Okay, I have to ask.

Particle_Man · 07-08-2008, 01:32 PM

What prompts somebody to go to Clark? Having lived in Central Massachusetts for most of my life, I've heard of the constant murders, drug problems, gangs, and all that other fun stuff focused right in the area of Worcester where Clark is. I've been to the school several times, and I'll just say that as I was driving there the door was kept perpetually locked.

broken_symlink · 07-09-2008, 12:20 AM

I didn't know about all that stuff until now. I will be a freshman at Clark in the fall, anyway I picked it because of the 3/2 program and because their math program seems to be really solid. However, I am not sure if I will stay at Clark or go to RPI as I am a January admit at RPI. I'd really like to do a double major in math and either electrical engineering or computer engineering, and I figured if its going to end up taking 5 years to graduate with 1 degree anyway, then why not do the 3/2 program at Clark. I have a lot to gain and nothing to lose.

rsosher · 07-20-2008, 12:07 AM

I am going to be a freshman at Clark in the fall and although the surrounding area is not the greatest (my mom calls it the Harlem of Massachusetts), but once on campus I fell in love. I love how it is a small campus, the liberal arts feel in an urban area (I couldn't find that in Boston), the diversity of the students, the proximity to home but far enough so my parents won't visit often, and so much more. It is the perfect school for me I feel and on campus is very safe. They have those buttons to press and the Clark Police will be there within a minute I believe. Also they have an escort system to walk you to your dorm or pick you up within a mile of campus (I think it is a mile). Anyways most college students should know to not go out alone in a sketchy area at night. I think Clark is an amazing school, just in a bad location and shouldn't discourage you from applying.

aroundthecorner · 08-13-2008, 11:53 PM

A little late, but what the heck.

I've been at Clark for three years, entering my fourth. Sure Worcester is a bit dangerous, but what urban area isn't? Just use some common sense. I've never felt unsafe on campus. (I'm from Wash. DC if that makes a difference for my POV.)

Clark has been very good to me. I've had fantastic opportunities and I don't regret my decision. But to answer your question-- What prompted me to apply was the scholarship, small faculty:student ratio and the work of the psychology department.

TrumpetDad · 06-30-2009, 11:35 AM

My daughter just completed her freshman year at Clark and is very happy there. Though raised is a very whitebread suburb, she found the Main South neighborhood to be intriguing rather than threatening. Her car got vandalized a bit on St. Patrick's Day, but it turned out to be students, not locals. And she had it parked on the street at the time, instead of in the parking lot I had paid good money for. The campus police were most helpful in solving the case. The damage was fixed the next day.

Clark has done great things in the neighborhood. I highly recommend the bus tour of Main South they do that focuses on their involvement in the area. It is most inspiring. And the University Park School, where prospective Clark MAT students student-teach just a couple of blocks from campus, has received repeated national attention for the 100% acceptance rate of their graduates -- all from the Main South neighborhood -- into colleges around the country. I literally cried after hearing one of these graduates tell her story. She was then a Clark MAT student herself, teaching some of her own siblings at the UPS.

I went there myself in the mid-'70s and consider the campus and surrounding area to be significantly improved since then.

TrumpetDad · 09-20-2009, 02:06 AM

I found this video from a Boston TV station that showcases Clark's relationship with the local neighborhood: Video

CapeCodLady8 · 09-20-2009, 12:07 PM

Nice video. Thanks for posting. My son is considering Clark U. and it is true that the environment surrounding it is as described, but honestly, five minutes away you can also see the beautiful areas of Worcester. Having grown up in Mass my whole life, I think Worcester gets a bad rep. Having said that, for some reason it cannot seem to raise itself out of that reputation. It is changing, but not at a fast pace. I recently visited the Worcester Public Library to see the Governor speak. The place was gorgeous.

On another note, my oldest son is at college in Philly. You cannot compare the poverty in Worcester to some of the sites I've seen in Philadelphia. I did not even realize there was such poverty in America. In areas it looks like a war zone. So, when people say that Clark is in a bad area, it's all relative. People who gladly send their kids to college in Boston don't realize that stepping out on the sidewalk there in some areas is way more dangerous than Worcester. Compare the crime stats between Worcester and Boston, particularly crimes related to college students.

It's nice that Clark is working to help the neighborhood. Great colleges and universities do that.