So my daughter is a transfer student(fall 2023) and she got accepted to several schools of her choice as a psychology major.
UC Berkeley
UC San Diego
3 UC Santa Barbara… a few others.
Anyway…of course…we were shocked that she got into Berkeley which as everyone knows is ranked number 1 on so many areas. We kinda thought it would be a no-brainer all things being equal (we are from LA)…
So she is going about how to decide…she said she is making lists, but obviously I think she is a little shell shocked about such a big decision. One thing she is doing is checking out youtube videos of former students.
She is a bit hard to speak to but I kinda asked her what her thinking was today about what school she wanted to attend.
She said she saw lots of videos from former students…who complained about crime and homeless people. She said there is an email that goes out every day to report crime to students?
Has anyone heard anything about this? That Berkeley is a high crime area? I can see that it really kind of concerns her. Myself…I tried to tell her that maybe videos of students is not possibly the best source of truth, but I want to be open minded. She has one friend who goes there…I think her friend said the homeless people leave you alone if you don’t bother them…but I want her to ask again.
Does anyone have any input about Berkeley and Crime?
Berkeley is not for everyone. It is a city with all the good and bad that goes along with it. There is crime, there are homeless people, there are drugs and people with mental instabilities. These things are found in any urban area in the US and Berkeley is no exception.
I personally do not feel unsafe here. I have lived in the area for over 15 years and have never felt unsafe here. But it certainly is not everyone’s cup of tea and people not used to urban areas might feel uncomfortable by it. It should definitely be a consideration for a prospective student when thinking about a college’s “fit.”
We live in Berkeley and my kids’ high school is near the university. I do not worry about my kids’ safety, but they know how to watch out for themselves. It is an urban area with all the positives and negatives that go along with that, such as great restaurants, music and theater, street crime, homeless people. Has your daughter visited?
Your thinking is about like mine. Well…it was not official but we went to the school for a few hours when on vacation last year in SF and wine country. I had always wanted to see it. I am from LA…we have homeless people(especially the last 3 or 4 years) within a few miles of hour house…under freeways and stuff…the normal. Sad to see but never had any issues…I myself…am from San Diego. But SF was always one of my favorite cities. Just so beautiful etc…It does not make sense to me that an institution like Berkeley would let something like crime get out of hand…just bad for business right…but you know how the internet is…and people in general. For our kids raised on it…if its there is MUST be true…I am afraid that her decision will be influenced by influencers than just common sense that we as adults have from years of living. Thanks so much for the info. And I was asking her if she wanted to visit…but she brought up the crime thing. Threw me for a loop for sure.
Thanks so much. I live in LA. I am from San Diego. I have been to many big cities and am familiar with what that entails. That said…the 3 or 4 times I have visited SF…there does seem to be a more lax attitude about Homeless and crime. Now this is one example, but last year on vacation a guard at a hotel told me…just leave my SUV open…cause if anyone breaks into it…even if the police see them…they will not do a thing…I was a bit pissed honestly…but i regress…My gut feel is…what you say…crime can happen pretty much anywhere…I am just following up on her comment…because at this point she is a believer…How can i convince her otherwise?
Is there a homeless issue at Berkeley or around the campus?
Unfortunately, there is a homeless problem across the Bay Area, including downtown Berkeley near campus. That said, I would like to be clear that the crime in Berkeley for the most part is not being committed by the unhoused. The vast majority of the unhoused pose no threat to students or others.
thank you my feeling also…I have volunteered and been around those unfortunate homeless many times and never found them to be violent…so far it sounds like most seem to feel that crime is not a major issue or even minor at Berkeley…good to hear…thanks for the info.
Many of my family have attended Cal and more recently, one played a D1 sport there, so we we’re there a lot. We still have family living in Berkeley. My family and I have never felt uncomfortable in Berkeley (or SF for that matter).
But we’re all built differently, and colored by our past experiences. Plenty of people will rule out going to Berkeley for the crime and homeless.
Just would like to point out that Berkeley is not in San Francisco. It’s across the Bay, and north of Oakland. It’s a 25 minute car ride, and 30 minutes by BART. Crime rates in San Francisco have little to do with crime in Berkeley.
I would definitely say that it’s at least a minor issue…But often it is crimes of opportunity - car break-ins are very common everywhere around here, grabbing cell phones happens (my daughter actually just witnessed an incident of that about a week ago while taking the train home from work), I remember grabbing laptops at coffee shops also used to be pretty common, not sure about now, but I imagine it happens. Package thefts, catalytic converter theft. The usual stuff.
You have to be aware of your surroundings. You have to develop some “street smarts” (don’t sit by the BART door with your phone in your hand during a stop), don’t walk home late at night alone (they have Bear Walk - use it!) …You do need to take basic precautions because crime certainly does happen. But again, not unlike any urban area.
Hmm, maybe I wasn’t clear enough. Crime is an issue. But for our family, the urban amenities outweigh the urban problems.
From your posts it sounds like you are trying to convince your daughter that there isn’t a crime issue at all. It’s really up to your daughter whether she wants to live and go to school in a gritty urban area like Berkeley. It’s perfectly valid for her to decide that this type of environment isn’t her preference.
I kinda read her a few of these posts…that “like any big city there are homeless etc” and she has seen it herself here in LA…and I reminded here of our vacation in SF last year where we saw lots of homeless but no issues…so I am thinking she is looking at the thing with a broader perspective now…she says her gut feel right now says Berkeley…so we are planning a trip to check it out some more before the June deadline…thanks for all the input…I see getting into Berkeley as a once in a lifetime opportunity…but I have to listen to her concerns or thoughts also…thanks so much.
I think “once in a lifetime opportunity” is a bit strong. The other schools you mentioned (UCSD, UCSB) are excellent as well, and we know plenty of kids who have chosen them over UCB. If she loves Berkeley that’s great, but it is really up to her where she wants to be. Good luck with your visit and with her decision making process!
Was your daughter just admitted or is she waiting until the last minute to decide? She needs to commit to one of the schools by tomorrow.
Berkeley is an urban, gritty area. Parts of Oakland are rough. The campus is not gated and student housing is in the surrounding community. A student attending an urban university like Berkeley needs to be very aware of what they are committing to. I shared some links on the Berkeley Class of 2027 forum because safety/crime is an important consideration. If your daughter doesn’t feel comfortable with it, I wouldn’t push it.
Berkeley has a very different feel than UCSB or UCSD. It is not for everyone. That said, you can’t avoid crime. Davis is grieving over two stabbing deaths this week, and the killers are still at large.
Well like i said we are in LA…not living on skid row or anything but she has seen it…she has seen poverty in Mexico, Jamaica…she is not naive about such things…I just sometimes think…KNOW Tim Berners Lee monster aka the internet skews our views and especially teens view of the world. We all deal with that right? I am letting her decide and because of her major she is leaning Berkeley. SD for me would be much closer and I grew up there…whatever she decides is ok with me and there will never be a perfect choice…no tomorrow is not the deadline thank goodness…she just got admitted last week I think…There are nuts everywhere unfortunately…that is the state of our country i guess…we visited Berkeley last year…gritty? Did not see that…besides…I expect her to be mostly in her room and the library…studying :>) Deadline is before June 1st but she will probably decide earlier…