time on campus which is the hub of activity in the area. They also enjoyed going on country drives and to festivals, finding little pubs with good music and/or food, shopping at thrift stores, going bowling or to the movies etc. They were never bored.

D2 lives in the suburbs of a city. She spends most of her social time on campus, but also goes into the city to do special things.

In each case, location only enhanced their college experience. It’s really all about making the most out of where you are.

One thing about the “surrounding area” that did impact their experience was proximity to transportation (airport or train) to be able to come home for breaks. While it didn’t make or break any college experience, it did impact it on a few occasions.

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@mommabear67

Yes, I will be living on campus.

Yes, there are things to do in the University Heights/Downtown area.

There are many restaurants in the area (especially around Military Park/Downtown)(Including Qdoba,Blaze Pizza,Starbucks,Dunkin,McDonalds,Chipotle,Dinosaur BBQ,etc.) & the Ironbound has good Portuguese restaurants. There are food trucks along Market St.
As for on Campus NJIT has a Taco Bell & RU-N has a Starbucks (which is being renovated right now) & by my dorm there’s a Subway & Local Restaurants

As for entertainment, there’s Newark Museum, NJPAC, Newark Symphony Hall, & the Prudential Center
As for parks there’s Military Park & Branch Brook Park

As for nearby cities, there’s Hoboken, Jersey City, & or course, NYC.

You will have to check with NJIT to see what on campus events they have.

As long as you use street smarts(try not to walk alone,keep valuables in your pocket, don’t walk around to far at night) you sould be fine. Be careful & pay attention to your surroundings.

As for Newark, East Ward is where the Downtown, Ironbound, & Airport is. Univ.Heights is inbetween Central & East Wards. Central Wards is okay depending on where you are. North Ward is mostly middle class residential & where Branch Brook is located

Avoid the West & South Wards of Newark, Irvington, & East Orange. Those are sketchy areas

What other schools is she looking at?