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I’ve narrowed my search down to two cities where I can live with no car. Due to a medical condition, I cannot drive so I will rely on public transportation.
Which city is better?
I’ll be starting grad school in one of these cities.
Don’t know about MSPS, but Philly has great PT. Regardless, pick the school that will provide you with the best education and live close to campus. Years from now, it won’t matter how you got to class.
Firstly, I agree with Pine to Vine. What's most important is which university has the better program for you. Just be sure to live near campus or on a direct transit route. If the program offerings are close enough to make city quality a deciding factor, here are my thoughts:
Philly is the big, East Coast city with all the positives and negatives that come with that, including more public transit (SEPTA ranks probably about fifth nationally), more cosmopolitanism, more cuisine, more nightlife, more hustle and bustle, etc. It just has more of what people expect of a big city. It is the most affordable of the major East Coast cities which is a huge plus in my opinion. IMO its East Coast location is another factor to consider, as you have very easy transit access to NYC and DC, which are fun to visit, as well as beaches and mountains. A one way ticket to NYC is like 12 bucks. It also still has plenty of blighted areas, decaying infrastructure (Philly roads are particularly horrible), angry drivers, etc. With the good comes the bad.
If you're looking for a "nicer," more manageable urban experience, Minneapolis will provide that. I have not taken MLSP public transit, but I hear it packs a big punch for cities its size. MLSP will offer a lot of what Philly does, just on a smaller scale and with less density. I believe MLSP is more affordable than Philly, it does not really suffer from any urban decay, and the city is quite safe. Minnesota in general is known for being nice, quite a contrast to the angry Philadelphian stereotype. Another factor to consider is its Midwest location, and if you can handle those colder winters and being more isolated.
Philadelphia definitely has much better PT, but probably most important is your graduate program of choice and in which program you find the better fit.
I’ve narrowed my search down to two cities where I can live with no car. Due to a medical condition, I cannot drive so I will rely on public transportation.
Which city is better?
I’ll be starting grad school in one of these cities.
The short answer to your one question is that Philadelphia has a better public transit. Beyond that, which one is better is useless and subjective.
Here are my questions:
1. What are you studying?
2. How are you paying for it?
3. How do you expect to pay for your living expenses during school?
4. Does residency matter (i.e. private university or state school)?
5. Why only these two cities?
6. Other preferences?
If you want a place with very good public transit, big city amenities, and a more urban, vibrant environment it's Philly hands down.
If you want a place that's safer (although also sleepier), with less depleted infrastructure and what most would consider a higher quality of life - along with decent (but not great) transit and big city amenities - then I'd choose Minneapolis.
I don't even think it's a matter of which city has a better public transportation system. It's a matter of do you wanna be waiting outside in blizzard cold conditions in Minneapolis lol. Philly gets cold, yes. But nothing like MN.
Philadelphia. Minneapolis is way too damn cold for someone who can't drive.
Philadelphia is cold too. Sure, much warmer than Minneapolis, but its not exactly Orlando either. I will say waiting for the bus and train in super cold weather sucks, and I say that as someone who loves cold weather (would still rather wait in 0 degrees than 100, though) but its such a small thing in general to influence a decision. Once it gets below freezing people bundle up anyway. A few more layers is the difference between waiting in 27 versus -7 degrees.
I don't even think it's a matter of which city has a better public transportation system. It's a matter of do you wanna be waiting outside in blizzard cold conditions in Minneapolis lol. Philly gets cold, yes. But nothing like MN.
What is "blizzard cold" anyway? You do realise when there's a blizzard, it's not anymore cold here than in Philly when they have a blizzard? Blizzards can happen at any temperature cold enough for snow, and usually above 0. It's very rare for snow to fall below zero, let alone a full on blizzard. If you actually lived here you'd know our coldest days are sunny and bright, not blizzarding and sometimes not all that windy, even.
Honestly, I'd worry more about the crime rate in Philadelphia but whatever.
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