UC Merced - is it really that bad? (Los Angeles, San Diego: 2014, low crime)

[sav858]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

By the way, just out of curiosity, I pulled up the crime data for UC Davis, UC Merced, UCLA, UC Irvine, and UC Berkeley.

Comparing the campus statistics for UC Davis and UC Merced, I note that there were significantly more rapes, burglaries, robberies, motor vehicle thefts, and aggravated assaults affecting UC Davis students than there were at UC Merced.

To some extent, part of that may be attributable to the fact that the total student population of UC Davis is so much larger. But the actual campus crime data for students shows that it is incorrect to say that UC Davis has less crime than UC Merced.

Comparing UC Merced to the other three campuses, it had the lowest number of violent crimes affecting students. UC Davis actually had more rapes and aggravated assaults than any of this group of five UCs.

Again, UC Merced is significantly smaller than the other campuses. But even when compared to other colleges of similar size, UC Merced is a pretty safe campus for students.

Of course, crime rates alone don't make ANY of these schools "good" or "bad." They are all good schools in their own right. Some will fit certain students better than others. That's what makes American higher education so unique: we have so many different choices.

Looking at crime rates of the cities these UC's are in is kind of ridiculous and pointless. Some of them are in massive cities (LA, San Diego) and the campuses are located in upscale areas with low-crime (Westwood and La Jolla for example). On-campus crime is a lot more relevant, not really surprised to see UC Davis rank as one of the worst honestly.

[RosieSD]

Just thought I'd add the Cleary data for UC Merced, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and UCIrvine to save others the trouble of looking them up. I'll list by number of offenses, highest to lowest. Do keep in mind all of the campuses except UC Merced have similar numbers of students (grads and undergrads).

These are overall numbers. If you pull up the actual report for a school, it slices and dices by more variables, including breakdowns for on and off campus crimes affecting students. You can also look at other data, such as the number of students cited for alcohol and drug use on campus.

Murder/manslaughter - none on any of the campuses (thank God)

Rape
UC Merced 1
UCLA 17
UC Berkeley 18
UC Irvine 20
UC Davis 28


Sexual Fondling
UC Merced 0
UC Irvine 8
UCLA 18
UC Davis 20
UC Berkeley 28


Statutory Rape
UC Merced 0
UC Berkeley 0
UC Irvine 0
UC Davis 1
UCLA 2


Robbery
UC Merced 0
UC Davis 4
UC Irvine 5
UCLA 12
UC Berkeley 37


Burglary
UC Merced 2
UC Davis 54
UC Berkeley 54
UC Irvine 58
UCLA 80


Aggravated assault
UC Merced 8
UCLA 10
UC Irvine 13
UC Berkeley 16
UC Davis 22


Motor Vehicle Theft
UC Merced 1
UCLA 8
UC Davis 9
UC Berkeley 37
UC Irvine 22

Arson
UC Merced 0
UC Berkeley 1
UCLA 1
UCLA 3
UC Davis 7


Again, every college is required to report this data. You can look up individual colleges at this link:

https://ope.ed.gov/campussafety/#/


In addition to the site above, I do recommend talking to the campus security/police if you are at all concerned about student safety, either on or off campus.

Finally, keep in mind that the number of crimes on any campus can - and do - vary from year to year. The campus security/police office can provide the most recent crime data as well.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by sav858

Looking at crime rates of the cities these UC's are in is kind of ridiculous and pointless. Some of them are in massive cities (LA, San Diego) and the campuses are located in upscale areas with low-crime (Westwood and La Jolla for example). On-campus crime is a lot more relevant, not really surprised to see UC Davis rank as one of the worst honestly.

Good points. Crime data for the overall city is often pretty deceptive. For instance, the city of San Diego encompasses 372 square miles. Within that large area, there are HUGE variations in crime levels between different neighborhoods. For example, San Diego State and UCSD are in very different areas of the city in terms of crime. And, as I said, the Cleary data really gives you an idea of how STUDENTS are being affected by crime on and near campus.

And, one other thing to keep in mind -- some students are more prone to risky behavior than others, so an individual student's risk of being affected by crime may not be fully described by Cleary data either.

Still, UC Merced is pretty darned safe compared to other schools of similar sizes I've looked at the data for in the past.

Finally, as I said, crime data alone shouldn't be used to determine whether any particular school is "good" or "bad."

[silverkris]

I think UC Merced is a hidden gem among the UCs.

Had advised a student who had a choice between SJSU and UC Merced. Since he was going to do Computer Science - SJSU seems like a no-brainer, being in Silicon Valley and all that, but with drawbacks of many students chasing too few classes available. So I suggested he go visit Merced for a look and decide for himself.

He chose to go to Merced. Smaller student body, more attention from teachers, arguably less bureaucratic...and probably more willing to please the students as the new kid on the block.

[BeauCharles]

UC Merced is on the far north side of town - basically out in the country. The riff-raff is generally in South Merced miles away.

[Chimérique]

Some of the crime data is heavily skewed by "Reported Crime". UC Davis has the highest outreach in encouraging students to report crime; therefore more crimes actually get reported compared to UC Berkeley UCLA, and UC Santa Cruz which have the lowest levels.

[Chimérique]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

I was looking at crime rates for University of California cities as that may influence ones decision of which UC they want to attend. It probably should be a very minor factor in ones decision. But regarding the title of the thread, How "bad" is UC Merced, it doesn't fare well compared to other UC University cities based on Violent Crime.

Violent Crime, listed Most violent to Least violent.
per 100,000*

1. Santa Cruz 67.6 - Most Violent
2. San Francisco 66.7

3. MERCED 66.2

4. Los Angeles 43.7

5. Berkeley 38.7
6. Riverside 38.2
7. San Diego 34.9
8. Santa Barbara 31.1

9. Irvine 20.8

10. Davis 10.3 - Most Safe

This stats are very relevant especially for students who live in the smaller University of California Cities. Often students live off campus after just a few years of living on campus especially when in their Masters and Doctoral programs. The only campus where the stats may not be as relevant would be UC San Diego because it is in La Jolla which has a much lower crime rate the larger city of San Diego.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by silverkris

I think UC Merced is a hidden gem among the UCs.

Had advised a student who had a choice between SJSU and UC Merced. Since he was going to do Computer Science - SJSU seems like a no-brainer, being in Silicon Valley and all that, but with drawbacks of many students chasing too few classes available. So I suggested he go visit Merced for a look and decide for himself.

He chose to go to Merced. Smaller student body, more attention from teachers, arguably less bureaucratic...and probably more willing to please the students as the new kid on the block.

Sliverkris, that's very interesting to hear since at least one of our kids is interested in computer science. And yes, initially one would think San Jose State is a no-brainer right in the midst of the Silicon Valley. But let's face it. The biggest selling point is its proximity to so many companies with internship opportunities. I think that's probably worth more than the degree program itself not to mention connections to industry, adjunct professors working at companies hiring and other professional connections. The large size and impaction is the downside. Its like a small city in and of itself.

I would be interested to hear how he liked CS at Merced once he got there. And did he find opportunities for interesting work/research/internships while there.

Derek

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

Some of the crime data is heavily skewed by "Reported Crime". UC Davis has the highest outreach in encouraging students to report crime; therefore more crimes actually get reported compared to UC Berkeley UCLA, and UC Santa Cruz which have the lowest levels.

Interesting about the reporting aspect. I know a lot of schools purposely try to 'cover up' crimes to make them look better. Look at Penn State and many other famous cases. Reporting is in direct opposition to promoting their great programs and overall 'wonderful' scholastic experience.

That said, UC Davis seems to have its fair share of crime. It does give a parent pause for thought. I was just admiring their multitude of STEM degrees last night too. From an educational offering perspective, there does seem to be a lot there. But wow, what a BIG campus especially compared to UCM.

Derek

[HappyinCali]

One thing I think is pretty important for colleges is employment opportunities. I have no idea how UCM ranks in that aspect, but you could probably call the career center and ask.

As a newer school, it could be at a disadvantage as far as name recognition by employers. I have no idea if SDSU grads get better jobs than UCM but it is possible and worth looking into.

It also depends on your major and future plans. If you are going to do science/engineering, having access to doing more research could be valuable.

But to directly answer an earlier question - what makes a good university - the number of doors it opens, just by virtue of its name, is an important indicator.