<p>I need some help guys, which university would be more safe? Emory or Chicago.</p>
<p>My parents are a little stressed out? Any opinions? </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>My guess would be Emory (though I’m unsure). It’s a bit removed from Atlanta whereas Chicago is directly in the city.</p>
<p>i don’t think you should make safety the deciding factor between the two, but another site ranks Emory U’s safety at A- and Chicago’s at B-.</p>
<p>Emory is in a pretty nice neighborhood, and yeah it’s fairly removed from the city. The surrounding area just outside of the campus is all idyllic little well kept southern homes, lush greenery, etc. It doesn’t really shout urban.</p>
<p>/face to the palm</p>
<p>Safety is relative. Safe from what ? From who? My old college roommate was hounded by the police every time he would walk around the neighborhood at night because he was black (it was a very “cowboy” part of the state). He was even held on the ground at gunpoint until his advisor wrote a letter to the campus police and local police to stop harassing him and that he was a student.</p>
<p>Emory is probably more “isolated” if that’s what you want.
Chicago is bordered on one side by Hyde Park, a rich neighborhood, and the other side by an area that even walking in broad daylight would render a normal surburban student uncomfortable without a bullet-proof vest. </p>
<p>I exaggerated that last part, but not by much.</p>
<p>Overall, Emory will make you “feel better”, but so long as you don’t go looking for trouble, both schools should be fine.
That said, I have seen graffiti on the UChicago school property left by people who are obviously not a part of the school. Also, one of my school teachers had to go there for a meeting three years ago and was mugged twice within one week. The first time, her purse was stolen, and the second time, her cell phone was taken right out of her hand at knife-point.</p>
<p>It happens, but a lot of it also has to do with luck/common sense. I’m sure walking around emory at 3 AM every day will get you into some trouble eventually…just as driving on the wrong side of UChicago in your yellow ferrari will find you some trouble too…lol</p>
<p>"Chicago is bordered on one side by Hyde Park, a rich neighborhood, and the other side by an area that even walking in broad daylight would render a normal surburban student uncomfortable without a bullet-proof vest.</p>
<p>I exaggerated that last part, but not by much."</p>
<p>Whatever. I know plenty of people at Chicago and they are fine. U of Chicago is very much a bubble. Uh and Obama lives down the street when he is back in town.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, just to let you know I would rather go to UChicago. Am i’m really only worried about my personal safety…</p>
<p>I plan on bringing a vehicle… good idea or bad…</p>
<p>and so do you think my parents will actually have anything to worry about?</p>
<p>Vociferous:</p>
<p>UChicago is not very dangerous in terms of shootings, etc, but I know of more than four people that have been mugged there that I know well. It is not that uncommon there.</p>
<p>Simply speaking:</p>
<p>If you like UChicago, go there. Just make sure not to wander about at night alone, and you should be as safe as a pea pod.</p>
<p>Chicago is a pretty amazing school. I hear it’s very rigorous, but I’d also choose it over Emory. Chicago is the real world. Be smart, and you’ll keep safe. :D</p>
<p>The City of Chicago, where I resided for several years, can vary dramatically in safety from block to block. You simply have to stay out of the especially bad areas even in broad daylight. This isn’t that difficult in practice, because there are few reasons to go there. That said, caution is advisable in any of the downtown or lakefront neighborhoods where you’re likely to spend time.</p>
<p>The neighborhoods immediately south of campus and those west of Hyde Park are extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, the “L” stops closest to campus are in these extremely dangerous areas. You have to use buses or Metra suburban trains to go downtown or to the North Side.</p>
<p>Another safety issue is that it’s unsafe to take public transportation late at night in Chicago, even in relatively safe neighborhoods. Even late in the evening can be dicey. It’s unwise not to pay for a cab ride. Since Hyde Park is about six miles from downtown and 8-10 miles from many North Side hotspots, cabs can get very expensive.</p>
<p>Owning a car isn’t a viable answer. Parking is extremely difficult. It can take half an hour or more to find a legal parking space in either Hyde Park or the neighborhoods you’re likely to go to. Most people would find it necessary to pay for a monthly parking space and then pay to park most places you drive to. This could easily cost hundreds of dollars per month. Even if money is no object, driving in Chicago is extremely difficult and slow.</p>
<p>That said, the University of Chicago may be worth the risk. It’s an amazing place for those who value its intellectual environment.</p>
<p>In terms of hard statistics, each school is required to keep a record of the violent and non-violent crimes that occur on its campus each year and to make that record publicly available. This is usually available on the school’s website, although some schools require you to request it. It is called the Clery Report.</p>
<p>Chicago’s: [Common</a> Sense](<a href=“http://commonsense.uchicago.edu/crime-info.html]Common”>http://commonsense.uchicago.edu/crime-info.html)
Emory’s: [2008</a> Campus Security Report for Emory University](<a href=“Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report | Emory University | Atlanta GA”>Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report | Emory University | Atlanta GA)</p>
<p>In terms of feeling: I used to live in Atlanta about 20 minutes away from Emory’s location, which is technically in Atlanta proper but is in practice located in/near a relatively affluent suburb of Atlanta with some of the most expensive real estate in the city area. Emory is a sprawling campus in an idyllic location, and I wouldn’t expect any issues with safety – it’s far away from the gentrifying urban blight of downtown Atlanta.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about Chicago – I’ve only visited – but I visited with a close friend who is from Chicago and she seemed very comfortable navigating the city at night. I wouldn’t say that it’s unsafe in general to take public transport at night, but obviously don’t take it alone (I’ve lived in New York for half my life and I still don’t take the subway alone at night). Safety in numbers.</p>
<p>It’s been my general experience that high school students, particularly ones from middle-class suburban areas, tend to exaggerate the danger for even elite universities located in large cities. I’ve heard people say the same things about Columbia (which I attend, and it’s certainly not unsafe), Chicago, Penn, Georgetown, and to a lesser degree Emory. What makes this even more amusement is that every single one of those universities (perhaps with the exception of Penn) is located in one of the more upper-class areas of the city in which it is located (Columbia - Upper West Side/Morningside Heights; Chicago - Hyde Park; Georgetown - Georgetown). Those rich folks wouldn’t have moved into the neighborhood if they felt patently unsafe.</p>
<p>Thanks again for your advice</p>
<p>I really want to take a vehicle to college…
It would be a little disappointing not having one.</p>
<p>Temay: You’re welcome. It’s possible to have a car in Chicago if you’re determined to have one. I owned a car when I lived there. It’s just going to be difficult to drive and park. It’s also going to be expensive even if you consistently drive around looking for street parking. Just the car insurance for a car primarily used in the City of Chicago will be very expensive. Your insurance agent can tell you how much insurance will cost for a given area.</p>
<p>If you bring a car to Chicago:
- Your driving skills need to be above average or become that way fast.
- Don’t get into road rage incidents. If there’s a problem with another driver, just let it go. It’s not worth the risk. I knew someone whose head was struck with a blunt object during a road rage incident.
- Don’t park illegally for any length of time. One of the few things the City of Chicago does efficiently is to tow illegally parked cars.
- If parked on the street, check on the car at least once per day. It’s not unheard of for the city to put up signs saying cars have to be moved shortly and will be towed if not moved. I avoided being towed at least once by doing this. They were filming a commercial on the block where I’d parked and put up signs saying all the cars had to be moved by the next day.</p>
<p>One nice thing if you’re determined to have a car is that from Hyde Park, it’s a straight shot up Lake Shore Drive to downtown and North Side neighborhoods near the lakefront.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>