<p>Harvard is much worse, Harvardorbust, as you may know, with a number of high-profile incidents just in the past few years, including students being killed by speeding cars while crossing by their dormitories, extremely violent rapes/assaults against students, and many gunpoint robberies. In contrast, Yale is one of the safest Ivies. See <a href="http://www.stalcommpol.org/data.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.stalcommpol.org/data.html</a> -- adjust the figures on this site for the # of undergrads, rather than the number of total grad students, many of whom generally live far from campus, for an even more dramatic difference.</p>
<p>Regarding overall safety, urban campuses are actually far safer than suburban or rural campuses after you factor in the frequency of students driving. Students are 200-300 times more likely to die in a car crash than in any kind of random violence. Also, the random violence is by no means confined to urban campuses -- take the Virginia Tech shootings for example, which killed more students at one school in one hour than the number killed across the ENTIRE country in random violence in three years. So, presumably students at urban campuses who drive maybe once every two months are far safer than students at suburban or rural ones who get in a car on a daily or weekly basis.</p>
<p>Happycollegemom, when you grew up there it was probably considered an industrial city, however, the region has changed dramatically in recent years, and is now considered a VERY desirable "yuppie haven" with endless numbers of gourmet grocery stores, tech companies, cafes, student hangouts, $100/person restaurants and central city neighborhoods where homes sell for over a million dollars. To use an example, just 5-6 years ago, there were only 30 or 40 restaurants in the downtown area; now there are over 130. Unfortunately, hedge funds are migrating north from Greenwich, CT (the world's hedge fund capital) and therefore prices are going through the roof. This may eventually make it too expensive to be a truly student-friendly place.</p>
<p>Notice I said nothing about Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth or even Yale for that matter because I couldn't tell anyone about what it's like to live in that area and have an idea about what I'm talking about, but I used to go to school in Boston and I think that's arguably the greatest college city in America. UPenn is awesome, I wouldn't care who has anything to say differently about it. NYC, well let's just say I have partied there for many, many years because I have. I'm sure Yale is a great place to be, just like I'm sure about Boston, NYC and Philly. I don't want to get into the "my grandma can beat your grandma" argument because nobody ever wins that. PosterX, I don't mind you sticking up for Yale and the area around it, but to say it's the best in America is a reach.</p>
<p>Okay - this is way off topic - but could we please be more supportive of each other. Have you seen the way people on the Parents Forum lash out at anyone who pursues an Ivy League education. I would hope that at least on the school forums we would a level of respect for those who have been fortunate enough to attend one of these schools. Good natured ribbing is one thing, but there are plenty of other people who are ready to be critical so let's keep in mind that every one of these school is pretty phenomenal. I would have been happy for my D to attend anyone of them. </p>
<p>Of course, smart kid that she is, she did pick Yale.........</p>
<p>But what are people supposed to think when they read someone talking about their concerns for their "paranoid, petite white daughter" in a city like New Haven? What are people from other races and cultures supposed to feel about that? What about their sons and daughters, are they less safe? What would this thread benefit if everyone started posting comments about their children's physical makeup? It reeks of elitist BS. It just strikes me that talk like that, if not done privately, deserves all the confrontation it gets. And no, I don't see your daughter having gone wrong for picking Yale. How could I? The problem is, everyone is on some "my school is better than your school" crap without offering reasons rooted in practicality.</p>
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The problem is, everyone is on some "my school is better than your school" crap without offering reasons rooted in practicality.
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<p>Get used to it. That's what CC is all about. There are no "reasons rooted in practicality" when someone argues than one of these schools is really better than another one. Whoever really believes that is an idiot or delusional.</p>
<p>But in any case...my school is REALLY better than your school.</p>
<p>Good luck in all that you do searchingon. And just maybe, you might find what you're looking for. I was responding to what someone who was speaking "practically" said, not "ignorantly." And searchingon, maybe you should REALLY do some growing up.</p>
<p>OK, in my defence, I was quoting huskem above my post who had DESCRIBED HERSELF as paranoid, etc. I was just mirroring her language, jokingly, and not intentionally disparaging anyone or even precisely describing my daughter. I see room for misinterpretation and apologize for not scrutinizing my post which I will take care to do frm now on. Are we OK Datdude?</p>
<p>I could not be so harsh as to not hear you out, riverrunner. I hope you and your daughter make the best decision for yourselves. Not everyone gets to go to such a great school as Yale, Harvard, Pennsylvania or any of the top schools in the country. I understand your concerns and we are OK.</p>
<p>I've been a member of this board for about 24 hours, and did not want to start of with a major misunderstanding with the membership at large, or anyone in particular. I'll lurk for a while longer before I post again....</p>
<p>New Haven is by far the best Ivy League college town -- I mean, there is no contest between it and Ithaca, Providence, Morningside Heights, West Philly, Princeton or Hanover.
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<p>I find this comment and some of the others about the wonders of New Haven rather bizarre. Yale freely acknowledges that New Haven disadvantages it in cross-yield battles with Harvard. Both safety and the desirability (for students) of the area are issues. New Haven is well past its nadir but still economically depressed. </p>
<p>I'll admit that I love the visions of Harvard students being run over by speeding cars, fearing for their lives on the way home late at night, dealing with the unfriendly Harvard Square environment, dodging crowds of tourists and picture takers on their way to class. (Strangely enough, New Haven does not have a tourist problem.) Or Columbia students being eaten by rats on the subway. That must be why Columbia College has such a huge ratio of applicants to places --- they didn't hear about the rats!</p>
<p>I don't have a bulldog in this fight (lol), but can I say something anyway?</p>
<p>I have to agree with datdude, I was shocked at the description of the dd -- 'petite white female' as potential crime victim. Datdude, you may have meant to be funny, but it came off as anger and needless provocation. You are clearly an intelligent, articulate person and there were better words you could have used to make your point.</p>
<p>Can I say something else about safety and college towns? Every time we visit a college someone on the tour asks about safety, and the guide demonstrates the 'blue-light system', etc. Not much is mentioned about students' responsibility for their own behavior. This is really something parents should make sure their kids know before leaving home, whether they are in an urban or rural environment, or anywhere else. Try not to walk around alone in the middle of the night, make sure someone always knows where you are (leave sticky note on monitor 'gone to party at Sigma Upsilon house' or whatever), and try not to get stinking drunk. If you plan to get stinking drunk, please make sure someone in your party is not drinking and can keep an eye on the group.</p>
<p>Something else -- many students do years or semesters abroad. Make sure you understand in foreign environments it is easy to lose your head or your wallet. This is where you parents need to step in and make sure your kids have street smarts. Here in London, my kids and their friends have plenty of freedom, but they know where to go and when, and how to get there. Plenty of Americans don't -- even if they make wise choices in New Haven or NYC.</p>
<p>The truth is that the risk that any particular student will be the victim of violent crime is extremely low, at least for students who take reasonable precautions, at Yale or any of the other urban campuses being discussed. The campuses themselves are quite safe, as are the immediately surrounding areas, and the vast, vast majority of students will walk only in the campus and those surrounding areas most of the time, and mostly during hours when other people are there. At Yale, almost all undergrads live on campus, and most don't have cars. I think it is much more important to think about what kind of college experience you want, and to see how that is impacted by the community the school is in. So, are there lots of arts activities on campus, or do students go off campus for that? Availability of restaurants and shopping? Places to meet students of other colleges? etc.</p>
<p>I appreciate the clarity of your statement and I admit I can do better than some of my comments. I actually wish I wouldn't have come across mean to riverrunner after she showed that she just wanted to be understood better. I don't fancy myself as someone who has to be answered to about everything, but I will address comments that seem misguided and distasteful. It's good to know that not EVERYONE on this website is around to promote controversy, hatred and competition (although competition is sometimes a good thing).</p>
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I'll admit that I love the visions of Harvard students being run over by speeding cars, fearing for their lives on the way home late at night
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Or Columbia students being eaten by rats on the subway
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<p>Someone is bitter about these two schools. Rejected.....many, many years ago, perhaps?</p>
<p>I live next to the Yale campus in downtown New Haven and I have lived in the New Haven area off and on my whole life. No it is not London or New York, but for those who want all of the assets of a large city with a smaller city feel, New Haven can be great. There is a huge revitalization going on right now in downtown New Haven and it really is fantastic. Anyone who puts New Haven down has not been there in several years. All around the Yale campus are an astonishingly large number of great restaurants ( all kinds of food, price ranges), coffee houses, bars, clubs, shops, museums, theatres and concert halls,movie theatres, etc. There is even a great little Italy section near by with what many people refer to as the world's greatest pizza. I often hear of it being referred to as a mini-Manhattan. Very expensive co-ops and condos are going up all around and people like me are flocking to the area from the wealthy suburbs. Yale is finally pumping a lot of money into the area and it shows. Yes, New Haven has its bad areas, but they are no longer directly abutting the Yale campus and security is pretty good between the Yale police on one side and the New Haven police department on the other. I have a child at the University of Chicago and we both prefer the area around Yale to Hyde Park ( although she does love the opportunities of big city life in Chicago ). New York is about an hour and a half train ride away,(the train station is quite convenient to Yale) so the big city is a reasonable choice for a day trip. People have spoken about the homeless and hearing sirens a lot. Yes, you do hear sirens a lot because there is a huge medical center and hospital at Yale and it gets quite busy. I know because I live next door. And yes, there are homeless. What metropolitan area doesn't. But they tend to be harmless and usually quite friendly. So, don't let New Haven scare you. I think it is a great place to go to college if Yale is a good fit for you and you can get in.</p>