What are the pros and cons of studying and living in Northampton , Pennsylvania? (Philadelphia: 2013)

[lols007]

I'm a 19 year old boy from India and I have completed my high school studies.
Now I am preparing to do my Under Graduation in USA.
It's actually one of my dreams to study in USA and get settled plus I wanted to get an associate deg which is not provided by any of the Indian Institutions (Not Diploma).And also , I wanted to get my own US Paypal account for business purposes since Indian paypal accounts have so many restrictions

I have done a lot of research and finally found my college..
It's Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania.
Can anybody tell me the pros and cons of studying and living there ?
Also, I was thinking about living on campus but sadly they don't have any single rooms ..That's why I thought of living off the campus. So now I'm planning to rent an apartment in that area, please give your opinions about that too.
Do I need to worry about living alone in an apartment ?
And I have seen somewhere on net saying that there aren't much indians here..Is there any Indians nearby this area ? .
How will the people treat me (Indian) ?..


Thank you so much

[John F S]

I live across the river from Northampton in Whitehall. Unless I am mistaken, Northampton Community College is in Easton.
As far as apartments go, it will depend on what you can afford. You will have to discover that on your own.
Theft isn't a major problem for Northampton or across the river but I can't speak for Easton or Bethlehem. Maybe somebody from those towns will know more than me.
You probably won't find many Indians in this area. Maybe somebody at the college will be able to help you there.

[toobusytoday]

NCC is in Bethlehem. https://www.northampton.edu/ I would re-think your decision about off campus housing. Having a roommate and living on campus is the way to make friends and fully integrate into college life. Relying on public transportation is going to limit your experiences too. Will you have a car? Most American students have never shared a bedroom, so it's also a transition for them to have a roommate, but they survive. You could also request single housing and may be able to get in. Many students will use the community colleges as a back-up college but if they get into their first choice college, they will back out of the CC. Northampton is about the only community college that I know that has on-campus housing. I would take advantage of it. https://www.northampton.edu/campus-l...life/rooms.htm

This group might help you with information about finding more Indian people in the area: http://www.iaalv.org/

[lols007]

Originally Posted by John F S

I live across the river from Northampton in Whitehall. Unless I am mistaken, Northampton Community College is in Easton.
As far as apartments go, it will depend on what you can afford. You will have to discover that on your own.
Theft isn't a major problem for Northampton or across the river but I can't speak for Easton or Bethlehem. Maybe somebody from those towns will know more than me.
You probably won't find many Indians in this area. Maybe somebody at the college will be able to help you there.

Thanks

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

NCC is in Bethlehem. https://www.northampton.edu/ I would re-think your decision about off campus housing. Having a roommate and living on campus is the way to make friends and fully integrate into college life. Relying on public transportation is going to limit your experiences too. Will you have a car? Most American students have never shared a bedroom, so it's also a transition for them to have a roommate, but they survive. You could also request single housing and may be able to get in. Many students will use the community colleges as a back-up college but if they get into their first choice college, they will back out of the CC. Northampton is about the only community college that I know that has on-campus housing. I would take advantage of it. https://www.northampton.edu/campus-l...life/rooms.htm



This group might help you with information about finding more Indian people in the area: IAALV - Home

Thank you

I don't know whether I'm gonna be comfortable with sharing the room or not..I emailed the college rep and he said there are only double rooms but the website says they have single rooms too..
Isn't there any pre-furnished apartment available for rental?..Or hotel room? or something like that ?
And the worst part is that there is only one bathroom per floor :P ..
Please advise me..

Wow that made me happy..I will contact them too

[toobusytoday]

I understand your concern about the bathrooms, but from what I've seen (I have three college grads, and all lived through, and enjoyed dorm living) the bathrooms have separate showers and toilets. They're not open for all to see at all, except for maybe the sink area. Furnished apartments and hotel rooms are going to be very expensive. The majority of the people that don't live on campus live with their families so there is no demand for what you want.

This picture may give you an idea of the bathrooms: http://www.jbu.edu/assets/residence_...s/IMG_0096.JPG

From a google search: https://www.google.com/search?q=nort...orm%20bathroom

[PhilliesPhan2013]

If you have any questions about NCC or on-campus housing, feel free to message me with questions. I am a fifth semester sophomore (I was supposed to graduate last semester, but I did research at Lehigh University), so I have a vast amount of experience with this school. I am also an RA (resident assistant) in the on-campus residence halls, so I can answer any question you may have about housing!

What I will tell you is that I LOVE this school! It is not like your typical community college. I live outside of Philadelphia, but I pay the extra out of county and housing costs just to attend this place. It has truly become a second home for me.

[PhilliesPhan2013]

Originally Posted by John F S

I live across the river from Northampton in Whitehall. Unless I am mistaken, Northampton Community College is in Easton.
As far as apartments go, it will depend on what you can afford. You will have to discover that on your own.
Theft isn't a major problem for Northampton or across the river but I can't speak for Easton or Bethlehem. Maybe somebody from those towns will know more than me.
You probably won't find many Indians in this area. Maybe somebody at the college will be able to help you there.

NCC is actually in Bethlehem (technically, however, Bethlehem Township). We're not far from Easton, however. LANTA's 101 and/or 220 will take you to Easton from Bethlehem.

[John F S]

I was the first person to respond to this thread. I live in Lehigh County. At first I thought that the person who began this thread lived in the town of Northampton - but I was mistaken. I'm glad that people who are more familiar with NCC and Northampton County also responded to this thread.
As far as other Indians living in this area, I would think that there would only be a few.

[lols007]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan2013

If you have any questions about NCC or on-campus housing, feel free to message me with questions. I am a fifth semester sophomore (I was supposed to graduate last semester, but I did research at Lehigh University), so I have a vast amount of experience with this school. I am also an RA (resident assistant) in the on-campus residence halls, so I can answer any question you may have about housing!

What I will tell you is that I LOVE this school! It is not like your typical community college. I live outside of Philadelphia, but I pay the extra out of county and housing costs just to attend this place. It has truly become a second home for me.

I am so glad to see you ..Could you please message me with any of your IM id or Email id because I have reached today's PM limit ..

Thank you so much

[CHIP72]

It was already mentioned above, but NCC is in a suburban environment, so public transit service is limited there.

Education-wise, my understanding NCC is one of the stronger community colleges anywhere. I did take a couple 100 level courses there back in 1996-1997 between undergraduate and graduate school, and I thought the courses were very comparable to 100 level courses I took at the private, liberal arts college where I went to school.