Of these Los Angeles schools, which one is least "ghetto"

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Well you know, minus the gangsters and whatnot...

East Los Angeles College

Los Angeles City College

Los Angeles Harbor College

Los Angeles Mission College

Los Angeles Pierce College

Los Angeles Southwest College

Los Angeles Trade-Tech College

Los Angeles Valley College

West Los Angeles College

I didn't know gangsters bothered with college! ;)

Seriously though, if this is a concern, is it possible to move to a safer area in California? By the sounds of it, LA is not a nice place to live.

I grew up in L.A. and if you attend what WE call ghetto schools you're more likely to have gangsters come to the campus and brake into your car, steal, or hurt you.

My sister and I attended Los Angeles Valley College...and one night she called me to pick her up from the college's parking lot because her car had been stolen.

This year I'll applying to a nursing program with a high NCLEX passing rate. Last year, a security officer was stabbed really bad. Cars are always stolen. I'm afraid, but will find ways to stay safe. :-(

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I didn't know gangsters bothered with college! ;)

Seriously though, if this is a concern, is it possible to move to a safer area in California? By the sounds of it, LA is not a nice place to live.

"LA" and it's surrounding areas is a very large metropolitan area with a diverse group of neighborhoods from every rung of the economic scale. That is sort of a naive view. I guess I could list some of them, but please don't make statements like that without knowing what you are talking about. It's not that I think more people should move here, but that is a totally misleading generalization.

Thirdwatch - I don't refer to areas as "ghetto". It certainly has ethnic/cultural overtones. I guess it's finally time to break out that popcorn, huh?

There are major universities and community (not "city") colleges scattered throughout the area. It's not as if the community colleges are gated communities or something. I guess maybe people should actually live in or have some knowledge of an area before they answer the OP's question?

He lives in West Covina, so he can probably actually visit the schools he narrows down from his lisit without a lot of difficulty.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

The previews appear to be over and the feature is beginning

*Does anybody want anything from the snack bar?*

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Popcorn with lots of butter!

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Popcorn with lots of butter!

Real butter!! And an extra-large diet soda!!

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It’s funny how I was researching the areas in LA and I came upon this website!

After going through the posts, it just seems to me that Generation X and Y has different perspectives on what defines “ghetto.”

In my opinion, a ghetto does not have ethnical overtones nor does it have to have “large populations of Jews, Asians, Italians, Hispanics, etc.” Based off the OP’s and other poster's definitions, a ghetto is simply a socially disadvantaged area with high crime. To say ghettos are reflective of minorities is like saying that Caucasians don’t live in or run ghettos, either. There are, in fact, Caucasians who also live in ghettos too.

I guess I’m a little offended because supposedly, a ghetto is related to “large populations of Jews, Asians, etc,” of which I fall into that category. As a minority myself, and having grew up in Compton and experienced crime day to day, I can understand why the OP wants a school located in a least ghetto area. LA DOES have its bad parts and if you do not know or have been to a ghetto part of a major city, then it would be best to not say anything. Even I myself would like to move to a lesser ghetto area. And I was born and raised in Compton of all places. That’s saying something.

To the OP, I would highly suggest LADHS (LA County of Health Services -Nursing), which is located in Boyle Heights. It’s on the premises of LAC-USC. It’s in downtown LA (East Side) and the community is becoming more better and affluent after a step up by police and intervention by the county.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

You bring up some important points, JSwish. As to the term "ghetto" being a generational thing, I would not disagree with it. But you will be interacting with people of all ages, and why take the needless risk of saying something that might give someone a negative impression? For people who are at least 10 years older or younger than I am, we were taught that it was an insult to use that word. Those big boxy stereos people used to carry around were known as "ghetto blasters" until it was replaced with the more pc "boom box". The word just has a more emotionally loaded connotation for a lot of people.

You mention that you would highly suggest the Boyle Heights area. That area has a reputation for being one of the most unsafe areas in the city, which is part of what I was trying to say in my earlier post about good schools in bad areas. The City of Compton had a terrible reputation in the 1960s and '70s, but prior to that it was just a middle income community not remarkable for a high crime rate. I was amazed to find out that at one time President George HW Bush and Barbara Bush lived in Compton. Their daughter Robin (passed away at age 3 of leukemia) was born in Compton.

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Wow, I didn't expect this thread to go past even 5 posts! I also did not intend to have an exchange between two sides regarding the definition of ghetto.

I thank you all for your input. The suggestions helped me alot. I also found a few that weren't too bad after visiting them myself, though some places looked shady. :cool:

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

Visiting is usually the best way to find out.

Often, what used to be safe, no longer is and vice versa.

That and the difference of a road way and a few blocks may mean a major difference in the crime rate and insurance, which is something one would not know unless you visited the area.

As an aside, clinicals in a combination of both high and low crime/income areas are good for a diversity of experience. But clinicals in an economically deprived area can let you see/experience a lot of clinical issues not seen elsewhere.

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^ (Two posts up) Must people always be P.C.? She's not talking about major universities, she's talking about city colleges. Entirely different ballgame. I'm from Chicago, and while University of Chicago is in a bad neighborhood, you'd go there regardless because its an excellent school/hospital, they have security, etc. City Colleges - no way. At half of them you have to walk from parking under bridges with homeless people and drug addicts, two women just got beaten with bats in a bad neighborhood around here under a bridge walking home, one critically injured, there's no security, you'll get your windows smashed, etc etc. Not that you won't get your windows smashed at a major university, but I don't think there should be a P.C. requirement when talking about areas around metropolitan city colleges that terms like "less safe" must be used instead of "ghetto". I think adults can handle the connotation implied with the term ghetto, and it does apply around some schools.

HUH? Are u SURE that you have been near the University of Chicago? I live AND work in Hyde PArk next to Lawyers,Doctors and Oh yes..The President.My neighborhood is not bad.There are ways to check the crime in any part of the city.My neighborhood is mostly filled with college students and young families.But hey..before I came to Chicago I assumed it was all "ghetto" too..and being from LA let me tell the OP,just because a school is in a poorer neighborhood does NOT mean that you wont be safe there.There are ways to check the crime in every city and most schools have some sort of crime statistics that are avalible.BTW,I have been to Most of the city colleges here to teach GED Science classes and I NEVEr had anything happen to me or any of the other staff that I worked with.Dont judge a whole school because of its neighborhood.What will you do if you have to work in a "ghetto' hospital? Will u not take the job? I dont understand posts like this.Check the schools passing rates,and be aware of your surrondings(at ANY school)..its that simple.

I feel sorry that people still equate poor with Crime.Not all poor neighborhoods are filled with theives and criminals.

HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY anyways.:yeah:

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HUH? Are u SURE that you have been near the University of Chicago? I live AND work in Hyde PArk next to Lawyers,Doctors and Oh yes..The President.My neighborhood is not bad.There are ways to check the crime in any part of the city.My neighborhood is mostly filled with college students and young families.But hey..before I came to Chicago I assumed it was all "ghetto" too..and being from LA let me tell the OP,just because a school is in a poorer neighborhood does NOT mean that you wont be safe there.There are ways to check the crime in every city and most schools have some sort of crime statistics that are avalible.BTW,I have been to Most of the city colleges here to teach GED Science classes and I NEVEr had anything happen to me or any of the other staff that I worked with.Dont judge a whole school because of its neighborhood.What will you do if you have to work in a "ghetto' hospital? Will u not take the job? I dont understand posts like this.Check the schools passing rates,and be aware of your surrondings(at ANY school)..its that simple.

I feel sorry that people still equate poor with Crime.Not all poor neighborhoods are filled with theives and criminals.

HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY anyways.:yeah:

Yes, I'm sure, I have been going to Comer once a month for the last four months. I took my son there because he had a broken bone and vascular injury, and yea - its bad. I'm sure you know in Chicago though, a half mile can make a world of difference. You might live in a nice section of the area, but the area around that hospital is pretty bad. My fiancee parked on the street thinking he'd save a couple bucks and his window was smashed within the hour that he stopped to visit, and all they took was change. Many of the buildings around there were boarded up, there is nowhere to stop from the expressway to the hospital but nasty looking convenience stores and places w/bars on the windows, and the people on the street didn't exactly look like they were trotting off to class or work, etc. They were either hustling or looking for other windows to smash because they figure people that come to and work at that hospital have money.

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...And oddly, I want to work there anyway =) I've had nothing but a great experience with that hospital, two surgeons literally saved my son from losing fingers because he had artery damage and little to no blood was getting to them for hours. I'll just park in the parking garage. ;)

I did a little research too - apparently my drive from the expressway to the hospital has been referred to as a "retail wasteland" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,_Chicago - which is west of Woodlawn, however the residential area you're referring to on the other side is nicer, mostly students, etc. I don't dispute that some great people have come from that neighborhood, but I wouldn't feel comfortable walking down the street by myself in the area west of Woodlawn and straight south. I took Cottage Grove home once....that was something else.....

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