Becker College and surrounding area (Boston, Worcester: school, live in, bus)

[puckfan]

Hello, my son was recently accepted to Becker College and after reading some very unflattering comments about the city of Worcester, was wondering just how bad the area around the college is. I know they have 2 campuses and he will likely be staying in the Worcester residence halls. There are also residence halls on the Leicester campus, but he was leaning towards the Worcester campus. Thoughts ?

[DreamworksSKG]

Worcester would have more to do and better access to Boston--via Worcester City bus and transit into Boston via Commuter rail
I would recommend having a car if at all possible so he can do things on weekends and such around the area.

[Concepts]

Becker isn't really in a bad area - not the best (which would be the Salsibury Street section) but certainly not the worst by far.

My daughter is going to Clark in the Falll which is in much worse section of town. We live in Northboro which is a small fairly insulated town close to Worcester. Although it makes me a bit leery it will be good for her to learn some "street smarts".

Worcester gets a mighty bad rap sometimes - yes there are crummy areas but that's the case in almost any city. I wouldn't worry about the Becker area - it is a city, however, so you will need to talk to him about safety, being aware, etc. However, I highly doubt if he can take a car, especially freshman year.

[puckfan]

I guess I got a bit concerned when I read that 2 Becker students were stabbed at a party last year when some non students decided to show up and create trouble.
Looking at Google maps , I just did not see much for the kids to do as far as even a place to hang out, get some coffee, whatever.
I will have to give this a bit more thought.
Any more insight would be appreciated.

[Concepts]

I would definetely not choose the Leicester campus if you're concerned there is not much to do. Ji

Where are you from? - he probably needs to check out the school and area.

[DreamworksSKG]

if you can have a car, bring one at least sophmore-senior year so he can explore the area. The Worcester area is convenient ot anywhere in new england

for weekend trips on occasion say if he doesnt have work or if he stays one week on a break or something

Stay in Worcester tho so you can access Boston via the commuter train

[robjohn2000]

Can anyone tell me about the reputation of Becker College? My son is thinking about attending the school. What is the Worcester Community like? Is there much diversity?

[Lowerdeck]

Worcester is a pretty diverse and lively area. It's the biggest city in New England outside of Boston, and there is quite a bit going on. Granted it's not like Boston, and not as much to offer as Boston - but Boston is five times the size and way more the important on a national scale.

[ro7586]

not to mention that worcester has access to boston via the commuter rail, and is a short 45 minute to the city.

[Lowerdeck]

Originally Posted by ro7586

not to mention that worcester has access to boston via the commuter rail, and is a short 45 minute to the city.

I wouldn't recommend that until the MBTA and CSX actually get something straightened out. Sure it's there, but it's not really the greatest way to get to Boston. The trains rarely run on time, run on a snails pace between Worcester and Framingham, and really only benefit 9-to-5 workers. The weekend and night schedules aren't great, so if someone's taking classes during the day in Worcester - commuter rail is inconvenient.

I always just take the Pike to 128, then take the Green Line in from Riverside.