jdhMom: My daughter is a WPI junior. She lived in a freshman dorm and in the new Messenger Hall last year; this year she is sharing an off campus apartment with 2 friends. Worcester certainly has its share of dodgy areas, but the neighborhood around the campus is full of apartments and houses rented to students, and are generally quite safe. My kid walks home from campus on her own in the evenings and has never felt unsafe. I think the entire street she lives on is made up of triple decker houses and the landlords seem to rent to only WPI students, so it actually feels very campus-like. Her apartment is spacious and lovely, and even with expenses for a 12 month lease, we are saving a significant amount of money compared to the on-campus housing and meal plan.