<p>What about Webster’s campus?? My D is auditioning there for Musical theatre and we are from upstate NY. Thanks for any advice.</p>
<p>General rule of thumb in STL is “gets better and better as you go west”. Maplewood (south of Wash U isn’t very good ( similar to the Hill - iffy and mixed again though revival area). The city of STL boundary is around western edge of Maplewood. Webster Groves is immediately west of there.</p>
<p>Webster Groves is a nice area (not part of city of STL). Lots of grand old frame homes and yuppies have taken over the historic homes. The University is in a really nice location but might be hard to get around without a car. Again, good rule of thumb anywhere in college: don’t go anywhere at night alone. </p>
<p>North of Wester Groves is Brentwood, which is also pretty nice. Heading west is Warson Woods, Glendale, Kirkwood - all nice suburbs. West of Wash U is Clayton and Frontenac and Ladue, which is the really posh part people tend to refer to.</p>
<p>I’ve heard Webster U is pricey. Ask lots of questions. I had a friend who complained about being forced to do an internship but it was unpaid, so her family had to pay the tuition and something for the internship. I think she felt that tuition shouldn’t be paid if you are off campus on an internship. You might want to ask about that.</p>
<p>Webster Groves and Wash U (immediately north of Forest Park) are worlds apart. But you still want to lock your doors, lock you windows, lock you cars etc.</p>
<p>[Historic</a> Walks in Webster Groves Missouri](<a href=“http://www.historicwebster.org/HistoricWalks/tabid/61/Default.aspx#]Historic”>http://www.historicwebster.org/HistoricWalks/tabid/61/Default.aspx#)</p>
<p>There is a walking tour of this historic part of webster at the bottom left corner.</p>
<p>Caolila, thanks for the information. She got a really nice merit scholarship but it will all depend upon her audition anyways. We aren’t going to visit unless she gets in since it’s kind of far. I really appreciate the info. I visited St. Louis in my 20’s, but that seems like ages ago.</p>
<p>@Lulu63 - I’ve visited Webster myself and I really loved the campus, and it felt very, very safe. I have several friends who go to high school in the area and they love the area.</p>
<p>WashU’s undergraduate Danforth Campus is located largely in suburban Clayton and University City—St. Louis City statistics won’t be very helpful for prospective undergrads. The neighborhoods immediately surrounding the Danforth Campus are comparatively safe and affluent, with very large mansions and tree-lined boulevards. </p>
<p>Delmar Blvd to the north and Wydown Blvd to the south of campus have won national APA awards for being “enjoyable, safe and desirable — places that attract users every day.” I’m not sure if the same could be said for Harlem, New Haven, or West Philly.</p>
<p>[Great</a> Places in America: Streets](<a href=“http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/streets/2010/]Great”>http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/streets/2010/)</p>
<p>I can say that when I visited Webster I felt very safe. I have been on campus there multiple times and have never seen or heard of anything bad going on there.</p>
<p>Like any city, it’s important to know where to go and where not to go. The area is fragmented into many small municipalities in addition to the city. Theft (cars, personal property, etc.) and other crimes are more common in the city. Each municipality has its own police force and the quality can vary by location.</p>
<p>The area closest to the WUSTL campus that is the safest is Clayton, MO. Very safe, good police force, but likely also most expensive. Brentwood, Richmond Heights, and possibly parts of Maplewood are among the safer areas near WUSTL. Apartments might be tougher to come by. Some might rent or buy condos is the Brentwood Place area. University City is north of campus. It has a fun area along Delmar Ave with restaurants and shops. Fine by day and night for a visit. Apartments might be cheaper there, but I believe crime is higher and it would not be where I would send my kids to find an apartment.</p>
<p>The poster who describes Tower Grove area in South City. This is not near the main campus and would not be an area I would suggest for undergrads. Too far from campus. If you are in medical school, that’s a different story. The park there is beautiful, the Botanical Garden is nearby, and the area along S. Grand Ave. is a lot of fun with Asian and other restuarants, an international food market, and a gelato place. I go there all the time during the day and even at night, but t wouldn’t be my first choice of places to rent an apartment. People live there safely (I have two brothers who do) but theft and break-ins are more common.</p>
<p>For the poster asking about Webster Groves. Webster U sits between old downtown and Old Orchard area of Webster Groves. Webster is an historic district with beautiful old homes and residents with great pride in their community. I think the school has added a lot of housing in recent years. Apartments might be hard to come by near there. Areas contiguous to Webster are generally residential in nature and safe. On the flip side I don’t think the campus has as much to offer as a campus like WUSTL. So students might have to go elsewhere for fun. Keep in mind that public transit is not readily available, however. Webster is home to the St Louis Repretory Theater. It is not student theater, but I assume students have access, and it’s top notch.</p>
<p>In any city, you should know some basic rules about personal safety like where to park your car. Don’t leave anything visible inside the car. Travel in groups, etc.</p>
<p>[Washington</a> University undergraduate raped, robbed | Student Life](<a href=“http://www.studlife.com/news/2010/04/26/sexual-assault-of-student-reported-in-demun-neighborhood/]Washington”>Washington University undergraduate raped, robbed | Student Life)</p>
<p>a few months earlier</p>
<p>[Female</a> Washington University student assaulted | ksdk.com](<a href=“404 Not Found | ksdk.com”>404 Not Found | ksdk.com)</p>
<p>… which happens at EVERY college.</p>
<p>WashU’s numbers are far lower than any college I know the numbers for (Duke, Tulane, and a few others).</p>
<p>The fact that it is reported on shows that it’s a headline piece- if (stranger) rape was a big problem on campus, you’d hear more about it than one story every 2 or 3 years.
And as I recall, they caught the guys responsible for both of those stories you posted.</p>
<p>And for the record, the second link is of a neighborhood where very few students live, except for grad students. No one suggests that you should live north of del mar.</p>
<p>I really just want to summarize this thread and close it out from future comments… it’s getting a bit attenuated from the original intent of the first poster. </p>
<p>St Louis, like any larger city, has a lot to offer. Forest Park is fantastic and right in front of campus… free museums, the zoo (also free) hot air balloon festival, golf courses, paddle boats, a very large outdoor theater, free shakespeare festival in the spring. The Loop is about 10 minutes from campus and is probably the most popular Wash U “college hangout” street. The Central West End is a short MetroLink ride away, on the other end of the massive Forest Park, which is a bit more upscale and urban in terms of restaurant/shopping selection. There are several malls nearby campus, one that has a Saks and Neimans. Downtown St Louis has the Arch, other performing arts venues, lofts, the professional sports teams, and lots of nightclubs and bars. </p>
<p>St Louis isn’t New York City or even downtown Chicago, but you’ve got to expect that going into things. But it is certainly more active and has more opportunities than a “college town.” The St Louis metropolitan area is slightly larger than Baltimore/Tampa/Denver, and slightly smaller than Minneapolis/San Diego/Seattle. If you are familiar with any of those cities, you can expect to find the same “types of stuff” as you’ll find there. </p>
<p>Again, because it isn’t at the NY/Chicago level, it’s not going to be as urban as some people want it to be. There are tons of neighborhoods in the area that’s spread out between Wash U and Downtown STL. One of St Louis’s problems seems to be that the neighborhoods don’t really connect all that well, unlike NYC where the Upper west side just kind of naturally blends into midtown. </p>
<p>And, like any larger city, there are areas with higher crime rates and areas with much lower crime rates. The areas that tend to be higher in crime are not located within walking distance from campus. In terms of on-campus crime, it seems from both data and anecdotes that you will not encounter significantly higher/lower crime rates than any other top college you’re considering.</p>
<p>The benefits of going to Wash U (in terms of location alone) are that it is in a medium-sized city, easy and free access to public transit, within walking distance of the Loop and Forest Park, and has a beautiful and secluded campus in a very ritzy suburb 15 minutes from a city center. Another benefit – this is my own input, not summarizing something that’s been said before – is that St Louis is just a random (in a good way) city to go for college. I’m from the southwest United States, and was tired of seeing all my friends going to California or way out on the east coast. Wash U is unique in that not everyone comes from one part of the country… I think Wash U represents a better cross-section of America than any other top-tier school I considered. I remember visiting colleges on the east coast and being surprised at how everyone at those colleges seemed to be from the east coast. I think there’s value in going to a city for college that you probably wouldn’t have otherwise considered, and this partly lends to Wash U’s charm. </p>
<p>I hope that’s a good summary of what has been said so far… there’s no point in going back and forth about certain neighborhoods or a chance rape incident from 2 years ago.</p>
<p>vbball90, I agree with what you said about St. Louis being a “random” city.</p>
<p>I spent the first half of my life in Connecticut and the second half (more recently) in North Carolina. Most of the people from my high school would end up staying in state (UNC-Chapel Hill, East Carolina, Appalachian, one of the other UNC’s) or maybe going to a university in a very nearby state (USC, etc). I always thought that I would end up going to a school in the Northeast, which is where most of the schools to which I applied are located. But for some reason I decided to apply to Wash U. I had always grouped St. Louis with Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, etc. as “one of those big Midwestern cities I’ve never been to.” In fact, I had never even been anywhere in the Midwest until I was accepted. Now, I still find it so strange that St. Louis is the city I call “home.” It’s a little funny whenever I arrange a time to Skype my parents because we have to verify, for example, 8pm EST or CST.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m very glad I chose Wash U and I couldn’t be happier here.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to a photographic tour of the Central West End neighborhood where WUSTL’s Medical Center campus is located:</p>
<p><a href=“A beautiful walk in a beautiful neighborhood with my beautiful wife - SkyscraperPage Forum”>A beautiful walk in a beautiful neighborhood with my beautiful wife - SkyscraperPage Forum;
<p>The Danforth Campus, recognizable by its gothic architecture, is located west of this area beginning around the western edge of Forest Park.</p>
<p>CWE is absolutely awesome. If only rent was cheaper so I could live there while I research this summer…</p>
<p>I live in st. charles too… and because I live a little outside of st. louis, i LOVEEE the city! forest park is absolutely beautiful. there is the art museum about 5 minutes away from wash u, which is interesting (even to someone like me, who is by no means the “artsy” type). the loop is exciting in warm weather because of live music and street dancers. the pageant is also in the loop, where a lot of concerts are held.</p>
<p>you can jump on the highway and go down by the arch, and give yourself a whole new realm of things to do (there are a TON of restaurants down there!)… there is the west county area, which includes frontenac, chesterfield, kirkwood, etc. which are all interesting places. then there’s the SLU campus, which has a ton of things around it, as well (around grand blvd).</p>
<p>I wouldn’t let st. louis affect your decision. I love the area. Avoid st. charles and you’re all set to go, and can always find something to do. </p>
<p>Hope this helped. Good luck.</p>