<p>I've heard some horror stories about students getting mugged that scared the bejesus out of me! o_0</p>
<p>those students are probably the not-so-smart ones who don't really know about safety.</p>
<p>ha, lemme guess, you heard it from a UCLAer? haha, it seems like rival colleges try to use that one against cal. see, the fact is, that if you're smart enough to get into berkeley, you're smart enough to know the limits. i've walked around campus several times at night w/ only my brother and never had any issues; a lot of students are out pretty much all night long, except for the early morning hours on weekdays, studying, going to and from libraries, etc., so it's not like you're all alone. if you use common sense, you'll be fine. follow the crowd and don't go in dark alleys or 'people's park' after dark, that's really all you need to worry about.</p>
<p>Use common sense. Berkeley is no different that from any other place. :/</p>
<p>The people that get mugged walk the streets after dark, when "bad" people generally come out.</p>
<p>vc08 basically explains it.</p>
<p>If you look at the page below, you'll see that not all robberies occur at night. </p>
<p>University</a> of California, Berkeley - Police Department</p>
<p>There are some that occur during the day. From my experience, common sense will help you avoid crimes in most cases. In addition to following crowds and walking in well-lit parts of the campus at night, you also need to be observant. Look for strange body language and behaviors, then avoid at all cost.</p>
<p>Berkeley ensures its students' safety.</p>
<p>University</a> of California, Berkeley - Police Department
University</a> Of California, Berkeley - Department of Public Safety
University</a> of California, Berkeley - Police Department</p>
<p>hmm... all of you mentioned "common sense", and that's what worries me (not because I don't have common sense, of course!):</p>
<p>For virtually all the colleges I have visited, I've heard "yes, our campus is very safe," but whenever Berkeley safety is mentioned, I hear "you just have to use your common sense", which seems to be an euphemism for "our campus can be deadly if you are not careful."</p>
<p>It's totally safe.</p>
<p>Except I'm 6'1" 230...</p>
<p>Washable Glue: maybe its because people at Cal are honest? When you visit colleges people will say yes our campus is safe so that you go there. </p>
<p>Its not really UC Berkeley being an "unsafe" campus; rather its the fact that at most urban campuses youll be fine as long as you use your common sense (read: dont be a dumbsh1t). Friends at MIT (urban campus) back that up, and i was surprised. No matter where you go, gallivanting alone at night without being aware of your surroundings is going to be dangerous...even around the super sterile Stanford.</p>
<p>And UCBCHemEgrad: Comments like yours can lead to an incorrect stereotype of our university. Please be a little more clear because the OP has some nagging doubts. Its fine if you want to boast about your height, but please get the full message across.</p>
<p>I felt very safe at Berkeley...never had problems.</p>
<p>Just adding some perspective though.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the assurance guys, but from the research I did online, I'm still not convinced Berkeley is a safe enough place for my parents to actually allow me to go (well, they can't really prevent me from going... but they CAN refuse to pay the tuition -_-)</p>
<p>CRIME STATISTICS FOR ALL THE UCs:
U.C</a>. Berkeley Crime Bar Graphs
U.C</a>. Davis Crime Bar Graphs
U.C</a>. Irvine Crime Bar Graphs
U.C</a>. Los Angeles Crime Bar Graphs
U.C</a>. Merced Crime Bar Graphs
U.C</a>. Riverside Crime Bar Graphs
U.C</a>. San Diego Crime Bar Graphs
U.C</a>. Santa Barbara Crime Bar Graphs
U.C</a>. Santa Cruz Crime Bar Graphs</p>
<p>^according to those charts, Berkeley has the highest crime rates, followed closely by UCLA... </p>
<p>maybe I'll just stick to suburban schools...</p>
<p>... or start taking some karate lessons :)</p>
<p>Regardless, the crime statistics are very, very low; it's highly unlikely, given the total number of students and crimes, that you would be the target of one. Is it you who isn't convinced, or your parents? Just look at the safety measures for Berkeley. There are call boxes, escort services, etc. so if you do feel that it's not safe (and most students do feel perfectly safe), you can just use one of those services. Really, I don't see what the problem is.</p>
<p>How safe is America?</p>
<p>A friend of mine asked me before he decided to spend his vacation here many years ago?</p>
<p>My answer was "very safe". </p>
<p>OP! Stay in your comfort zone. Go to your community college instead.</p>
<p>Well the reason that Cal and LA have larger crime rates is because the area are larger. Los Angeles is obvious but Berkeley also is quite large too.</p>
<p>@washable glue: As QuixoticRick said, the reason why the crime rates are larger is because the area is larger. I can't believe your parents would rather you be safe than go to Berkeley. :P</p>
<p>You don't have to worry about muggers at Berkeley. It's the police and National Guard that you have to worry about. Of course, its been some time since I graduated from Berkeley.</p>
<p>My conclusion: if I do get accepted by Berkeley, I'll probably go spend a day there and see how safe it feels myself</p>
<p>I honestly wouldn't worry about mugging. I'm sure it's more common than in some areas, but it's still pretty insignificant statistically speaking. I would worry about your bike being stolen, if you intend to bring a bike. That happens all the time.</p>
<p>Of course, taking standard precautions can't hurt, such as not walking around alone at night (call BearWalk, bring a friend, etc.).</p>
<p>Well, I'm a third year student, and of all the people I talk to, only two have had serious crimes (where direct threats and a weapon were used) happen to them. One was accosted and robbed of his wallet at knifepoint walking back from the DCs on south side. The other had his laptop stolen at gunpoint outside of Soda Hall in the afternoon (when classes were in session, so there weren't many people wandering outside).</p>
<p>The closest I've had is in walking through campus late at night after midterms or review sessions. Once, when passing the bridge south of VLSB, I passed a group of four, who later turned around and began to pursue me quite quickly in the wooded area right before Oxford. I quickly ran across the western grass area until I reached Oxford/University, where I saw that they weren't following anymore.</p>
<p>Take those experiences as you will, but remember that wherever you go, you need to be aware of your surroundings, know where you are and how far you are from safe points. Also, try to limit the time spent walking alone, especially at night. Use Bearwalk if necessary. Know that the campus isn't very well-lit at night. Finally, several of my friends carry knives around just in case.</p>
<p>"several of my friends carry knives around just in case"</p>
<p>uh...</p>