20 year old college student and aspiring writer considering a move to Philly (Philadelphia: for rent, condo)

[morcellement]

Hello there everyone!

I am a 20 year old native of Las Vegas who is looking for a change of scenery (along with more hope/opportunity since this place is basically a black hole now).

I've already considered Chicago and New York City in the past, but with those cities being so expensive (along with a number of other adversities which I feel would make it a serious struggle for me to live in those places), Philly has grown increasingly attractive for me. So here are a few questions I have:

1. What would be a good college/university for someone pursuing a career in the fields of Communications and Journalism?

2. How is the local poetry scene up there?

3. I've heard many conflicting stories in regards to racial relations there. Being a black person myself, what should I expect?

4. How is the job market?

5. I would prefer to be in a neighborhood where it's easy to commute everywhere by walking and public transit, racially and/or culturally diverse and accepting and a wide range of activities and/or nightlife nearby. What neighborhoods do you think would be ideal for me? I don't mind neighborhoods that are a little gritty on the edges, but I don't want to worry about shootings or muggings either, and my price range for rent would be $800-$1200

Thanks in advance!

[RightonWalnut]

1. I'd suggest Temple University for a communication/journalism major. Their arts and communications programs are highly respected.

2. I don't know much about the poetry scene... someone else could probably help you out there.

3. You'll be well accepted as a African American... don't worry. 40% of the city is African American.

4. Job market.. depends what you want. I assume journalism? There are plenty of jobs for you then from Newspapers to TV (CBS, ABC, FOX, PHL 17, etc. etc.) Not to mention Comcast is based in Philly and they just bought NBC/Universal and will probably be bringing jobs here in the near future.

Philadelphia is the 4th largest media market in the U.S.... I don't think you will have much of a problem finding a job here in journalism.

5. A lot of the Temple students live on campus or around the campus. If this is not what you want to do you could pretty much live anywhere in the city that is serviced by a subway line or a regional rail line since Temple is serviced with both a subway stop (Cecil B. Moore) and a regional rail stop (Temple University).

Any other questions (if you need help on where to live) feel free to ask!

[acenturi]

If you're looking for the Top Communications school in Philadelphia and the U.S. (if you can afford it, or qualify for the significant no-loan/no-payback financial aid), it's Penn (Home Page). Otherwise, Temple, Drexel and the many smaller colleges in the area offer Communications degree programs.

[rotodome]

Not to be a downer but...Philadelphia isn't reallly much cheaper than Chicago. So if the cost of living in Chicago was a deal-breaker for you, I think you might want to look into yet other options.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by rotodome

Not to be a downer but...Philadelphia isn't reallly much cheaper than Chicago. So if the cost of living in Chicago was a deal-breaker for you, I think you might want to look into yet other options.

The cost of living is comparable overall, but Center City Philadelphia has a lot more affordable options than, say, the Loop. The Chicago/Philadelphia suburbs are pretty much comparable to a T, but from what I know, the desirable urban neighborhoods themselves are another story.

But if you're a writerly type truly concerned about COL, I'd look to Pittsburgh too. Pitt was Lee Gutkind's (the man who invented the term "creative nonfiction") stomping grounds.

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

The cost of living is comparable overall, but Center City Philadelphia has a lot more affordable options than, say, the Loop. The Chicago/Philadelphia suburbs are pretty much comparable to a T, but from what I know, the desirable urban neighborhoods themselves are another story.

But if you're a writerly type truly concerned about COL, I'd look to Pittsburgh too. Pitt was Lee Gutkind's (the man who invented the term "creative nonfiction") stomping grounds.

The Loop isn't a residential area with established neighborhoods the way much of Center City is (yes there are a bunch of brand new condo buildings in the loop, but it's still not really a "neighborhood"), so that's' not really apples-to-apples.
If you compare the desirable central residential neighborhoods in Chicago (Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Gold Coast, Bucktown etc), to the equivalent Center City neighborhoods in Philly, there's really not a big COL difference.

I do agree that Pittsburgh is a great city and a nice option that is much cheaper than either Philly or Chicago, and is worth taking a look at.

[morcellement]

Oh sorry, I should have clarified that cost of living was the main adversity that made me change my mind about NYC. Chicago, while expensive, didn't seem like too much of a problem for me in terms of rent/living cost, the main reason why I couldn't go there was because I couldn't find substantial enough amounts of financial aid for the colleges I was accepted to there.

How is the University of the Arts? I'm not sure about Temple, since I know about three people who have applied there in the past and none of them received notification of rejection or acceptance into the school, major turn off.

@Summersm343 I really appreciate all of the information you have have given me, but could you be a little more specific on neighborhood suggestions? For example, I've heard horror stories (in varying topics) about Fishtown and many of the neighborhoods in South Philly and NE Philly, and I know a lot of the northwestern neighborhoods tend to be more on the dangerous side so I definitely wouldn't want to live in any of those. Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy and University City on the other hand are neighborhoods I've heard great things about, care to tell me a little more about those?

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by morcellement

Oh sorry, I should have clarified that cost of living was the main adversity that made me change my mind about NYC. Chicago, while expensive, didn't seem like too much of a problem for me in terms of rent/living cost, the main reason why I couldn't go there was because I couldn't find substantial enough amounts of financial aid for the colleges I was accepted to there.

How is the University of the Arts? I'm not sure about Temple, since I know about three people who have applied there in the past and none of them received notification of rejection or acceptance into the school, major turn off.

@Summersm343 I really appreciate all of the information you have have given me, but could you be a little more specific on neighborhood suggestions? For example, I've heard horror stories (in varying topics) about Fishtown and many of the neighborhoods in South Philly and NE Philly, and I know a lot of the northwestern neighborhoods tend to be more on the dangerous side so I definitely wouldn't want to live in any of those. Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy and University City on the other hand are neighborhoods I've heard great things about, care to tell me a little more about those?

Temple is decent for journalism. Forget UArts.

[Aimewitue]

You will love Philly

Go to either U of Penn or Temple for communications/journalism.

Temple is cheaper than Penn apply to both see what kind of financial aid u get then make a decision.

Live in university city or in center city

Job market here is better than Vegas and about average compared to the rest of the country....Not great but not bad either.

Lots of African American culture here

Philly really is a great city and if u get bored which i doubt

NYC and Brooklyn are only a 90 mins away...Nj Shoreline and atlantic city.....The mountains.......Heck i even do weekend trips to Washington DC sometimes......The eastern Seaboard is cool man.

[JHG722]

Originally Posted by morcellement

I'm not sure about Temple, since I know about three people who have applied there in the past and none of them received notification of rejection or acceptance into the school, major turn off.

That's a pretty stupid reason not to apply. We're a large school and receive thousands of applications each year. For some reason, we have issues with notifications. All you need to do is call admissions if that happens. Not really a big deal.