Hey All
I live in Oakland currently and have for the past 12 years. There are areas that have higher crime rates however there are also great areas in Oakland. I live by Lake Merritt in Oakland and I think it is a great location, safe, and close to SMU. Oakland gets a bad rap and it is understandable as I used to live in a not-so-great part of Oakland but there are nice places to live in Oakland. If you are considering Oakland then the Lakeshore, Grand Lake, Lake Merritt, Uptown, Rockridge, Piedmont, Montclair, and a few other neighborhoods are really great and have great restaurants and shopping as well (oh and awesome Cafe's galore for studying :) )