Hi all -
I’m going to be a freshman at GW this fall, and I wanted to know if ya’ll had any advice pertaining to safety stuff - like don’t go in this area at this hour, tips for being out late night/early morning, preventing theft, or any safety advice at all that you found useful while going to GW.
Thanks so much!
Sure, glad to put some stuff out there. The question’s been answered before so feel free to search in here to find it.
First, the campus and surrounding area is very safe as far as a metropolitan goes. Most crime in the vicinity (on or off campus) is theft, whether it’s losing a bicycle, a phone/purse grab, or something missing from a dorm room.
The dorm thefts, although not very common, are the result of students leaving their rooms unlocked while unattended. You should make sure your whole room understand that the door should be locked when the last person leaves.
Phone/purse grabs tend to happen within a block or two of Metro stops and other busy places. The theives are typically younger and rely on surpise and speed to pull it off, so they look for “easy targets” that are burried in their phone or just all-around oblivious to their surroundings. The best defense for this is to not be an easy target.
As far as areas that aren’t safe, most of the areas I know are across the Anacostia River in SE D.C., and there’s no reason for any students to be venturing out that way. You should feel safe being out anywhere in NW DC or even near the Capitol, and at any hour of the day.
So yeah, lock your dormroom door, lock-up your valuables in your desk when you’re not there, don’t look obvlivious near Metro stops, and stay out of Anacostia and far NE D.C. 
Are the GW cabs really useful?
@NHuffer what is the area around the Vern like? is it as safe as foggy bottom
@amyliu29 if youre referring to GW 4RIDE then yes, its useful if you have no other options. The waits can be around an hour or so. Most opt for an Uber instead.
@doglover2345 the area around the Vern is even safer. It’s completely residential in a neighbirhood where the average home price is $2 million.