Massachusetts Has 2 of the 5 Safest College Campuses in America – Here’s Where

What are the safest colleges in the US? It's a question I personally have been thinking more about lately as my first child is starting to look at colleges. Safety is certainly a factor to consider when considering a place to live or live and study. For some, it's at the top of the list of things to consider.

Academic data analytic group Academic Influence ranked the safest (and least safe) colleges in the US. They did this by comparing a number of safety factors such as: Compliance with the Clery Act, Security Officers on Campus, Blue Light Emergency Phone Stations, Escort Services offered, Surveillance Systems/Technology, Shuttles for Students, Lighting Maintenance, Low Crime Statistics, Mental Health Offices, and more - they're pretty thorough with the categories and factors they used to paint the overall safety picture of each college and university.

Purdue University. Academic Influence loved Purdue's Safe Walk Program, which offers escort services to students, teachers, and staff. The lighting throughout the campus is ideal with well-lit walkways, emergency call boxes, and surveillance systems all in an effort to provide a safer environment for its students.

University of Idaho-Moscow came in second. Brigham Young University-Idaho was third. Then a pair of Massachusetts colleges rounded out the Top 5 Safest Colleges in the US: Bridgewater State University was 4th and University of Massachusetts came in with the 5th safest campus.

Congrats Bridgewater State and UMASS!

I wouldn't say "most dangerous." I would say "least safe, according to the safety metrics used in this study." And that school is Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. New Mexico Military Institute and Amherst College round out the bottom 3.

Now let's shift gears to something also local... and pretty interesting: Who are Massachusetts best known celebrities? You might just run your cart into these celebs at Market Basket while they're home from LA LA land:

Massachusetts best known celebrity is not who you think it may be! Could it be the iconic Kurt Russell? He is from Springfield. I didn't know that either. What about our pal from Dorchester, Mark Wahlberg? What about his bro, TV star and New Kid On The Block Donnie Wahlberg?

Our great state boasts many wonderful qualities. We have the best hospitals. Wallethub says we have the best schools. Is there any better seafood than the fresh lobster caught daily? We can also add stars to the list of cool things that can be found in our state, if we care about that. I'm not sure why we are fascinated with the concept of star power as American's. Could it be that we spend a little too much time watching Netflix and Apple TV. These days, people will spend thousands of dollars to meet their favorite pop star backstage.

Boston local Ben Affleck should have no problem paying his mortgage. Fans of his wife, Jennifer Lopez will pay over $5000 for front row tickets and a V.I.P. meet and greet package backstage. Add to that fans of nationwide Comic Cons will FLY to cities and book hotel rooms for a ten second picture with their favorite movie or TV star. On Cameo, you can get a personalized video from Kenny G for just $379.99, delivered right to your phone! What about Back To The Future's Lea Thompson who played Lorraine McFly? Only $124!

Our pals at BetMassachusetts.com has compiled a list of search terms and Google trends of the most popular searched Massachusetts celebrities over the last year. According to BetMassachusetts.com and wwlp.com:

The definition of a Massachusetts celebrity in this list is someone who lived in the state for more than ten years as a child or teenager.

So let's go find the best known star in our state! Here's the top eight.

Each Summer, Steve Carrell from Acton, makes a visit to his family variety store in Marshfield to meet adoring fans. It's not a wildly promoted event. But the loving fans spread the word. When the special day comes, a few hundred stop by to meet the star next door. I was one of them a few years ago. As you can imagine he was awesome.

Born right here in Boston, from his humble beginnings in The Office, John is now full blown movie star and director. Although I miss him pranking Dwight.

He is probably not happy that his pal Ben is higher on this list, (maybe not!) but Matt Damon is still beloved in our hood. His new movie company with Ben promises to give us a lot of celebrity spotting's in and around Boston!

From water beverages, to prayer apps, to movies, Mark Wahlberg has mastered the  way to stay relevant.

Did you know he owns a company that sells motorhomes?

She has come a long way from playing Stiffler's mom in American Pie. Norwell's Jennifer Coolidge makes us proud for making Time Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential. Jennifer has also won numerous awards for her role in White Lotus. She was hysterical in Best In Show.

West Newbury's former wrestler and current actor John Cena rocks the #3 position with an impressive 1.6 million search impressions. While wrestling could be fake, 1.6 million impressions is real.

Ben got a well deserved boost with those hysterical Dunks commercials during the big game utilizing pals Tom Brady and Matt Damon. I will drink the Dunks, but won't buy the orange track suit.  But maybe the real boost? Marrying JLO.

It doesn't hurt to be Captain America. Sudbury's Chris Evans is Massachusetts most known celebrity.  According to wwlp.com.

This year, Chris Evans surpassed Ben Affleck as the most-known Massachusetts actor. Evans is most famously known as Captain America in the Marvel movies but has also acted in “Knives Out,” “The Gray Man,” and also voiced Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story film “Lightyear.”