<p>jmmom: The crime stats are really only of importance if one is considering Tulane University--a school with which you seem to have significant connections. I was responding specifically to Post #5 & in a broader sense to the OP. Sorry if the facts offend you, but that is no reason to attack other posters as you have done in your first two posts in this thread.</p>
<p>Coldwind: I respect statistics, too. The New Orleans Police Department has an excellent web site that maps crime statistics by zip code, neighborhood, etc. It is quite interesting to look a the zipcode for Tulane (70118), and the actual location of violent crime for the year to date. The vast majority of violent crime is well away from the campus. This is true of Loyola as well, of course, as they are next door to one another. New Orleans is an intricate tapestry of neighborhoods, isn't it?!</p>
<p>giddyup: Yes, when we lived in New Orleans a Tulane professor was shot to death while walking in front of the school on a Sunday afternoon, and, back then, New Orleans was not ranked as the number one most dangerous city in the country. The difficulty with New Orleans is that the intermixed neighborhoods make violent crime likely anywhere and at anytime. Just a few city blocks from Tulane was, and still may be, one of the worst housing projects in the nation. I had ventured into Atlanta's worst several times, but New Orleans was more dangerous. Re: Zip code crime Yes, but different zip codes surround the area and it is easy & often necessary to venture out of one's zip code. This is what I meant when I wrote that there was a deceptive allure of safety in this area.
Again, I did not mean to offend anyone with my sharing of the crime statistics which were released today, I just wanted to inform by sharing relevant info. after Tulane was mentioned in Post #5.</p>
<p>I got excited when read post 19. I read 'Geek' instead of 'Greek', and thought that I had found the perfect school for S....</p>
<p>^^Karen, ha ha and Amen! I've got a rising 14 yo S. If you find the Big Geek scene, please let me know. That would be his nirvana.</p>
<p>
[quote]
But if there's a prevailing culture you always have to work around, why not just find a school with a prevailing culture you really like?
[/quote]
That certainly makes sense. The hard part is assessing the culture accurately in advance. While CC offers a valuable window, it is a somewhat skewed one. </p>
<p>As it happens, I believe I know the forum the OP is referring to. The negatives have been energetically refuted on the board by students, alums, and parents, who have significantly more experience at the school than those making the allegations. Yes, there are a couple of obnoxious posters on that forum who claim to be current students, though they don't really seem bright enough to be admitted. Who knows? You've got to use some criteria to knock schools off the list, I suppose. Personally, I wouldn't want to dismiss a school because I read on CC that people were looks-conscious there. There are probably some looks-conscious people at every school. How many looks-conscious people are too many? How many does it take to define the campus culture? And how can you tell, anyway? What if all the geeks were at the library the day you did your tour, and you missed 'em? :)</p>
<p>I love CC, and I've used it many times to help evaluate schools - but it's still just a collection of other people's opinions, filtered through other people's points of view.</p>
<p>It's easy to find a big geek scene if your kids doesn't mind going to a science/engineering school or one with a fairly large engineering school attached. But most good schools will have a large group. When ds visited Harvard he spent almost the entire weekend with a group that played board games, discussed sci fi and made fun of The DaVinci Code. He had a great time, but ended up at an even geekier school!</p>
<p>Youdon'tsay, my son is a student at the school you are referring to. PLEASE ignore the majority of the student posters on that site. From what I can gather, most of them are spending their time posting because they have no life. Most of the students there keep very busy; it is an active, vibrant campus and there isn't much interest, as far as I can see, with visiting web sites. You are not seeing a representative sample of the student body. Make a real-life visit if you can.</p>
<p>I see no similarity between the school my son attends--and which I have visited quite a few times--and the place that some of these kids describe. </p>
<p>Briefly, my son could not care less about clothing, has a bad haircut, has nothing to do with Greek life, and has a wide variety of friends. Despite his non-compliance with the stereotype you encountered, he is very happy and very successful at this school. He has not had to work hard at avoiding the Greek scene or finding his own niche. The campus is far more diverse than many people seem to think. (I think the stereotypes were far more accurate 15 years ago, and some of what you read reflects ancient history.)</p>
<p>Before you make a decision based on this particular study, look into the methodology a bit.</p>
<p>STLtoday.com</a> - 11/23/2008 - New Orleans tops crime rankings; St. Louis comes in at No. 4</p>
<p>Here is the most important point:</p>
<p>"Chief among the complaints is that the crime rankings favor cities that have annexed large swaths of suburbia, while punishing cities like St. Louis that have bled population but whose limits don't extend far beyond the urban core."</p>
<p>So, St. Louis' stats are based on St. Louis City only, not the entire county or metro area. I have lived here many years and would feel very comfortable giving advice that Wash U is a safe place to go to college. At the same time, there are areas of St. Louis city that I would advise to avoid. I'm sure this is the same in many large cities. I am not familiar with New Orleans or the area that Tulane is in. But instead of just reacting to the headline, I would follow up and check the crime stats for the university area.</p>
<p>"difficulty with New Orleans is that the intermixed neighborhoods make violent crime likely anywhere and at anytime. Just a few city blocks from Tulane was, and still may be, one of the worst housing projects in the nation. I had ventured into Atlanta's worst several times, but New Orleans was more dangerous. Re: Zip code crime Yes, but different zip codes surround the area and it is easy & often necessary to venture out of one's zip code. "</p>
<p>One could say the same about Evanston, Illinois, though, Coldwind. Some not-so-nice areas in Evanston.</p>
<p>And helpingmom, you're absolutely right. The crime problem in St. Louis city proper has absolutely nothing to do with WashU, which is in a lovely area.</p>
<p>hahaha, I might know of a school with a big geek scene...</p>
<p>I would think a LOT less of my son's current favorite college if I knew it only by its CC forum.</p>