Colleges and Universities in Tough Neighborhoods

[NovaWolverine]

Gallaudet in DC is in a not so nice area as is the Camden campus of Rutgers.

Johns Hopkins' area is rough, I know other people I go to school with that didn't go there for that reason.

And I agree with your statement about VCU. Most people that I've talked to who go there say that it's a bit run down, but not unsafe.

[GoodNews]

To reawaken this thread, I'm surprised John's Hopkins in Baltimore hasn't been mentioned. My parents wouldn't let me even apply for two reasons: 1 was the ridiculous cost ($44,000 a year is a tad on the high side) and 2 the terrible neighborhoods that border the campus.

In Virginia, I know that Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) gets a really bad name, as well as other schools in the city and region (Virginia Union University, Virginia State, etc)... VCU's not in the greatest section of downtown, but I didn't feel unsafe on or around campus when I visited. There is a large homeless population at Monroe Park, however, and makes the area appear a tad shady-seeming, but there's certainly not as many psychotic (not meaning offense, but rather diagnosing apparent mental problems) persons as live in the vicinity of Harvard when I visited.

And then CNU... My lovely school We're our own little bubble in Newport News. Parts of the city are pretty sketch--particularly the southern end of the city (dubbed, however, The East End). CNU, however, is having a positive impact on this section of the city, with hundreds of millions of dollars of investments and a rapidly increasing profile for the school. Our campus is pretty reminiscent of William and Mary -- wooded with large, collonaded brick buildings, and a cupola-topped library under construction.

Those are the examples I have that were not already mentioned, but I'll try to come up with others...

[Urbane]

It's much less true these days about USC being in a bad neighborhood. The campus is self-contained, which helps, but much of the area just north and west of the campus is improving. The lower part of downtown LA is gentrifying, coming close to reaching the upper part of campus. Now due south of USC is not a good area.

[dgreco]

I believe St. John's in Jamaica Plains new york is really a bad area.

[krazeeboi]

It's much less true these days about USC being in a bad neighborhood. The campus is self-contained, which helps, but much of the area just north and west of the campus is improving. The lower part of downtown LA is gentrifying, coming close to reaching the upper part of campus. Now due south of USC is not a good area.

[bmorescottamanda]

Johns Hopkins Baltmore

[Matthew/E36]

I didn't attend the school, but I did visit it, and was a little scary - the University of Washington in St. Louis, a little ironic given the St. Louis threads today I suppose.

[SmellyCat]

For NYC...too many to list. It's pathetic.

[unless]

i've heard both versions too. i thought morningside heights was very nice (and i've heard it used to be worse than it is now), but my visits have only been in the daytime.

[STLgasm]

I would put SLU and WashU in that category of "tough neighborhoods". Although I would say that WashU is not exactly scary compared to many parts of the city. There are some incredible mansions and nice parts nearby that I visit.

To answer the original question though, I think established (based mainly on reputation and image) schools will draw students.

[dgreco]

^great picture of washington uni. campus

[Manolos]

UPenn.

[runawayjim]

UPenn.

[NorthCoast]

The University of Cincinnati had the tough neighborhood come to it, being located in one of the older inner suburbs of the actual city itself. When my dad was there in the 70's he once told me a story of having to call the cops after witnessing from his apartment window a sunbathing female student across the street in Burnet Woods get attacked and stabbed (luckily I believe she survived).

I was recently down there with him during a family trip and have found that while there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of revitalizing the surrounding university neighborhood but there is also a lot which has been done that has made it look a lot better.