<p>Recently, a freshman got assulted in Off Campus Downtown Chicago while waiting for a bus. There was no body damage other than some bruises, but you can imaging that kid and the family have been shook up. I would not get into the details but what are your suggestions for a kid just came out of suburban HS pampered by the parents to protech him/herself in an Urban environment anywhere USA? Here are my suggestions.</p>
<ol>
<li>Do go around town in groups.</li>
<li>Do not have flashy drass. old, washed out clothing only.</li>
<li>If some one trying to mug you, just give whatever is asked for.</li>
<li>Bring only enough money for the events.</li>
<li>No expensive electronics, including iphone and ipad.</li>
<li>Mind your owne business, don't ask, don't talk to strangers.</li>
</ol>
<p>Oh boy. Honest, there aren’t muggers waiting at every corner at all times of the day and night to attack a “suburban” looking kid. I’ll grant that numbers 3 and 4 make sense, but not the rest. “Old washed out clothing only”? Ridiculous. Also, there are times when a student will of course have to navigate the city by himself–to go to an internship, for example, or meet a friend at a restaurant. Talking to strangers? How can that be harmful once you’re past age 10? And it can’t be avoided–at some point you’ll have to ask directions and be civil to others standing in a line or sharing an elevator with you, etc. D doesn’t get on the subway or bus unless she has her phone and iPod–half the people on public transportation are carrying electronics.</p>
<p>I’ll add some more sensible suggestions: Keep your wits about you. To avoid pickpockets, don’t put your wallet in your back pocket or have your purse swinging loosely from your shoulder. If you sense that a situation is dangerous, bail. Stay in well-populated areas, especially at night. Don’t live in fear.</p>
<p>This is a true incident… The reason this “boy” got mugged/assulted is because a guy approached him for time and out of kindness the “boy” pulled out his iphone to look up the time. The mugger just start grabbing the iphone off the “boy” and of course the boy won’t let him have it… so goes the incident.</p>
<p>I have no doubt the incident occurred–my own S was mugged at gunpoint on the streets of a major US city a few years out of college–but all kinds of things happen to people in all kinds of places. How many incidents of carjacking from suburban malls have there been? There are commonsense measures to take in any environment. But approaching everyday life in the city as if you are entering the Vietnam jungle in 1966 is an overreaction and a sure way to spoil the experience of attending college in a city.</p>
<p>There are some college cities that are more dangerous than others. I was shocked to learn from a Yale mom that 3 freshmen were mugged off-campus the first week of arrival. I had no idea that New Haven was dangerous. </p>
<p>The mom said that kids from suburbia and rural towns are the most vulnerable because they aren’t “on alert” and can be targeted.</p>
<p>Many urban campuses have one side of “off campus” that you are advised not to enter alone at night. Not the Vietnam jungle, but your chances of being mugged are certainly greater than in other areas.</p>
<p>Be alert & use common sense. Travel in groups. Don’t look like a target.</p>
<p>The list of suggestions is generally good, with a couple of explanations.</p>
<p>Advising students to travel in groups is probably wise, but only until they have familiarized themselves with the local area. After that I think ONLY traveling in groups would be too restrictive for those students who have internships or have other valid reasons to go somewhere unaccompanied by a friend.</p>
<p>And don’t leave your iPhone at home, but just keep it hidden away when you’re out in certain areas.</p>
<p>Also, a kid experienced using subways to travel around most of NYC boroughs will probably find that Chicago is quite a different animal.</p>
<p>LOL about dressing shabby. I was just in Chicago this past weekend. I commented to my DH that I must be in style b/c many of the young girls were wearing dark pantihose with lots of runs in them. Many of the jeans were like that too. Shabby chic, apparently.</p>
<p>And totally agree with everyone who says to DEFINITELY bring your phone. Don’t leave home without it. Think of it as an added safety feature not only with the phone, but with GPS/tracking.</p>
<p>When I look at the crime log of my son’s urban university almost all of the crimes against students (almost always muggings) all have the same things in common. The student victim is a male, walking alone at very late a night or in the wee hours of the morning down a deserted, not very well lit alley. Young guys think they’re invincible until they find out they’re not.</p>
<p>The only time I’ve been mugged - I was in a group, wearing nothing fancy, no visible electronics, minding our own business.</p>
<p>One thing I did back in the 80s when I lived near Columbia was to carry two wallets, one had a enough to keep a potential mugger happy, the other had my driver’s license, credit cards and things I really didn’t want to lose.</p>
<p>I would agree that wearing lots of expensive jewelry or carrying around a $1200 purse would be inadvisable. But “old, washed out clothing only” is just silly.</p>
<p>Thats a good idea about 2 wallets, mathmom. </p>
<p>At our s’s HS they were taught, IIRC, to throw the wallet as far as they could and on the ground away from the mugger so they could get away as the mugger went for the wallet.</p>
<p>We’re talking “street smarts” folks. In the incident mentioned the victim was approached by the mugger, he was going to be robbed regardless of what he had on him.</p>
<p>The biggest two mistakes I see college kids making are, 1) walking around with their heads down texting or looking up something on their phones and 2) walking around with earphones in. In both cases they aren’t paying attention to their surroundings which makes crimes of opportunity that much easier for the perpetrator. Frankly that advice is useful in broad daylight; I’ve seen more than a few students jump in shock from a car horn after they blithely stepped into traffic because they were distracted.</p>
<p>My high school seniors, neither of whom are large or particularly intimidating-looking, are perfectly capable of taking public transportation and getting themselves to wherever in downtown Chicago they need to be. In fact, D works downtown, and S was just downtown on Sunday for a college presentation in a downtown hotel. In fact, we encourage it, as a means of building street-smarts among suburban kids.</p>
<p>“Old washed out clothing” is ridiculous.<br>
And “bring enough money for the events only”? No, bring MORE money, in case you unexpectedly need to call a cab.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to be mean or insensitive, but was this comment intended as a joke? I thought it was pretty well known that the “only” downside of Yale was the sketchiness of New Haven. </p>
<p>If you were completely serious, I apologize. Everyone is certainly not expected to know everything about every campus. To me, it just seemed akin to saying “I was shocked to learn from an MIT mom that 3 freshmen stayed up all night writing a computer program. I had no idea that MIT was such a rigorous school.”</p>
<p>Pizzagirl –
I’m just learning, but I think that actual “downtown” Chicago is not usually a problem, at least during the day. Do your kids ever travel between the UC/Hyde Park area and downtown? Apparently there are certain recommended travel routes, and I’m always interested in a local’s perspective.</p>
<p>No, mine have no particular reason to have to go to Hyde Park; I’m sure that the U Chicago forum on here would have plenty of helpful suggestions on the best routes.</p>