Questions about Clarkson and Northeastern?

Question

Clarkson and Northeastern are two of my top schools but I have heard some things about these schools that are pretty rough. I got a good feel from both after visiting.

Is Clarkson really as bad as I hear where nobody really wants to be there, teachers included?

And is the surrounding area of Northeastern as dangerous as I heard? I know its not in the best area of Boston and I drove through the area during the day time and didn't seem too bad, but is it really that dangerous at night?

Answer 1

The actaul campus around Northeastern is quite nice, and anything around Huntington ave is perfectly safe for any student. However once you venture "over" the orange line towards the Roxbury the enviroment is less than ideal. Last year I lived right between columbus ave and tremont st and what I noticed was there was Tremont street was literally the threshold between "perfectly safe NEU" and "the hood" it may sound funny but each side of the street is drastically different than the other. Many students also choose to live on "mission hill" which is further down huntington towards roxbury/jamaica plan, altho this area has a bad reputation everyone I talked to has never had any problems there. I myself have never had any confrontations or problems with anyone while in boston. Altho I said early that there is a rough area near NEU, theres really no reason to go there because nobody who goes to school lives there, and theres nothing over there that you would want/need to go to. So as long as you dont purposefully walk into bad neighboorhoods at night you will most certainly be fine, you might have the occasional hobo ask you for change, but you'll find them anywhere in boston. I've enjoyed NEU so far and would recomend it to anyone.  

Answer 2

Some of Northeastern's campus is in a very nice neighborhood. Other parts, including some of the dorms, are in areas that are hard hit. The Fenway, for example, is amazing. Really cool. Roxbury, however? Historically a tough area. But some areas of Roxbury are bad, and some are okay. Some areas, like Fort Hill, where a lot of Northeastern students live, are gentrified now. But the reality is that some areas of Roxbury are places I wouldn't want to go, especially not walking at night.

Clarkson is kind of in the middle of nowhere, but that also means that the students become an extremely tight knit community. It's a small school, and a lot of the students are really into the outdoors and doing things in the nearby mountains, or going to the school's hockey games and etc. Bonds form, and they are strong, between students. That said, it's not a pretty campus, and winters there kind of suck. So students stay in and hang at that time of year.

What is important to you? What do you like and dislike about each place? What do you want in a school, and not want?

I'd actually suggest you call admissions at the two schools and ask if you can speak to some current students. Ask them your questions, and be quite frank. Students will usually be honest with you.