I can comment on this in particular. Regent Street is kind of the "boundary" of campus, if you will. And yes, it's kind of sketchy, particularly at night. I don't make my way over there much (I prefer the Breese Terrace neighborhood myself), but I can see why you would say that.
With that being said, there are some very pretty parts of the city that you might not of hit? Regent Street is an exception to the rule IMO.