area around temple? (Atlantic: apartment complexes, dorms, transfer)

[toobusytoday]

astroline,
My daughter has a good friend who transferred to Temple from the same school my daughter attended (in IL) and was able to get on-campus housing. In fact the place she got was very nice. Coincidentally, this friend is from CT!

Since May 1 was the national acceptance day for incoming Freshman, the rest of the month is when students who were wait listed and transfer students are offered spots. At the same time some students who had already accepted and deposited at one school will change their minds about that school or maybe they got off a waitlist and decide to attend another school. I would strongly suggest that you visit Temple and Widener to decide if you will accept their offer if it comes. You may well find that you don't want to attend either one, in which case you would just have to decide between two schools instead of four.

I'm guessing that you found Central Conn to be full of New England kids, many from CT. I think you will find that Widener is full of mid-atlantic kids, many from PA.

Study abroads are fairly common now at most colleges but they are always tricky to work into a schedule especially if you are planning to graduate within four years and even more so as a transfer student. If you really want to do an abroad you should look into the possibility of doing it during a break time or in the summer if you transfer. One of my kids friends considered transferring after freshman year from a PA private college and instead is doing a year abroad in England at Leeds University. Just a thought, but instead of transferring, figuring out a way to do a year abroad might be a good option.

[debolina]

My daughter went to Temple but lived near Penn campus. Her roommates were Penn students. It's definately doable and worked out very well for her. She took the subway to classes. It drops you off right on the campus at Cecil B Moore and Broad st. Alot of kids do the same thing because of the surrounding area and housing concerns. I dont remember it costing alot more than on campus housing. Good luck to you!

[astroline95]

thank you again for all your insight, toobusytoday. yeah, me & my best friend will be in philly on july 2nd & 3rd (forget if i already mentioned this lol) to mostly check out temple and also drop by widener too, just in case. i don't need to visit USF since it's only 30 minutes from my hometown and we used to drive by it all the time when going into tampa. they all have their pros and cons, so it's tough to decide, but i've been looking into all of them in all ways possible, and visiting is just the last step.

and yeah, you're right, central conn was 95% CT kids, the other 5% mostly from NY, NJ, RI & MA, and a few from OH (strangely ALL from toledo). i'm just looking for a more diverse campus, and temple is actually rated 'the 2nd most diverse school in the US', which really draws me in. i need a place where i can find new friends with things actually in common (my current friends here & i have NOTHING in common lol). if i go back to tampa, yeah i'll be one of them again and they'll recognize my accent as one of theirs, but philly has more cultural oppurtunities overall than little old tampa!

i won't be looking into study abroad until junior year, hopefully well into my decided school, so it shouldn't be a problem when the time comes. as a geography major, my goal is to travel as much as i can, whenever i can!

debolina, thanks for your insight too. the thing is, with on-campus housing, you can get a loan and my parents have been dealing with most of that. with an off-campus apt, you have to pay rent every month, which unless i get a job in philly too, is something i won't really have.

[astroline95]

oh yeah, i have one more quick question. so, as previously stated, i'm originally from east of the tampa area (read: farmland), i still have a slight southern accent, i'm very polite & courteous and try to treat everyone with respect and consideration! are people in philly/south jersey/delaware decent enough or do you think i'll have any problems? thanks again, i really appreciate it!

[newmarlig]

You will be fine. Despite rumors to the contrary, we do not eat our young. Enjoy your visit and I hope you find a great place to live. I say go to Temple and get the big city experience.

[heyrenee17]

Temple neighborhood isn't great at all. But being a Drexel alumni I would say - Go to Temple - and I know about 90% of all other alumni would say that too. Though if you're going to go to Temple and cannot get on campus housing, then make sure to get an apartment in Center City. Look at craigslist: philadelphia classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events (http://www.philadelphia.craigslist.com - broken link) for shared apartments with other Temple students. You want to live South of Temple, closer to the city. Temple is directly north. The campus itself is pretty impressive. It's extremely well taken care of, extremely secure, and there is a subway stop on campus - so you could use that to get to and from your apt. Best of luck. Oh - and my dad has a degree in Geography - not much you can do with it....choose wisely. But good luck!

[Adream]

DD#1 just graduated from Temple University, and my DH is an alumni.

Temple is a fantastic school, the campus is continually being updated (check out the new Tech center, the students LOVE it - it got a huge cheer when mentioned at the commencement ceremony). There is new construction all over the Broad Street area near campus.

The Temple University police force is the second largest in the state of Pennsylvania, right after Philadelphia, and before Pittsburgh. If you are studying at the library late at night and need a security escort, call them and they will be there to go with you. Believe me, when we took the campus tour when DD was a high school senior - I CHECKED into their campus security!

Yes the neighborhoods behind Temple's campus are rough, no question about it. Some of the houses on certain streets are student rented properties, some are sorority/frat houses as well.

When you go to school in the city, you will get street-smart. You do not walk or drive these streets in the middle of the night (my DD had a gun pointed right at her by some high-as-a-kite crackhead at 2:30 a.m. - thank you LORD that he did not pull the trigger; lesson learned).

DD has friends who go to Drexel - the neighborhood is not preferable to Temple. To compare the two is meaningless.

DD loves living in the city so much, that she is now working her full time job, and renting an apartment (with a roommate who goes to Drexel and cannot wait to graduate) in the Northern Liberties section of Philly. (Nice). Heyrenee17's suggestion to check Craigslist is right on the mark - that is how DD found her last two apartments.

Best of luck to you & enjoy Temple - YAY TEMPLE OWLS!!!

[zehua]

Why Drexel, not UPenn?

[toobusytoday]

UPenn is an ivy league school, and much more of a Liberal Arts school. Drexel is a more technical minded college. I did a tour of Drexel with my son when he was looking for a college and the tour guide told us that the only time he went into the library was when he gave tours.

People that can get into Penn are not going to be looking at Drexel. Very different schools even if they are within the same general location.

[Carter19104]

The area around Temple has been 'hood for years. The University in now spending massive amounts of money trying to shed the dangerous surroundings rep. The 3 block area surrounding Temple's campus at night looks like day time. The have huge spot lights and security guards on every corner as well as Bike cops. Whoever tells you that the immediate area around Temple is not safe is stuck in the past.

Originally Posted by astroline95

hey everyone, i'm hopefully transferring to temple university this fall. i've heard many mixed reviews about the neighborhood, so i'm just looking to get further insight on what it's like. i won't lie, i'm basically a country boy, i've always lived in small towns (i'm not from PA either). i was discussing this with a co-workers of mine yesterday, and a customer was like, "i went to college in philly... the area around temple is dangerous... don't go there... go to drexel..." etc, etc. on the other hand, my cousin is going there in the fall too (and living there), and she comes from a VERY upper class family. her & her parents have all been there, and her parents loved it. i'm sure that if the neighborhood really was a big safety risk, they would never allow her to go there.

i'm visiting myself in early july, so i'll be able to see what it's really like. i just want to see what i'm going to be in for. thanks!