<p>This topic has been covered a lot of times, so I’ll try to cover it from a different light.</p>
<p>I was a Yale freshman this past academic year, and I have slowly adjusted to life in the city. I hail from white-collar suburbia, where the only crimes that ever occurred were traffic violations and drug possessions. Adjusting was definitely weird. My first night of Bulldog Days last year, I was terrified. I walked with a large group and refused to stay out past eleven. </p>
<p>From what I’ve seen, that’s really not necessary. Crimes are generally town vs town, and rarely involve Yalies. Townies aren’t really out to get you, unless you count the panhandlers that you will encounter on York and Whitney or the twice-a-year wallet/purse snatching. As long as you don’t provoke them or get tangled up in some drug web with the New Haven gangs, you shouldn’t be in any real trouble. </p>
<p>I’d say that if you were going out at night past say… 10 or 11, you shouldn’t walk alone. I have heard stories of people being followed, especially on the fringes of campus. If you’re walking back from the library, you should be fine even if you live in TD/Pierson/Davenport.</p>
<p>If you want to be really careful, there’s always 2Walk and the shuttle service. Basically, there’s a number to call if you’re alone at night (or even if you’re not) and you need to get somewhere, and you can request either a person to walk with or a shuttle to come get you. It’s really useful if you’re trapped away from your dorm in the middle of the night or when it’s cold or rainy.</p>
<p>Basically, have your wits about you and you should be fine.</p>