<p>As I was flipping through various sites and books college researching, one thing that really caught my attention is Yale - and its highly disputed city, New Haven. </p>
<p>Since I won't be able to go see it for myself (shame), can anyone add on to the thread about what is good and bad about New Haven? </p>
<p>One of my friends said that it was an 'awesome' city, but others seem to think the opposite.. so what is/are the factor/s that is/are creating such a divide?</p>
<p>17th highest AIDS rate in the country:
AIDS</a> Rates</p>
<p>Yale is amazing; I think New Haven is more dangerous than a city its size should be</p>
<p>i honestly love new haven. i think its a great college town. sure there are areas you shouldnt go to, but the downtown/yale area is awesome.</p>
<p>I'm a big fan of New Haven. Around the campus there are lots of cheap and tasty places to eat, there are are a number of clubs if that's the social scene you want to pursue, and a good number of quirky, great bars. There is a decent assortment of clothing stores and an Ikea nearby. With all this in easy walking distance from campus, it really is a wonderful college town. There are a number of beautiful residential areas and parks that most students never explore. The downtown area has improved dramatically over the past 10 years. It has a classic New England green. Yes, there are some very sketchy areas, but they are not part of a student's life unless the person chooses to volunteer in a school in a depressed neighborhood, for example. The area around the campus feels very safe and is bustling with activity at all hours.</p>
<p>what relevance the AIDS rate has is entirely beyond me.</p>
<p>In general, the part of New Haven surrounding Yale makes a fairly decent college town (with more college student type stuff going on than say, Princeton, NJ, but less active than NYC). There are some sketchy areas of the city, but they are not places you are likely to have any reason to go (except for the reasons AdmissionsAddict points out, in which case you'll be there during the day anyway, so you'll be fine). If you want your college life to be focused on the city you live in, Columbia might be a better bet. But, if you're happy with a campus-focused life that still leaves you with the ability to pursue food, entertainment, etc in the local area when you want to, New Haven is as good a place as any.</p>
<p>chicagoboy- not only is your data irrelevant, it's outdated. Those rates are from 1996, I'd imagine almost every one of those cities has significantly lower rates today.</p>
<p>The AIDS thing is pretty silly...</p>
<p>Having lived here for a year, i can say that the rumors about New Haven are definitely out of date. There are so many good restaurants, clubs, theaters, etc. within a few blocks of central campus. And as opposed to bigger cities, New Haven can offer these things at prices that are amenable to a college budget. There's definitely crime, but it's not any worse than you'd expect in the downtown area of a city. People have hyped the safety issues in new haven that are equally applicable to any urban center. New haven's a very good college city... it's large enough to offer lots to do, but small enough that social life doesn't entirely bleed out into the city. There are always parties and events happening on campus, and there's a distinct campus culture, unlike at many colleges in bigger cities (e.g. Columbia or NYU). It's quite a good compromise, actually. Use common sense (i.e., lock your doors, don't walk far from campus late at night, etc...) and you won't have a problem. </p>
<p>Frankly i'm getting a little tired of people ragging on new haven, most of what's said just isn't true.</p>
<p>I was a student there during some of the harder economic times and elevated crime levels due to the crack outbreak in US cities. Like others said, it just required common sense. I've been back several times and it just looks better and better. If either of my daughters wanted to attend (in years to come), I wouldn't hesitate at all.</p>
<p>New Haven also has the best pizza in the US.</p>
<p>well, everyone, the OP asked what are good/bad things about New Haven. having the 17th highest AIDS rate in the country (when the data was collected) is a bad thing. can you disagree?. AIDS/HIV is both deadly and contagious, so surely its a bad thing.</p>
<p>lived next to new haven and played baseball there almost every day. its fine.</p>
<p>New Haven has become the best college town on the East Coast, hands-down.</p>
<p>There is already a thread on this topic (with links to even older threads), which addresses all of the issues raised in the replies above:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/449186-yale-s-location.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/449186-yale-s-location.html</a></p>
<p>New Haven gets mixed reviews from me. I liked the food and some of the cool stuff right near campus, but I definitely didn't like the feel of the area west of campus. There are some neat things in the area, like East Rock, that make New Haven pretty cool, though.</p>
<p>If you have been to NYC, it's not any worse, IMO. I live in NYC (in the Bronx, and if you know anything about NYC, you probably know the stereotypes of the Bronx). New Haven, from the times went I went to visit, did not look any worse. I think I would prefer living there over NYC.</p>
<p>New Haven is one of the reasons I want to go to Yale.</p>
<p>Chicago... are you kidding? I didn't look at whatever was linked (although its accuracy seems suspect), but New Haven's AIDS rate has nothing to do with the yale experience. Students mostly only have relationships (sexual or otherwise) with each other...</p>
<p>...once again, are you kidding? really?!?!?! This has got to be a joke. Completely irrelevant.</p>
<p>Yeah, AIDS is far more prevalent in certain socioeconomic classes (higher rates of IV drug use, lack of sex education, general misconceptions, etc). I'm sure you'll find that most urban areas have higher HIV/AIDS rates, and that's hardly a reflection of Yale's student body. Unless AIDS becomes air-borne in the next couple of years, it's unlikely it'd have any bearing on your experience at the university.</p>
<p>LOL: Maybe chicago should try to bring in RELEVANT facts for a potential yale applicant. Is AIDS/HIV a bad thing? Sure. So is teenage pregnancy and high school drop out rates -- each of which is endemic in large urban populations. These highlight areas of no opportunity or systemic poverty in some areas of New Haven. </p>
<p>Frankly, opportunities for Yalies to assist the nearby community were fantastic times during my years there. I was very grateful for not living in some ivory tower in some wooded pastoral scene -- I was going to graduate into a real world -- I'm glad glimmers of it weren't too far away from the artificial universe of Y.</p>
<p>Wow, I love Yale.</p>
<p>thanks for the contributions!</p>
<p>i live in bangkok and i think New haven is not any more dangerous than here. </p>
<p>ahh i love yale too... but quite impossible to get in</p>