University City/Drexel questions (Philadelphia, Franklin: co-op, neighborhood, buy)

[jessemh431]

Originally Posted by CHIP72

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.

Wow, never would imagine that. The ASU area must be the hip area because their downtown is crap and it gives the ASU kids, all, I think 50,000 of them, somewhere to hang out.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by 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.

No offense to Boston -- I love the place, and I actually looked at BU myself -- but it definitely does give off a snobby vibe, which you may not be used to. That's not to say that those aren't excellent schools, but one thing that Philly prides itself on is being very down-to-earth. Even prestigious Penn often isn't described as your typical elitist Ivy League school in terms of the social atmosphere. Again, I don't want to discredit any Boston school as one of your choices, but this has been my experience.

[CHIP72]

Originally Posted by 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?

Drexel unfortunately does not have a football team. (They do have a good lacrosse team though.) Even though it wouldn't be the same, you could go to Penn games. They play at historic Franklin Field, which is the home of the world famous Penn Relays. Franklin Field is right next door to the Palestra, on the northeast corner of 33rd and Spruce.

I gotta give a thumbs up for geography; my Masters is in geography! I don't have a good idea of how good a geography program Drexel has. In Pennsylvania, Penn State probably has the best program (and State College is a great college town, albeit one that is isolated from the rest of civilization), and my alma mater, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (aka IUP) is pretty good too. (Indiana is a nice, relatively small college town in western PA.) In the east, besides state universities, I think the big geography program is at Clark University, which is in Worcester, MA. Worcester is about 50 miles west of Boston.

[jessemh431]

Originally Posted by Duderino

No offense to Boston -- I love the place, and I actually looked at BU myself -- but it definitely does give off a snobby vibe, which you may not be used to. That's not to say that those aren't excellent schools, but one thing that Philly prides itself on is being very down-to-earth. Even prestigious Penn often isn't described as your typical elitist Ivy League school in terms of the social atmosphere. Again, I don't want to discredit any Boston school as one of your choices, but this has been my experience.

Yeah, I understand what you're saying. I visited Boston a couple years ago and I loved the city, but several people pissed me off. It takes a lot to **** of a laid back Angeleno. I was crossing a street in a crowded area when this business guy and his whorish looking girlfriend walked up behind me and told me to "hurry the f*** up little kid." The stupid B (sorry use of such harsh letters-source=Dane Cook) then pushed me and told me to watch where I was going. The drivers were rude and would never let you change lanes...and I thought LA drivers were rude. Maybe it's just business people, drivers, and waiters that are rude though because normal people walking the streets would graciously give you information on where to go or suggest a restaurant.

Are people in Philly a lot nicer than in Boston? I mean I love Boston, but, not even exaggerating, the only thing I'm concerned about is not fitting in with the rich, snobby crowds at the universities. If the people were as nice as they are out here, I would go there in an instance. I have turned to Philly as an alternative though because it seems just as lively and has universities I'm interested without the rude people.

[CHIP72]

I get e-mails about Penn athletics, and here's a cool picture they included in the e-mail before the Quakers played the (Drexel) Dragons this season:

http://www.pennathletics.com//pics15...1106185031.jpg

[jessemh431]

To CHIP:
That's too bad. Well, at least I could attend basketball games. I also like the Eagles as well for some odd reason. Not sure why since no one else in my family does or ever has.

One thing I was considering if I like a university and it doesn't have geography as a major, I could major in something similar and then transfer to a graduate school for geography. What do you do with your masters? I'm not too sure what job field is out there for geography, like anywhere in the country.

[CHIP72]

I've only been to Boston once, but I think Philadelphia has a more blue collar mentality than Boston (even if many people don't work in blue collar professions). People can be tough at times, but it usually doesn't come from snobbiness.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

Are people in Philly a lot nicer than in Boston? I mean I love Boston, but, not even exaggerating, the only thing I'm concerned about is not fitting in with the rich, snobby crowds at the universities. If the people were as nice as they are out here, I would go there in an instance. I have turned to Philly as an alternative though because it seems just as lively and has universities I'm interested without the rude people.

I think that's really a good way to think of it. Granted, I don't want to paint too rosy of a picture for you, because Philly certainly has its fair share of rudeness -- but in comparison to other Northeastern cities like New York, Boston, and DC, I really think it's as "laid back" as you're going to get. Pretentiousness really isn't something that Philadelphians like to practice -- even the rich folk.

Here's another website you might be interested in:
Campus Visit / Philadelphia .::. The official hotel and travel site for Philadelphia's top colleges and universities

[jessemh431]

So, moving to Philly, I would miss the beaches of SoCal. Are there any lakes I can go to in the summer, or is it better just to go on a day trip to the beaches in Jersey?

[CHIP72]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

One thing I was considering if I like a university and it doesn't have geography as a major, I could major in something similar and then transfer to a graduate school for geography. What do you do with your masters? I'm not too sure what job field is out there for geography, like anywhere in the country.

I've worked in transportation and regional planning for a regional planning commission for nearly the last 8 years, and within the next month I'll be moving to the DC area to start a transportation-related planning/analysis job (specifically with a focus on freight movements on all transportation modes) with the Federal Highway Administration. FWIW, as it relates to my new job, the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach is the most important water port in the entire U.S. (by a large margin), when measuring by the value of goods.

Regarding college majors (and ultimately job careers), I think it is very important you try to do something you genuinely have interest in and like. I know with me, I've always liked looking at maps, would draw fake maps as a kid, and would build roads and run Matchbox cars over them in the backyard sandbox when I was I young (among other things), plus I always liked taking geography courses when I had the opportunity in high school and undergraduate college, so geography (and transportation in particular) was a natural fit for me.