<p>My D is applying to Penn. We have not yet visited (thought we'd wait and see if she gets accepted); however, I've heard Penn's in somewhat of a sketchy region of Philly. She'll be starting college at 17 and has been in a very, very sheltered environment. Naturally, I'm concerned. How safe is Penn? What about the surrounding area?</p>
<p>^^^^
Same situation with my daughter. We are concerned that our upper middle class suburban lifestyle may not have adequately prepared her for urban Philly. We are visiting on January 15th for an interview and I’ll be happy to post a college visit (and opinions about security) when we get back.</p>
<p>I would say that PENN is in one of the better sections of Philly</p>
<p>its basically like if you go a block past the campus at one end you’re in a bad area but the vibe on campus seems safe to me (ive visited campus twice & im from a pretty sheltered area on long island too)</p>
<p>Penn has been ranked as the #1 University with regards to security for the past three years (as ranked by Security 500). We have the largest public police force in Pennsylvania, and the second largest private university police force in the country (third largest when you include public universities).
West Philadelphia is not crime-free by any means. There are robberies and shootings around campus (this year a bouncer at Copa on 40th and Spruce was shot). However, Penn takes great measures to keep its students safe. At night, there are police officers everywhere in sight. There are free walking and riding escorts that are free for all students that need to move anywhere on campus or a little off campus at night. Blue-light telephones are stationed all around campus in case of an emergency. To get into dorm rooms, you must swipe your ID and punch in the last four digits of your social.</p>
<p>I personally feel very safe at Penn. I know not to flash my phone or iPod anywhere that might cause attention, and always try to be aware of my surroundings. I’ve also benefited from taking advantage of the services Penn has to offer (Penn Transit, PennRide, PennWalk). With these things in mind, I’ve been able to travel from 59th & Baltimore and 38th & Springgarten without much cause for concern. As the public safety office stresses, safety is a shared responsibility. </p>
<p>I do suggest people visit the campus to see how they feel. Also, I encourage prospective students and their parents to browse the Penn Public Safety website, [Penn</a> Public Safety: Division Home Page](<a href=“http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/]Penn”>http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/) .</p>
<p>^^^^
Great post FightingQuaker. Lots of good information and it seems that your user-name is not related to your security experiences on the Penn campus.</p>
<p>Personally, it’s feels pretty safe because there is ALWAYS people around. Even walking around Locust Walk at 11:30 on a random Tuesday night, there are as many people milling about back and forth from acapella groups, theatre groups, the library, etc that it’s not a huge concern. …there are always campus police around the usual hangouts (Wawa at 2 am, etc) and even random places. There are also a ton of cameras around the school that monitor individuals.</p>
<p>That said, Philadelphia is a city. Yes, if you walk way too far into one direction (that is <em>obviously off campus</em>) it feels a bit less safe. trust me, it will be immediately obvious when everyone goes from wearing a penn shirt in some capacity (Penn Med, Penn Facilities, Penn Football, etc) to not…and looking a little different. </p>
<p>I will repeat the advice that is heard on every college campus-practice safety techniques and don’t walk around by yourself in the middle of the night in the sketchy areas.</p>
<p>small correction: the police cover a VERY large area even outside campus. There are cops in civilian clothing, security on bikes and regular cops.</p>
<p>i spent the summer there and its pretty safe</p>
<p>you have cops everywhere riding bikes</p>
<p>the only thing is just be wary of your surroundings, one night i accidentally walked into market street and i realized things didn’t feel right so i turned around and left. Just don’t walk anywhere stupidly and be conscious of all that is around you</p>
<p>plus if you are too scared to walk anywhere, you can call the campus police to give you a ride {i forget what the program was called though}</p>
<p>All of these replies are accurate. Penn has great security and TONS of cops (Penn Police). There are “highlighters” (security guards in bright yellow jackets) on every corner at night patrolling from 40th to 32nd - so even if you need to walk from 30th street station, you still have coverage. I have utilized Penn Ride (you can call for a ride from an off campus location to campus), but never Penn Walk (when a security guard walks you upon request to a location). I have never felt unsafe at night at Penn, or even around Penn.</p>
<p>That said, of course Penn is a city. There are dangers if you are an idiot and walk around with noise canceling headphones with flashy clothes in darkness. </p>
<p>-Penn student</p>
<p>Let me give you the other side of the story. Less than 2 months ago, a case of shooting happened directly in front of Gregory College House, where I’m living, at 1AM, a time that security guards are supposed to be patrolling that area, which is a busy crossroad connecting Penn main campus to the frat rows. One man was injured and no suspect has been ever found. I heard the 4 gunshots and thought they are fireworks :/</p>
<p>Furthermore, on an average day, it’s almost impossible to find security guards between 3:30AM to 6:30AM. </p>
<p>How safe is Penn, you decide.</p>
<p>Penn is pretty safe.</p>
<p>Like in all honesty, the bigger issue with sheltered kids is going overboard with alcohol.</p>
<p>
??Thanks??</p>
<p>I’m going there and I am from the inner Philly suburbs, so I’m used to it. Will require a different mindset for someone coming in from a sheltered suburb. Yes there are a lot of cops but west philly is very rough and she will need to understand that the environment is very very different than what she is used to. In all honesty, the cops do a good job but she’ll still need to have raised awareness.</p>
<p>I am the parent of a Penn senior. This is a city campus and despite all the security, there are issues. The McDonald’s right next to campus (and next to my son’s housing) is an issue and there have been riots there involving neighborhood youth. There are a lot of property thefts and break-ins. My son had his entire computer stolen from his barely off-campus house two years ago right before finals. The campus has a safe feel, but it is not somewhere to roam around late at night. That said, ANY campus has issues because students are easy targets. There is crime at IU, Vanderbilt, wherever.</p>
<p>I am just trying to be realistic here. Philadelphia is a gritty city and Penn is close to some rather rough areas. Most students will move off-campus at some point, so keep that in mind. There are some safe housing options off-campus, but they are expensive.</p>
<p>My kid has enjoyed the city and has had a good experience (after a bad first year), but don’t come to Penn without really understanding the nature of the campus and the city.</p>
<p>Idk, I’ve been around at odd hours and never felt unsafe. A few of my friends have been harassed at normal hours (8-9 pm), but they were certainly west of campus. If I recall correctly, the shooting outside Copa a few months ago happened because some genius thought he could break up a fight by shooting at it.</p>
<p>For the record, the Penn Police patrol zone is the area bordered by 30th Street, Market Street, 43rd Street and Baltimore Ave. I live at 42nd and Locust, and there are Penn cops all over the place!</p>