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My daughter has to choose between Yale and Columbia for a grad program. I've read that both these locales are dangerous. I went to Penn and am no stranger to urban/crime areas, but I have no knowledge of these two schools. Any advice is welcome. TIA

By Roger (Roger) on Friday, March 28, 2003 - 11:26 pm: Edit

I wouldn't be overly concerned about safety at either school. I've been to all three, and the area surrounding Penn seemed a bit scarier than the other two (although the Penn campus was very nice). All three of the campuses have security, callboxes, etc., and the number of violent crimes on campus is very small.

My daughter spent 4 years at Columbia as an undergrad, and was never concerned about safety. She and her friends exercised some common sense (e.g., don't walk off-campus alone at 3 AM), but seemingly not much more. Undergrad dorm security was very good, but she also lived in nearby apartments during a summer and after graduation.

In making this choice, I'd worry less about the security comparison than the specifics of the academic programs, preferred environment, etc. It sounds like your daughter has a couple of great choices, good luck!