University City/Drexel questions (Philadelphia, York: credit, hotel, transfer to)

[jessemh431]

Originally Posted by CHIP72

Jesse - if you are looking for an urban experience in a large city that is walkable, any of the eastern cities you mentioned (Philly, NYC, Boston, DC) would probably work for you, though it may depend on the location of the school within the city/metro area. Amazingly, based on what I saw when I drove through the area, I think Tempe (Arizona State) could also work for you too.

I would never imagine that being urban, but I figured since it's such a large university, there has to be plenty for students to do in the area.

Is Drexel known to Philadelphians as a good school. I mean, I've never heard of it before until last month, so is it actually a good school? Is it overshadowed by U of Penn a lot?

[CHIP72]

That area you mentioned is really close to Rittenhouse Square - that almost definitely is a very, very nice area. It is bit far to rail public transportation (4 blocks south of Market Street and the subway-surface trolley station at 19th Street; that distance is still walkable though), but it looks like the SEPTA Route 17 (north-south) and Route 12 (east-west) bus routes are within one block or so.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

Wow, there's a lot there.

So I looked up some rentals in western Center City around Rittenhouse Square. I liked this one. Would this be considered a nice area with public transportation and plenty of things to do in the area?

Rittenhouse Square is one of the most -- if not the most -- upscale neighborhood in the city. It's also in proximity to a lot of great amenities:

Welcome to Rittenhouse Row Philadelphia

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

Is Drexel known to Philadelphians as a good school. I mean, I've never heard of it before until last month, so is it actually a good school? Is it overshadowed by U of Penn a lot?

I wouldn't say it's overshadowed, more that they are both major players in defining the University City neighborhood. Sure, Penn is Ivy League, but Drexel is no doubt a highly-regarded school locally and to a certain extent on the national level, especially if you're going into engineering.

[jessemh431]

One thing I've noticed is that the CA, especially SoCal, style is different from anywhere else in the country. Even the white people here are told they dress ghetto from people back east. Do you guys have shops that sell Quiksilver, Hurley, Vans, and the like? Or is it mostly the upscale and, what Angelenos would consider, the gay style such as A&E, Hollister, Aeropostale, etc.

[CHIP72]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

Is Drexel known to Philadelphians as a good school. I mean, I've never heard of it before until last month, so is it actually a good school? Is it overshadowed by U of Penn a lot?

Drexel is considered a good school by just about everybody (though obviously not at the level of Penn); I believe it is particularly known for its engineering.

The area where Drexel pales in comparison to Penn (besides athletic tradition) is the campus itself. My understanding is Drexel has a fairly large number of commuter students; its enrollment has increased significantly in recent years. I believe Drexel has more students than Penn at this point, but Penn's campus is probably 2-3 times bigger. In some ways that doesn't matter, because if you are a Drexel student you can spend a lot of time on the Penn campus and benefit from its amenities if you so choose.

I don't know if you are a sports fan or not, but one of the great things about Drexel's and Penn's proximity is their basketball rivalry. They always play their annual game at Penn's historic Palestra (because Drexel's Daskalakis Athletic Center, better known as the DAC, is very small), and the schools are so close that Drexel's team walks to the "road" game. (The schools alternate who is officially the home team, even though all games are held in Penn's facility.) In fact, Penn's parking garage for athletic events is much closer to the DAC (less than 1 block away) than it is to the Palestra (about 3-4 blocks away).

[jessemh431]

Wow, I am just learning so much about Philly lately. I have not had knowledge of anything having to do with the city. You guys have definitely been some of the most helpful in my college search. Boston was the worst. I asked which is better for me, BU, BC, or Northeastern and got like two responses just saying what they find better, giving no personal experience, no information about neighborhoods, no information about what are good places to live. I think you guys being helpful will be a key factor in persuading me to go to Drexel over one of Boston's universities if you guys represent the kindness of the majority of the city.

[jessemh431]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention. I'd like to major in the medical, geology, or geography field.

To CHIP, that seems really cool. I love attending my high school's games, mainly football and basketball. Does Drexel have a good football team?

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

One thing I've noticed is that the CA, especially SoCal, style is different from anywhere else in the country. Even the white people here are told they dress ghetto from people back east. Do you guys have shops that sell Quiksilver, Hurley, Vans, and the like? Or is it mostly the upscale and, what Angelenos would consider, the gay style such as A&E, Hollister, Aeropostale, etc.

Surely, PacSun seems to have become pretty big in malls around here. I'd honestly say it's a mixture of what young people wear around here -- from Abercrombie to Sean John.

[CHIP72]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

I would never imagine (Tempe) being urban, but I figured since it's such a large university, there has to be plenty for students to do in the area.

Believe me, I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, but when I was visiting my brother in the Phoenix area in September 2006, I drove right through the middle of ASU's campus, and it looked like it had many shops and other college-related development in a fairly tight, compact area. (Of course, the street I was driving on was fairly wide, meaning it would probably tough to cross on foot.) That was literally the ONLY spot in the Phoenix area that I've seen in my 2 visits there that looked appealing to me.