<p>I live in Kansas so out of the top schools I've applied to WUSTL is by far the closest to home which would be a huge factor when deciding where to go. The only problem? St. Louis.</p>
<p>I was just wondering if St. Louis is as bad as everybody makes it out to be. From what I've read it is one of the most dangerous and crime-ridden cities in the U.S.- not particularly a place I would like to spend the next 4+ years of my life.</p>
<p>WUSTL has a lot of draws for me so I'd hate to count it out based on location. I haven't gotten the opportunity to visit the school, so could somebody give me a sense of the location within the city? I realize the city is large enough and the campus is secure enough that safety at the school is top notch, I'm just wondering if being so close to crime and violence has turned anybody else away.</p>
<p>Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated. Hope you all are surviving the long wait before decisions are made!</p>
<p>WashU isn’t directly in St. Louis- it’s in an upscale suburb of St. Louis, so the surrounding area is pretty nice. I felt perfectly safe when I visited. Current students can probably provide a better picture for you though.</p>
<p>I live in stl [well a suburb about 10 minutes from washu] and find it to be very boring. I still applied to washu of course, and my boyfriend who goes there says it’s not a big deal that stl is boring because a lot of stuff goes on on campus. </p>
<p>I probably find stl to be boring because I mean you can’t do more than just go to loop and after going there a few times, it gets old.</p>
<p>However, there is a froyo in the loop, which makes it all okay!</p>
<p>I have lived in St. Louis (actually St. Charles, which is right next door) all my life and I absolutely love it. It is definitely an incredible city, especially the Central West End/Forest Park area which is where Wash U actually is.</p>
<p>Wash U’s campus is in an affluent suburb of St. Louis.</p>
<p>The city itself has a very rich cultural history. Near campus you’ll find Forest Park, which has a zoo, an art museum and much more (all free). There’s also the Loop, which is within walking distance and has a wide variety of shops and restaurants. Chuck Berry owns one of the restaurants and performs there monthly (I think tickets are pretty cheap, just hard to obtain). Not as close to campus (yet easy to get to via MetroLink) are attractions like the City Museum, which I have unfortunately not yet visited but have heard from numerous people that it’s extremely cool–a playground for adults. Cardinals, Rams and Blues games are also very fun to attend.</p>
<p>Security on campus is very good. Off campus, be smart and you won’t be a victim of crime. Travel in groups at night. If you run around at 3 A.M. alone, you’ll be a prime target for a mugger–same rules apply in every other American city.</p>
<p>St. Louis is an interesting city and, merely taking location into consideration, I’m certainly glad I chose Wash U over some of the other schools I got into.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies you guys; a lot of helpful info here. </p>
<p>Form pictures I’ve seen the campus is absolutely beautiful, as is the city, so I’m definitely looking forward to visiting. It’s nice to know that the school isn’t in the crime-ridden areas and that the areas of high-crime do not do justice in representing the city as a whole.</p>
<p>Probably should have realized this beforehand, but because I’m not familiar with the city I wanted to be sure. Thanks again for the help!</p>
<p>if you’re worried about being in a crime ridden area, i wouldnt suggest looking at columbia or jhu. those campuses are surrounded by not so great areas (like literally once you step off columbia’s campus you are in the middle of harlem). this compares to washu which is definitely in a nicer part of st. louis as evident by some REALLY nice houses just in minutes walk from the campus. while im just a future student speaking who has only been to campus 2x, i definitely felt much safer walking around the area surrounding washu than i did at columbia and johns hopkins. i also heard uchicago is in a not so great part of chicago but i havent seen that so im only going on second hand knowledge</p>
<p>I have lived in NYC and Wash DC and can say that, in comparison, not only is St Louis not all that bad, but its really quite good. If music is your thing there are great concert venues both large and intimate that host great performances. If sports is your deal, there are professional teams in baseball, football and hockey. Forest Park is bigger than Central Park in New York and it even has a golf course. There is really good eats in the city too. And, as a WASHU student you get a pass for free public transportation. I cannot see how a college student could get bored here. </p>
<p>And, as if you haven’t heard it already a million times, the campus is spectacular. The surrounding neighborhood is also safe.</p>
<p>I live about a half hour outside of St. Louis, and I have all my life. Been downtown and been in and around WUSTL many, many times. There are a few sketchy areas downtown where I would avoid going, but the crime-hype that StL gets is very undeserved. It’s just like any other city.</p>
<p>What’s more, WUSTL is closer to Clayton than to downtown. Clayton is one of the safest areas in the metropolitan area. There is also a lot to do if you haven’t lived here all your life. You got the Delmar Loop, Forest Park, a great sports scene, and even a Six Flags if you have transportation (I live about 10 minutes away from it, but it is about 45 minutes away from WUSTL).</p>
<p>Forest Park is great because its attractions are free. The Science Center, the Zoo, etc are all free.</p>
<p>The Hill has some great Italian restaurants (try Zia’s), and Ted Drewes is one of the best frozen custard stands you’ll ever try. There are many other attractions that aren’t coming to mind right now that you would love to try.</p>
<p>So basically, it’s a lot safer here than you hear about, and there is a lot to do.</p>
<p>P.S. - I’ve visited several times, and the campus is absolutely gorgeous. The Gothic architecture is amazing! Also, the dorms are huge. Bigger than my room, and you can get a single suite-style even as a freshman!</p>
<p>PSS - Definitely try out the City Museum! One of the most unique places I have ever been to, it’s hours upon hours of endless fun.</p>
<p>St. Louis is absolutely terrible. They don’t have sewage so they throw their excretion in the streets, the teenage pregnancy rate is 100% (girls and guys), and they prefer crepes over pancakes… cursed french with their fancy pancakes</p>
<p>LOL what’s wrong with crepes? Ursa’s make absolutely awesome crepes =D</p>
<p>Many people tend to stay on campus since there are usually a lot of things happening already. However, if you want to do stuff outside with your friends, as the posters have said above, there are the forest park, city museum, the loop, etc.</p>
<p>@csyankees9 You have swayed me. I’ve never been a big fan of pancakes :P.</p>
<p>As for what the city offers in terms of entertainment- pretty much anything is better than my town. Don’t get me wrong, I love where I live, we just don’t have anything to do here. </p>
<p>It looks like the pros of STL greatly outweigh the cons, so it seems as if location will not be an issue. Thanks again for the help.</p>
<p>my sister is at wash U and we own a duplex near Tower Grove Park. The mailman a few blocks over was murdered and several people have been held up a knife point. Lots of house breakins, too.</p>
<p>The area from South Tower Grove north to Barnes Hospital is mixed and very iffy. From the hospital area back over to Wash U might be better but don’t go out alone at night. And for sure don’t go north beyond Delmar.</p>
<p>Also, if you bring a car to STL be sure to put on of those bar things on it. Car theft is the biggest problem. I knew somebody who got his car stolen at the zoo, in broad daylight!</p>
<p>This is not really walking distance to the main (Danforth) WashU campus. The area around the main WashU campus is actually pretty high-end and safe. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful, it just means par for the course when going out at night.</p>
<p>The “awful rep” comes from East St. Louis, which is on the other side of the river in Illinois. If you want to know about WashU’s surroundings, Google Clayton, MO. That’s where WashU is.</p>
<p>I live pretty close to WUSTL and have visited several times. The campus is absolutely gorgeous. I can say that if anything ever happens on campus or even close to campus it makes the news. Personally, I believe that this shows just how rare crime is. On campus is rather safe but venturing off campus late at night is not advisable. I would personally say that Saint Louis U has more crime than WUSTL.</p>
<p>I guess the folks at Wash U med school (where my dad works) don’t count as Wash U students…I guess you have to be at Danforth to be real.</p>
<p>No worries about that Metro Link that starts in East St. Louis and runs right by campus…no worries at all.</p>
<p>My sister had an apt 3 blocks south of Delmar, just north of Danforth campus. The locals were selling crack outside during daylight. My dad got her a gun but she moved out a year later.</p>
<p>At this link you can explore all crimes and put in any date range you like.</p>
<p>Remember that Skinker is virtually the western boundary of the City of St. Louis, and this crime stats tool is for the city only. Hence, you won’t be able to see any crimes west or far south of Wash U campus.</p>
<p>To use this locate Forest park, then zoom out.</p>