Hey Shockwave,
College Park is a pretty sketchy town but there are safe places to live. If you are trying to save money on rent, I would suggest moving about 10 minutes outside of campus (by car), the rent will be about 600 dollars. If money is not an issue there are apartment complexes such as the Varisty and the View that are bordering campus. The apartments are nice and safe and there is easy access to campus, via bus, bike, or walk. However the rent for these places is around 1000 a month.
The bar around campus that caters to graduate students, professors, and upperclassmen is called Looneys. It's pretty nice and they are strict about ID-ing so it's hard for underage people to get in. As far as nightlife and dining goes I would suggest going into DC/Bethesda/Rockville.There is a metro station about 2 miles away from the campus, and a free shuttle that takes you there. You can use that to get into DC or other nicer parts of Maryland. Most of the places around CP cater more towards undergraduates, even though some pretty good food can be found.
For Food check out:
Ledo Pizza
Fishnet (This place is delicious and really nice)
Aroy Thai
Lime
TenRen (if you like bubble tea!)
I am not gonna lie, traffic is a bitch especially around rush hour. If you can afford to live close enough to campus I would suggest investing in a bicycle to get around. Use the car only for shopping and traveling out side of the city.
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask anymore questions
