<p>(1) My wife, my son, and I found the area around USC to be quite safe when we walked around (during ExploreUSC, during Registration week, and during Move-In week). My son has ventured out with friends to numerous retail establishments (restaurtants, shops, haircut, supplies, etc) and has not experienced any problems. </p>
<p>(2) USC is really no different than many many other major universities around the country. I dislike comparing schools, so rather than mentioning any specific school names, I would encourage you to do your own research. The majority of campuses on the USNEWS top 30 list are in, or very close to, problem areas. Most major Ivy league schools are in cities that have been around many decades. Every major city has problem areas. Los Angeles, Boston, NewYork, California Bay Area, Philadelphia, Chicago, etc. etc. It does not have to even be a major city to have problem areas. There are problem areas in smaller cities. The point being that students need to be “smart”, and use common sense. No matter which campus that a student chooses, he/she should not venture out alone, especially at night. If safety is the biggest concern, over all other issues, than the student and his/her family should focus first and foremost on finding a campus that is either in a rural area, or an area that is a statistical anomally (in that it has no problem areas anywhere close to it). In my opinion, you will limit your choices if you put too much focus on finding a completely safe area (instead of finding the best school for your son/daughter, and then emphasizing the importance of being smart. However, if complete safety is your preference, than there are thousands of college campuses around the country, and surely you can find several that are in very safe areas.</p>