I can't speak from personal experience, but as I'm heading off to Brooklyn this summer myself, I've been talking to a few friends about the area and Brooklyn more generally. The area right around Brooklyn College looked a little bit sketchy when I visited in February, but I really didn't feel too bothered or threatened. However, I'm not sure I would really want to live in the Brooklyn College/Flatbush area. One friend who attends Brooklyn College recommended living in the Greenpoint or Williamsburg areas of Brooklyn, but she added that she knows people who live near the school and they haven't really had any problems with it. I'm probably going to look for a place in Greenpoint myself. From everything I hear about it, the area is OK, and it's a reasonable commute to both Brooklyn College and Manhattan.