Good areas close to Whitechapel to rent as a student

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DD will hopefully be studying in Whitechapel or Mile End. We are trying to figure out accommodation options and wondered what these areas are like to live in especially from a safety point of view. I am letting DD do most of the research, but I thought I would try and get some insight from wise mumnetters who know the area. We have not been able to visit the areas yet but hope to do so next month.
Are there any areas slightly further out that would be better. I want DD to be able to make the most of living in London and not spend a lot of time & money commuting in, but need to balance that against cost and how safe she will feel.

How about further along the central line in Wanstead/South Woodford

I personally would not live in Whitechapel or Mile End. (I live in South Woodford)

Is she going to Barts/Queen Mary? If yes then the majority of students tend to live in the backstreets between Stepney Green and Bow Road stations. The area is crawling with students so is perfectly safe by London standards. I lived there for 3 years as a student, the first on a campus and then in house shares, and then another 3 after graduation with now DH. I have very fond memories of it!

Lived in limehouse and it was ok. Liked being close to London and lots to do.

Whitechaple, Mile End, Stepney, Bow etc are awesome for students. Limehouse is OK but a bit dead. Wapping is nice. Hoxton or Shoreditch are still handy and super good for students.

She should be as near as possible, none of this commuting in from bloody Essex malarkey for a student!

I lived in mile end when younger and it was great. Handy. Very busy, never felt unsafe as streets were so busy at night.

I lived in Whitechapel, Mile End and Bow as a student and for many years after. She'll have an amazing time. Lots of my friends lived in Bethnal Green but I also like Stepney Green too. I think the closer to where she's based the better.

Does her uni or place of work offer accommodation, its cheaper, inclusive of bills and more sociable

I live in Hackney so know the areas well, if I had to choose I would pick Bethnal green or around Roman Road
If she is going queen Mary, then there is a student accommodation block directly opposite too (scape living) but is pricey compared to renting a room in a private house share

I lived in Aldgate East, Mile End and Bow over the past 10 years - all very pedestrian. It actually gets a bit more fruity as you go further out East towards Stratford/Forest Gate (albeit cheaper), and then once you reach Wanstead it’s likely more expensive than Mile End. So I don’t think you’ll find somewhere both cheaper and safer by travelling out.

There is gang violence in all of these areas, but they have no interest in the students. It would be a shame for her to miss out on student life by commuting in from the suburbs, all because of some misplaced ideas of East London being dangerous.

Yeah definitely near the uni in Stepney/Bethnal Green/Bow. Definitely not out in Wanstead/South Woodford! (I say that as someone who lives out that way and loves it, but I'm pushing 40!)

Would absolutely go for Bow, Stepney, Bethnal Green as a student! If you go for somewhere towards Bethnal Green/up Grove Road from Mile End station you also get close to Victoria Park and the regents canal which are both great - personally I would go in that direction rather than south towards isle of dogs/limehouse as there's less to do in those areas. While it can feel sketchy (my in laws did not like it at all, felt far too crowded and noisy and on edge to them as people who live in a quiet suburb) I lived in various places in E1/E3 for years in my 20s and 30s with no trouble. Excellent tube and bus links as well, you're not at all far from central London and the bar/club parts of shoreditch and the city. Going further out doesn't really work I would say: the first stops out (Stratford, Leyton) have the same downsides (busy, noisy, can feel a bit sketchy) and fewer of the upsides (far less to do/go to), and further out is either suburban naice but very expensive and a bit dull for students (eg Wanstead) or run down outer London (eg Ilford)

Thanks I knew I could rely on mumsnet. Most of you have confirmed what I was thinking and have given me some areas to look at.
She will be in uni accommodation for her first year, but as she will be there for 5 or more years and will potentially end up working there we are considering if it would be worth buying somewhere rather than paying her rent for that long. I only had the idea when I kept reading that flats in London were not selling as everyone wants a garden. We are just beginning to look into the pro's & cons and if it would be feasible or desirable , so there is a lot of research to do (if only I could drag myself away from RightMove ).

I moved from Bow to Woodford Green in 2019 after living in Bow for many years and there’s no need for her to live in Woodford!

Whitechapel/Bow/Stepney Green are completely fine for a student. There’s always people around, it’s a busy area, I never felt unsafe there as a (small) woman, even at night.

There’s absolutely nothing to do in South Woodford and she’ll just end up travelling endlessly to do anything social with her friends.

Just be sensible, keep phones/ purses out of sight, take sensible routes/bus, all the usual safety advice and she’ll be fine!

we are considering if it would be worth buying somewhere rather than paying her rent for that long. I only had the idea when I kept reading that flats in London were not selling as everyone wants a garden. We are just beginning to look into the pro's & cons and if it would be feasible or desirable , so there is a lot of research to do

I don’t think this is a great idea tbh. It’s very restriction for a mew university student.

You will either end up isolating your daughter (1 bed flat) or put her in position of having to have a landlord relationship rather than a friends relationship with her ‘lodgers’. It’s less flexible - what if she wants to live with 2 friends and you’ve only got a 2 bed flat? What if she wants to live with 1 friend and you’ve got a 3 bed?

Property yields in London are actually very low and you need capital appreciation to make the sun seven halfway work. Which is not guaranteed at the moment.

Who’s going to own it? Mortgage free or not?

I’m sure it can work out great but I don’t think starting off at uni in your first year and having to be responsible for running a flat and finding lodgers is ideal for most young people.

Also it might not be a long term investment, she might want something in a different area after uni. You don’t know she’ll be tied to east London for the next 5+ years. What if all her friends end up living in Clapham after graduating and she wants to be near them?

YellowFish12 - Thanks they are exactly the sort of things that we are thinking about, there are a lot of cons but on the other hand, it would save her from living in some of the student dumps that her friends have lived in whilst paying extortionate rent. We will see how she gets on in halls for the first term, sharing the kitchen / bathroom with up to 11 people (the QMUL halls seem to be very basic compared to elsewhere in the country - no option for ensuite), to get a feel for if she would prefer to live with just two people or a whole bunch (3 bed would probably be our limit).
Unless she drops out she will be based in East London for the next 5 years. Once she graduates she would be welcome to move anywhere she likes, though I suspect she will love London so much she will want to stay there. It will be her decision if she wants to stay in East London in her parents flat paying minimum rent or if she would prefer to move to another area - we really won't mind.

As I said we need to do a lot more research before we even suggest it to her, probably not till next spring to give her a chance to settle at uni first.

Re halls is she looking at the mile end campus? Rooms are modern, almost all en suite, flats are typically 4-7 people and you get cleaners. Definitely not basic!

LakeshoreD Unfortunately Medical & Healthcare students are not allowed in the Mile End campus, the rooms there do seem a lot better.

Students often prefer good bus routes to the tube. Cheaper.