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Clark University
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Clark University - Local Atmosphere - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.69

Local Atmosphere

C+
Where does this grade come from?View all Local Atmosphere rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Local Atmosphere Grades:

Quick Stats

Fun Local Trivia
  1. Worchester's nickname "Wormtown" is not meant to be a derogatory term. In fact, it isn't meant to be a nickname at all! It was actually coined by the radio station WCUW's DJ L.B. Worm as a label for the underground music scene that helped rejuvenate the airwaves more than 20 years ago.
  2. Worcester is home to the first public park, Elm Park, which was granted to the city of Worcester in 1854.
  3. The Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research is world reknowned for its hand in the creation of the birth control pill and in vitro fertilization.
  4. Worcester is the third-largest city in the state and is in the heart of Worcester County, the largest county in Massachusetts.
  5. The smiley face symbol was designed in Worcester by Harvey Ball in 1963.
Notable Natives
  • Robert Benchley
  • Elizabeth Bishop
  • Jaki Byard
  • Bob Cousy
  • Zara Cully
  • Esther Forbes
  • Samuel Fuller
  • Rich Gedman
  • Robert Goddard
  • Norman Greenbaum
  • John Michael Hayes
  • Abbie Hoffman
  • Arthur Kennedy
  • George Kennedy
  • Stanley Kunitz
  • Dennis Leary
  • John Lurie
  • Eddie Mekka
  • Albert Abraham Michelson
  • Roger Salloom
  • R.A. Salvatore
  • Allan Steele
  • Major Taylor
  • Alicia Witt
Local Slang
  • Bubbler: Water fountain
  • Jimmies: Tiny candy that goes on ice cream, aka sprinkles
  • Main South: The area of Worcester that is most dangerous
  • Packy: Massachusetts calls its liquor stores "package stores"; packy is an abbreviation of the term
  • Three Deckers/Triple Deckers: Three story apartment buildings, usually with one apartment to a floor. They were popular back at the turn of the century when Worcester had money; hence there are a ton of them.
  • Wormtown/Woosta: Both are nicknames for Worcester
Points of Interest
  • American Antiquarian Society (Salisbury Street)
  • EcoTarium
  • Elm Park
  • Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts
  • Higgins Armory Museum
  • Jillian's Billiards Clun
  • Preservation Worcester
  • Worcester Art Museum
  • Worcester Historical Museum

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Worcester has its good spots and its bad spots. However, Clark happens to be in one of its worst spots, and not much time will go by before the dean’s office will send out one of its “timely warnings” describing some theft or attack that occurred on or around campus. A lot of students are frightened by the area at first but tend to grow out of that fear as they explore the area a little more. Given some time and a little knowledge of public transportation, the better parts of Worcester can be explored and enjoyed. Being a city, Worcester provides more than adequate outlets for culture and the arts, and it is a great place for college students to open up to new ideas and people.

Clark is part of a consortium of schools, which makes for a very youthful crowd of people when school is in session. When out at bars and clubs, students will generally run into other Clarkies or people from one of the surrounding schools. However, when not interacting with a fellow student, some find that the local Worcester residents are not the most jovial people to interact with. The term “sketchy” is used on a daily basis to describe the members of the surrounding community. It’s not all bad, though. Clark’s location places it very close to many restaurants, bars, grocery and convenience stores, and a lively downtown club scene. The average student can certainly have an enjoyable time without running into any trouble in Worcester as long as they use a little bit of common sense and pay attention to their surroundings.

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Clark University Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Local Atmosphere at Clark University

umbepo

Environmental Sciences '14

2.7
C+

The Woo

Worcester is.. An interesting place. Not exactly hoity-toity, Main South (the neighborhood where Clark is located) is what a lot of suburban kids would call the "rough part" of town. It's a city, so if you keep your street smarts you'll be safe. Main South is one of the neighborhoods with highest percentage of minority immigrants in the US, so it's a very different culture from what most are used to. Spanish is spoken just as frequently as English.

Apr 03, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at Clark University

aemates

International Studies '13

3.5
B

Everything Else Is Great!

The town of Worcester is not the most desirable location. Clark is trying really hard to improve the immediate area around the campus. Personally, the best thing about Worcester is you are close to everything else you might possibly like, for example Boston

Nov 29, 2011

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Local Atmosphere at Clark University

Rebchap

Economics '15

3.1
B-

Unique

main south is a poor neighborhood, but there are always activities on campus, and a huge Clark presence in the community.

Great food! vietnamese, salvadorian

Blackstone shopping center, malls by bus, etc.

There are consistent FREE busses to the mall/ to boston on the weekends.

Lots of outdoor adventures sponsored by clubs.

Oct 28, 2011

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Page 1 of 9
User rating for Clark University - Local Atmosphere is 3.5 out of 5 based on 26 user reviews.

Photos of Clark University's Local Atmosphere

College Students:
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Clark University - SnowSnow
Photo by Clark1
Snow Students having a snowball fight on campus.
Link to this photo
Photo by Clark1
Clark University - Out of the Darkness WalkOut of the Darkness Walk
Photo by Rosabelle
Out of the Darkness Walk Students participated in the Out of Darkness Walk that supports suicide prevention.
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Photo by Rosabelle
Clark University - President at Blue Man GroupPresident at Blue Man Group
Photo by Clark1
President at Blue Man Group Blue Man Group welcomes Clark president.
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Photo by Clark1

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the local atmosphere on the following topics

What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers
  • The Auburn Mall
  • c
  • The Greendale Mall
  • Natick Mall
  • The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley
Major Sports Teams
  • Worcester Sharks: hockey
  • Worcester Tornadoes: baseball
City Web Sites
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • Boston: MA: 1 hour
  • New York City: NY: 4 hours
  • Providence: RI: 40 minutes
  • Springfield: MA: 50 minutes

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

Blackstone Valley 14: Cinema de Lux
The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley
Millbury
(508) 853-4000

Hoyt's Cinema Solomon Pon Mall
591 Donald Lynch Blvd.
Marlborough
(508) 303-2488

Showcase Cinemas Worcester North
135 Brooks St.
Worcester
(508) 853-4000

Become a Contributing Author Learn more »

Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Angela Wu
Hometown
Bellevue, WA
Major
Undecided

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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