cooledge

So, as I'm getting more acceptances/rejections, it's looking more and more like I'm going to Wash U, and I'm really excited. From everything I've heard, people love the place. My only concern, and more importantly my parent's concern, is how safe the place is. My parents have read that St. Louis is really nasty, but my friend told me that there's a good part of town and a bad part of town. So if I go to Wash U, can I ensure my parents that I'll be safe? I mean, I'll probably hang around campus most of the time, but of course I'll go out into town every once in a while.
So, what are your impressions?
Thanks in advance!

stevenjm

washu is in clayton which is very upscale and safe. Its not like St.Louis is the most dangerous city (oh, it is???). Yeah, really stl is pretty safe. i have lived here for 18 years.

salpert

The area around WashU is a gorgeous, upscale residential area. I felt very safe and comfortable. There are definitely parts of the city that aren't as nice, but its very easy to not go into those. The campus/South 40 are not only gorgeous but I felt very comfortable there. They have lots of security on campus and the blue light security system. As with any college campus, use your head and don't go walking around alone at 3 AM, and you'll be fine.

p_hp_fan

I live in Missouri and have been to St. Louis on numerous occasions; I've also been to WashU campus once. St. Louis is basically like any other city...big or small... it's got good parts, and it's got bad parts. Thankfully, WashU is located in a nice section of STL. I felt completely safe walking on campus, and even outside campus in the surrounding area. In addition, I have felt safe on all my other trips to various destinations in and around STL. Again, like any other city, you just have to know where to go and where not to go. Actually, WashU is one of my top 2 picks at the moment.

In short, from my personal experiences, I would feel totally and completely safe attending WashU, and I would in no way feel obligated to remain constantly on campus due to safety concerns.

kindofblue

It's in one of the nicest parts of the city of St. Louis. It's actually not quite in Clayton, but it does border it, which is indicative enough of its security. St. Louis in general isn't terribly unsafe though.

Of course, I live in Memphis, so I'm not really scared of much.

oncampus

Read http://record.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/8214.html for the flawed methodology that came up with the most dangerous city conclusion... Anyway, I don't feel unsafe here, ride the Metrolink often, and even walk back from The Loop late at night (2AM+) on occasional weekends (though that's probably not a smart idea, alone, anywhere).

HartinGA

First, your parents can get definitive data at College Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics

It has a section on campus security for each school with actual, specific crime statistics. You will see that outside of a burglary somewhere 2-3 times a month, and the (very sadly) typical college problem of sexual crimes, there isn't much going on.

Second, if you have not visited you should. The school is in the western near-suburbs of St. Louis, not the city. The neighboorhoods around the school are very upscale. The homes are older, but very nice and well maintained. You can even see it on Google Earth or Google Maps: the surrounding area is clearly a neighborhood with decent lot sizes and trees.

There is a link to the city via train, which is great for going places to do things. As for the typical suburban fear that transit brings crime, Wash U actually tracked it and found little to no increase since the train opened. You can find that article here: No jump in crime since MetroLink expansion - News

Good luck with your decision. It sounds like you have several excellent choices.

jkmcla

Wanted to give cooledge some assurance. St. Louis is divided into "the city" and "the county". The city starts at the Mississippi river and runs west to WashU's doorstep. There it stops and "the county" starts. It is "the city" which is responsible for our horrendous crime statistics.

I am a west St. Louis county native. My D is going to attend WashU this fall and will live on campus. We are happy for her decision however WashU is on the farthest northeast edge of my safety comfort zone for her. Eg, I would counsel her and my son against walking to the Loop or hanging out in Forest Park alone, day or night. There is another large university due east from WashU that I would not allow either to apply to as it is not in my comfort zone. Others may debate this, but I speak candidly out of concern. Its advice you can take or leave. I will say that I am a lawyer and familiar with crime in our town...and that's all I'll say about that.

Caveat: Notwithstanding the above, I would not want to live anywhere else and love living here. There is crime everywhere and this is a broad brush. Years ago when I attended a state university in rural illinois, there were 8 unsolved murders in those three years.


Some links of interest to people moving into the area include:
Urban St. Louis - Index Urban Review STL Blog Archive Olive: One Street, One Neighborhood, Two Wards
STLtoday - News
St. Louis Neighborhoods
Saint Louis County, Missouri

nngmm

That's an overkill IMHO. Those areas are certainly safe during the day. (Walking alone at night is not a good idea anywhere in the US it seems...)

jkmcla

nngmm, Some may see my counsel regarding not being "alone" along North Skinker or in Forest Park during the day as overkill (interesting choice of words). I, however, prefer to think of it as "better safe than sorry". Its "my comfort zone" and I understand others may disagree with my boundaries. I'm glad we can agree that its good advice to not be out alone at night in an urban area.

Here are the actual crime stats by neighborhood from the St. Louis PD http://www.slmpd.org/crimestats/CRM0005-C_20070701.pdf
and by year from WashU PD Washington University Police Department.

For another discussion on this subject: Is st louis really that dangerous? - Yahoo! Answers

WUboy

I have never felt unsafe at Wash U....you just can't be stupid

midmo

I don't think safety should be a big concern for your family, but other posters are correct that you have to use your head and not venture into dangerous areas, not go out alone at night. As much as I love Forest Park and I think it is in much better shape now than just a few years ago, I would not advise students to hang out completely alone. On the other hand, my H is in St. Louis regularly, and runs through the park by himself at the crack of dawn; he says the trails are completely jam-packed with runners, dog walkers, walkers and others. He thinks the danger aspect is way overblown.

BTW, just for info: one of the reasons H is in St. Louis often is because of a project at that "other" university referred to above, St. Louis University. The area around there has improved immensely in the last five years. Again, don't wander the neighborhoods alone, but I wouldn't (and don't) hesitate to visit the campus during the day.

The Central West End is upscale, redeveloped and contains extremely expensive older homes. It is well patrolled during the evening hours, because the city does not wish to scare off the wealthy new urbanites responsible for the renaissance.

Final note: St. Louis no longer holds the top spot on the danger survey. It lost that spot to Detroit.

purpleBoople

I've walked back from the library @ 3am at least twice a week and I have yet to be mugged.

xeacon

^^

Well why not try a couple more times?

Who knows when you might get "lucky."