<p>FWIW, a friend just returned from Parents Weekend at Clark, and while her freshman kid is happy there, she remarked on how the college is a small oasis in the middle of a dump (something she hadn’t appreciated during their college tour trip, because they had just gotten off and on the highway instead of checking out the city). Worcester is, and has always been, a really downtrodden place, though it’s close enough to Boston to allow for weekend trips there. But if your daughter would like a vibrant environment outside the college gates, she won’t find it in Worcester.</p>