<p>If I am accepted to Penn, I am strongly considering going there since it is my first choice. However, I often wonder if I would really fit in and feel safe at Penn. At times, I know I would but other times, I’m doubtful. When I went on a tour of the school, when I spent the day shadowing a current student, and every time I go to games with my family at the Palestra, I feel safe and secure. When I’m on campus, I feel a sense of familiarity. I feel safe, but s that just because my family and friends are there with me? </p>
<p>How safe do you, current Penn students, feel at Penn? Not sure if any of you can relate to me but I’m coming from the suburbs in PA, and a small private college-prep school on the main line. </p>
<p>I just think that hearing some current students’ on safety at Penn would be helpful as I choose the college I want to attend next year. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for your replies :)</p>
<p>There are police officers every 7 feet. Just don’t wander to far into West Phili and you’ll be fine (note: this is not coming from a current Penn student).</p>
<p>Well, this is really a tricky question that you will be safe at Penn. I think you cannot be safe at any place of this world if you do not feel safe. Being safe does not only means that you should safe from being robbed or murdered. You can even get slipped anywhere and may need a [slip</a> and fall lawyer](<a href=“http://www.phillyinjurylawyer.com/]slip”>http://www.phillyinjurylawyer.com/) due to to a tiny mistake. So the point is… feel safe and you will be safe.</p>
<p>Thousands upon thousands of students have graduated from Penn and have not encountered situations where they suffered physical harm. You have to be smart to avoid some areas especially at night, that just goes along with attending any urban university.
If you don’t feel comfortable, there are of course, Swarthmore, Villanova, Haverford and other excellent PA colleges that are located in the suburbs that you can choose from.</p>
<p>I graduated May 2011. The core campus is very safe – the biggest problem is (student-on-student) theft. As you venture off campus things can be somewhat shadier, but I never feared for my safety. I felt comfortable going to [50th</a> and Baltimore](<a href=“Google Maps”>Google Maps) at night, though some of that may be because I’m male.</p>
<p>Penn knows that an unsafe campus drives away prospective students, so they take security seriously. In Penn’s [Division</a> of Public Safety](<a href=“http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/]Division”>http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/), the [University</a> of Pennsylvania Police Department](<a href=“http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/UPPD/]University”>http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/UPPD/) is the largest private police force in Pennsylvania, and the third largest of any US university nationwide. They have a network of [CCTV</a> cameras](<a href=“http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/assets/CCTVDocs/CCTVLocations04142011.pdf]CCTV”>http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/assets/CCTVDocs/CCTVLocations04142011.pdf) throughout campus and near campus. DPS provides a variety of services like shuttles and walking escorts to accompany you from and to campus. According to Security magazine, Penn [was</a> ranked #1 in Safety & Security in higher education](<a href=“http://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/news/penn-ranked-1-in-safety-and-security-for-5th-year-in-a-row/]was”>Penn Ranked #1 In Safety & Security for 5th Year in a Row | Division of Public Safety).</p>
<p>Penn is in a city, and cities have crime. We had reports of shootings near campus maybe once or twice a year. (The ones I can recall: [March</a> 2011](<a href=“http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/03/bullet_shells_found_after_41st_pine_gunfire]March”>Bullet shells found after 41st, Pine gunfire | The Daily Pennsylvanian), [November 2010](<a href=“Police Name Teen Killed in UPenn Shooting – NBC10 Philadelphia”>Police Name Teen Killed in UPenn Shooting – NBC10 Philadelphia), [February</a> 2009](<a href=“http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2009/02/shots_fired_outside_philly_diner_early_this_morning]February”>Shots fired outside Philly Diner early this morning | The Daily Pennsylvanian), [November</a> 2007](<a href=“http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2007/11/penn_police_kill_suspect_in_strip_club_at_38th_and_chestnut]November”>Penn Police kill suspect in strip club at 38th and Chestnut | The Daily Pennsylvanian)). There’s also been talk of [url=<a href=“http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2010/03/flash_mob_proves_false_alarm]youth[/url”>'Flash mob' proves false alarm | The Daily Pennsylvanian]youth[/url</a>] [url=<a href=“http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/09/penn_police_unfazed_by_future_flash_mobs]flash[/url”>Penn Police unfazed by prospect of future flash mobs | The Daily Pennsylvanian]flash[/url</a>] mobs.</p>
<p>I think Penn does a very good job at safety, but it does depend on your risk tolerance. You are not going to get the same feel as Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr or Haverford. I thought the opportunities of an urban campus outweighed the risks.</p>