Google maps , but also asking in these groups. It is amazing how many people have been on these campuses and have different perspectives.
3 Likes
Notre Dame! My son also wanted no cars!
1 Like
My daughter likes the same vibe. Best campuses for her:Elon, Indiana, Denver, Santa Clara. Maybe American. We call them bubbles.
2 Likes
3 schools, GW, Georgetown and Notre Dame, got dropped after each visit. He really wanted to like GW, but couldn’t get his head around not having a real “campus”.
For Georgetown and Notre Dame, he didn’t like fences around each campus. He felt it defeats its own catholic social justice mission, 
(we didn’t expect that response.) Perhaps he has ideas of what colleges should look like as he grew up in college towns in his entire life (UNH, LSU, UNC, UVA). But yet, he can’t wait to leave college town for a real city soon. Teenagers!!!
2 Likes
Well-defined campus, in a real city, but with no fencing?
That is certainly raising the degree of difficulty!
Obviously urban crime has generally come way down since I went to an urban college (right at what turned out to be the peak of the crime wave). But since then there has also been a rising norm of doing a lot more to ensure campus safety. I am aware of some colleges trying to have more gates and buildings with common spaces open during the day, but I am not sure a lot of them are actually entirely tearing down their fences and such.
Anyway, I for one will be very interested to find out what colleges actually solve this intersection of preferences to his satisfaction.
I don’t remember the other requirements, but SMU fits city/defined campus/not fenced. Actually so does Emory. (Realize these suggestions may not fit with other things the poster’s son wants)
3 Likes
I have high hopes for Bryn Mawr as well.
2 Likes
DePaul, at least the Lincoln Park campus, meets this criteria.
1 Like
Almost none! There is where Macalester comes in for him. WashU is what he is waiting to make the final pick. If he didn’t get in at Mac, it would have been between UNC and W&M (which are not his favs as they are in “college towns”.)
Stanford, UCLA, Caltech, WashU, CMU… tons
2 Likes
Stanford in a city??!?
It only feels that way if you have a car so that everything feels closer… even then, where will you put your car on campus? Hmm…
2 Likes
I’m surprised that Notre Dame needs gates in South Bend.
CMU is an interesting case. I consider Oakland to be an urban area, and it’s in the city proper, but it’s not “downtown.” Other than the Cathedral of Learning there are no tall buildings in the area.
Duquesne is more “city.” So is Point Park.
Do a lot just depends on what you mean by city.
I think Duquesne best fits the criteria listed above.
1 Like
Yes, I think this is raising what is meant by “in” a city.
Like, I love WUSTL’s campus and setting, but it is technically just outside of St Louis proper, and to me the setting feels more what I would call semi-urban, or maybe classic inner-ring suburban.
CMU is technically inside Pittsburgh, but it is separated from the more urban part of the Oakland neighborhood where Pitt is located by a gorge, and to me feels like a more park-like setting than really urban.
None of which is to say this would not work for the kid in question! I was sincere about being curious what sorts of universities would satisfy.
And even if you include the midrise section west of the Cathedral as plausibly urban (it actually reminds me a bit of DC), CMU’s campus is separated from all that to the east of the Cathedral.
2 Likes
With Stanford, all I can think of is the long, long, long walk to Palo Alto through that desolate, dry arboretum-y area and then you have to cross El Camino and the railroad … it does not feel connected at all. Even with a bike, it seemed like a long way just to go to the movie theater or something (and where are you going to put your bike?).
And Palo Alto isn’t really a student city either. Not much of a city and also not very student focused.
3 Likes
City is relative I guess. One of our son’s study group came from a small village in Switzerland. She was amazed by “the city”.
Student parking?
Unless you happen to hunting down early stage VC money. Then the area around Sand Hill Road can become very student focused 
They may have fencing, but in my experience, no one is stopping anyone from walking onto the campuses.
1 Like
It’s funny that you mention this. I guess if someone came from a small village it might seem like a step up… but the Europeans I knew were grad students who had attended universities in actual cities with functioning public transportation, and from their perspective Stanford seemed even more isolated and suburban than it seemed to me (a Berkeley kid).
3 Likes
Also University of Washington.
One that doesn’t have a fence but I sort of wish did is Temple. While we liked the campus the crime nearby makes me nervous.
3 Likes
Ah, Cal…