<p>I think what matters more than the exact number of miles the students live from the center of a city is how they use the city and how often; that is usually indicative of the surrounding area's role in campus life. In my experiences with NYU, Tufts, and Brown, for instance (granted, I have only gone to Brown, but I have visited the other two numerous times and have many friends at each), NYU students use the city the most (not surprising), but then I think that on the whole--and I know this doesn't mean everyone, but on the whole--Tufts students really make more thorough use of Boston than Brown students do of Providence. I chalk this up to the wealth of activities on the Brown campus and the general feeling that you don't NEED to leave to find something to do or to buy what you need, but then, Tufts has a huge wealth of resources on campus, too.</p>
<p>But anyway, my point is that the proximity of a city is of no significance unless you use said city, and so being 10 minutes walking from the heart of Providence is probably no more necessary than being 10 minutes on the T from the heart of Boston.</p>