USC KECK how bad is it?

[KECK]

To anyone who lives around the area and medical students at Keck right now: How bad is the area around the campus? Is it safe to maybe bring a new car down? I'm planning on living in the adjacent cities if i go there, but I'm just concerned about the crime around the campus.

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[flaahless]

To anyone who lives around the area and medical students at Keck right now: How bad is the area around the campus? Is it safe to maybe bring a new car down? I'm planning on living in the adjacent cities if i go there, but I'm just concerned about the crime around the campus.

The Health Sciences Campus is somewhat isolated from the surrounding city, and the area is not THAT bad. It has definitely cleaned up since the late 80s and 90s due to decreased gang activity. I think you'll be fine with your new car, I plan on bringing one too. I felt Keck was a lot safer than say Tulane and Hopkins. Hope I helped.

 

[silverlining1]

The Health Sciences Campus is somewhat isolated from the surrounding city, and the area is not THAT bad. It has definitely cleaned up since the late 80s and 90s due to decreased gang activity. I think you'll be fine with your new car, I plan on bringing one too. I felt Keck was a lot safer than say Tulane and Hopkins. Hope I helped.

So is Keck your final decision? 🙂

 

[bruinator]

To anyone who lives around the area and medical students at Keck right now: How bad is the area around the campus? Is it safe to maybe bring a new car down? I'm planning on living in the adjacent cities if i go there, but I'm just concerned about the crime around the campus.

I always laugh when people talk about how bad the neighborhood around usc is. I mean, I went to UCLA, so i did my fair share of trojan bashing, but you really shouldn't feel unsafe around USC, either the exposition park area or the health sciences campus. "poor" areas in LA are still nicer than most "poor" areas around the country. Besides, a lot of the USC med students live in Pasadena, so your car would only be there while you're at school.

 

[littlealex]

It really depends on what you drive... If you drive an SL500 hardtop convertible, keep it in the suburbs.

 

[pntgrd]

The area around the campus is poor, but it is not unsafe during the day. LA's crime rate is the lowest it has ever been since the 50's. Most students at USC have cars, like the rest of LA people.

 

[BloodySurgeon]

My brother was a Trojan while I was a Bruin (talk about brotherly rivalry). Anyways, I spent a lot of time at USC and I think it would be ok. My brother didnt have a permit many times and he parked on the streets without anything happening to it. Also there are many cops driving around campus and to tell you the truth they stereotype a lot. They know the nicer cars are college kids and allow them more lee way, while the crappier cars get pulled over all the time. I use to park on campus for all-nighters and again nothing ever happened. However, if you drive three blocks down you will be surprise how quickly you will get to a very ghetto neighborhood.

 

[pntgrd]

the area you are talking about is in a totally different place than the medical school campus.

 

[KECK]

thanks for the replies!
anyone else going there right like to comment? Since everyone drives to school, where do they park? meters?

 

[ponybreeder4]

I actualyl had an interview at the health campus and work at the main campus...i can tell u that the health sciences campus is well guarded and the cars parked in a private lot. the main campuss is in a more "ghetto" area but parking on campus can also be availbale​

 

[brogers]

The area is definitely getting better, with a lot of money being infused into downtown. I plan on living in either the historical or south park district, as they are definitely undergoing a great deal of gentrification and are much better (safer/cleaner) than I remember them being 10 years ago.

That being said, I probably wouldn't want to be meandering around at midnight as that's just inviting trouble.

Goodluck👍

 

[3 little birds]

Campus itself is very nice and feels very safe. In terms of positives and negatives, it is a question of perspective. For instance, the hospital's huge wards provide basic care to the uninsured and awesome exposure for med students. However, it is tough to see several very sick patients clustered into big wards. You will get great exposure to primary care and ER (think gsw or so I've heard), but not the best high-level/tertiary care experience compared to, say, UCLA just across town.

 

[F12]

Let me say this:

I drove around the Keck campus once just out of curiosity while on the way to a friend's house (Keck is right next to I-5).

In the 20 or so minutes I was there before getting back onto I-5, I saw:
1. At least 5 police cars
2. One arrest
3. A old woman (probably homeless) wandering across the street wearing only a shirt.

Not the happiest place on earth.

 

[DoctorNB]

I was visiting the campus on Monday and I thought it was perfectly safe. Yes, the juvenile hall is right around the corner from Keck, but the actual area seemed pretty safe to me. My friend is a second year there and says a lot of med students live on top the hill about 5 minutes drive from campus. There are plenty of options.

If you felt unsafe walking around, that's one thing. But, I wouldn't trade a great education at USC because I was worried about my car. But..that's me. Your car would be safe in the areas surrounding Keck and at Keck. Just don't be stupid and leave the nice stuff (including GPS) on the front seat. No matter where you are at, even in the suburbs, you'll have theft issues. Its just the way the world is.

In regards to seeing 5 police cars, one arrest and an old woman (I wouldn't assume homeless...don't assume anything these days!) around the Keck campus, you have to remember that LA County hospital is right across the street from Keck. Which means...more interesting cases, dealing with people without insurance, seeing how the health care system REALLY works, patients who really do trust you (which means you can really challenge yourself whether you know your stuff)...the whole gamut. I would think that would be way more interesting environment to work in. If you are worried about County falling on you, University Hospital is on the other side of the block...and County is moving up a block into a new facility sometime within the next six months.

 

[XerxesMD]

but not the best high-level/tertiary care experience compared to, say, UCLA just across town.

I disagree. The quality of high level care provided at USC is as good that provided at UCLA or anywhere, though there are situations where a particular medical procedure or service might be better provided at one particular hospital than another. I have a family member who was recommended to see a surgeon at USC for a complex operation they needed by two surgeons at UCLA.

The physicians at USC provide virtually every medical service available and regularly receive referred private practice patients whose conditions can only be handled at a university of hospital. This is also the case at UCLA, UCI and other big university hospitals.

As to the area, it's not as nice as the area surrounding UCLA or UCI, but the parking lots at the hospital campus are definitely safe enough for a car. I would bet it is even safe enough for a Mercedes or other expensive car. Think about it...how many on-call physicians have a BMW or something like that? Probably more than a few, I would guess. I haven't decided where to go for sure, but I'm planning on living in Pasadena, South Pasadena or Downtown LA if I decide to goto Keck.

 

[Monkey House]

Basically, you will have to live rather far from the USC Medical School versus UCLA where you can live right next door the the medical center. So with USC you will have to drive in and with UCLA you will walk in. Now I am not sure, but I think having all students live nearer to campus would create a greater sense of community than having everyone commute in from all corners of the city that is Los Angeles.

 

[PsychEpathic]

Wow, the area near Keck is not really that bad! I am not a student at Keck, but I am in the area often. I've never had any problems...

 

[mikeinsd]

Let me say this:

I drove around the Keck campus once just out of curiosity while on the way to a friend's house (Keck is right next to I-5).

In the 20 or so minutes I was there before getting back onto I-5, I saw:
1. At least 5 police cars
2. One arrest
3. A old woman (probably homeless) wandering across the street wearing only a shirt.

Not the happiest place on earth.

allright, i havent been on sdn in quite while, but I finished my Heme block today and finally have a few days to relax... first thing i did was look up current Keck threads, and I find this 🙄

I am a first year at keck, and I will tell you first hand that I have never felt unsafe on campus, nor even troubled... and one of the main reasons I chose this school (over UCSD, among others, and I took a lot of flack last year for that...) is county hospital.

Ok - its true that some, perhaps most, of the patients seen at county might appear a little different/more unfortunate than people you might be used to seeing, as well as some of the ppl who live in the surrounding area. If the idea of seeing/treating people who really NEED your help, who are in the end stages of diseases that some med-schools might not even teach you about (often because they couldnt afford to seek medical treatment, which is another rant of mine altogether), is something you want to dismiss, then by all means... we have plenty of applicants who feel like I do.

And back to general safety... i have girl friends who walk to their cars at night with no qualms - the school and hospital are well patrolled, and the Campus police made us all put their cell phone numbers into our phones - they will even give you a ride home if your car is dead/etc, they are great.

I will try to answer some of the other questions...

Yes, there are very few people who live within 2-3 miles of campus. However, the majority of us live in three different areas, all within 8-10 miles of campus. Each offers its own benefits...

pasadena - 8ish miles NE, nice, upscale area of LA. Lots of shops, restaurants, bars, clubs. Little expensive though.

monterey hills - 4ish miles from campus (maybe 3) - between school and pasadena - very quiet, all residential. This area is nice but 'boring' if you want to live where you can go out, etc, but it is cheaper than other places, and really close...

los feliz/silverlake area: bit more expensive than monterey hills, but less than pasadena (might beat monterey in some areas as the 'niceness' of distinct areas varies greatly) I admit, I live here, so I am partial to it - but it is a fun area. Walk to a range of bars/restaurants from fairly fancy to dive. Also a cheap cab ride to hollywood 🙂 if you are so inclined.

disclaimer - I am not saying the keck housing situation is better than the one at ucla, i have been to ucla, i am jeauolous - just sayin' it isnt that bad (and cheaper overall 😉 than ucla)

i dont make it to sdn much these days, so if you are thinking about USC and have a question you want in answered by an actual student - you might to pm me)

 

[ELDude]

allright, i havent been on sdn in quite while, but I finished my Heme block today and finally have a few days to relax... first thing i did was look up current Keck threads, and I find this 🙄

I am a first year at keck, and I will tell you first hand that I have never felt unsafe on campus, nor even troubled... and one of the main reasons I chose this school (over UCSD, among others, and I took a lot of flack last year for that...) is county hospital.

Ok - its true that some, perhaps most, of the patients seen at county might appear a little different/more unfortunate than people you might be used to seeing, as well as some of the ppl who live in the surrounding area. If the idea of seeing/treating people who really NEED your help, who are in the end stages of diseases that some med-schools might not even teach you about (often because they couldnt afford to seek medical treatment, which is another rant of mine altogether), is something you want to dismiss, then by all means... we have plenty of applicants who feel like I do.

And back to general safety... i have girl friends who walk to their cars at night with no qualms - the school and hospital are well patrolled, and the Campus police made us all put their cell phone numbers into our phones - they will even give you a ride home if your car is dead/etc, they are great.

I will try to answer some of the other questions...

Yes, there are very few people who live within 2-3 miles of campus. However, the majority of us live in three different areas, all within 8-10 miles of campus. Each offers its own benefits...

pasadena - 8ish miles NE, nice, upscale area of LA. Lots of shops, restaurants, bars, clubs. Little expensive though.

monterey hills - 4ish miles from campus (maybe 3) - between school and pasadena - very quiet, all residential. This area is nice but 'boring' if you want to live where you can go out, etc, but it is cheaper than other places, and really close...

los feliz/silverlake area: bit more expensive than monterey hills, but less than pasadena (might beat monterey in some areas as the 'niceness' of distinct areas varies greatly) I admit, I live here, so I am partial to it - but it is a fun area. Walk to a range of bars/restaurants from fairly fancy to dive. Also a cheap cab ride to hollywood 🙂 if you are so inclined.

disclaimer - I am not saying the keck housing situation is better than the one at ucla, i have been to ucla, i am jeauolous - just sayin' it isnt that bad (and cheaper overall 😉 than ucla)

i dont make it to sdn much these days, so if you are thinking about USC and have a question you want in answered by an actual student - you might to pm me)

I am an MSIV at USC and agree with "mikeinsd." I grew up about 5 miles away from the HSC campus so I know the area very well.

1) HSC is NOT the undergrad campus; the former is in much more of a working class neighborhood. That being said, I wouldn't walk outside of HSC alone at night.
2) I live in South Pasadena, an area with million-dollar homes that is 10 min away from HSC. Pasadena, Alhambra, Arcadia, San Gabriel, and San Marino are about 15 minutes away and are similarly desirable suburbs.
3) Should you choose to purchase a parking permit, it is very unlikely that your car will be in danger. I have never encountered any thuggish elements in my time here.
4) USC is a commuter school. People drive to campus for school and then drive home. This can be a plus or minus depending on how you look at it. It's a plus if you hate staying on campus and want to "get away from it all." It's a negative if you like a vibrant, collegiate atmosphere.

 

[BigBear123]

Bumping this thread because i'd like some current input on this!

 

[deleted329605]

Bumping this thread because i'd like some current input on this!

From a west LA native perspective, yea its pretty crappy. I'd say it lives up its name: University of South Central.

But I don't think you'd have to worry about anything happening besides your ambience being cramped by run down streets and haggard pedestrians. USC has a lot of security too....for those spoiled rich kids 😛

 

[cuculici1]

If most Keck students don't live near campus, how often are they actually there (like outside of clinical rotations, and mandatory class time)? I know this may seem like kind of a stupid question, but I am one of those people that if I have to commute to an optional attendance lecture, I am unlikely to go. Do most Keck students just study at home or stay on campus at the library?

 

[UrbanRiver]

Let me say this:

I drove around the Keck campus once just out of curiosity while on the way to a friend's house (Keck is right next to I-5).

In the 20 or so minutes I was there before getting back onto I-5, I saw:
1. At least 5 police cars
2. One arrest
3. A old woman (probably homeless) wandering across the street wearing only a shirt.

Not the happiest place on earth.

I know this post is from 2008, but lawlllzzzzz. Gtta love LA.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using SDN Mobile

 

[Arbor Vitae]

To anyone who lives around the area and medical students at Keck right now: How bad is the area around the campus? Is it safe to maybe bring a new car down? I'm planning on living in the adjacent cities if i go there, but I'm just concerned about the crime around the campus.

Just live in Northeast to North Los Angeles on the North side of all the freeways, as far from the freeways as you can get. Places like Pasedena, Eagle Rock, and Glendale are actually fairly nice.