Stanford UniversityHealth & Safety Summary

Written by Alexandria Butler

Alexandria Butler

Hometown

St. Louis, MO

Major

Communications, Spanish

View all previous student authors

Students are overwhelmingly satisfied with the level of campus safety. Given the huge size and isolated nature of campus, it is rare that outsiders venture here at night. The police forces are adequate, and they do a good job of patrolling. It is so safe that students feel at ease when walking or biking around late at night. Students may even leave their dorm rooms unlocked without any problems. The only crime that occurs frequently is bike theft. Sometimes—especially during move-in and move-out periods—there can be more serious theft from dorms, including laptops and other expensive electronics, but this is easily avoided by locking your door.

Though often viewed as a bad thing, the Stanford “bubble” phenomenon does create a very safe and secure environment. If you’re at a campus party, you can safely stumble back home. If you’re 21, you don’t even have to worry about carrying alcohol, as the current University policy does not have an open-container rule. It is true that a large number of the blue safety lights have been out of order for a while, but these are rarely used. Chances are, you will have a cell phone anyway. Overall, Stanford has very few big safety problems, so just keep your bike and laptop securely locked, and you probably won’t be the victim of any serious crime at Stanford.