Temple University

Positive Experiences:
Living in the freshmen dorms j and h. Crazy times. I'm an out of state student from rural New England. I was able to meet some of my best friends here. Other on campus apartments are less social because upperclassmen have established friends.

The diversity makes an interesting social and academic atmosphere. Willingness to make friends with other ethnic groups varies largely by the individual. It's easy if you're open to the idea and definitely worth it.

Most students are humble, hard-working, and friendly.
The city offers tons of opportunity. There are plenty of internships and jobs to be had. Concerts, sports, and shopping is all there.

The Temple basketball team is awesome.
We have brand new Fresh Grocer on campus! No more grocery trips to 7 Eleven and Rite Aid.
My experience has gotten progressively better as I have adjusted to Philly.
Negative:
While campus is safe North Philly isn't. Living more than 3 blocks off campus can get you in trouble. Make sure to stick with friends when you go out.

The bums and religious zealots that frequent campus. You learn to ignore them.
Advice:
Be social! Leave your door open (if you're in a dorm). Meet your neighbors. You will meet cool people this way.

Always lock your door when you leave. I was robbed. I have friends who have also been robbed. Definitely get a security system and deadbolts if you live off campus.

Temple is independent. Think about organizations and intramurals you want to join before hand. Pay attention when the organizations are on Liacouras Walk and flyers posted around campus. Life is more fun when you're active.

Get a job. Work Studys are a great way to do this. I recommend applying for 15-20 online because there is a great demand for them. It's not fun having $5 to your name.I was much much happier once I had money to spend.

Be aware of the grossly overweight squirrels. You don't want them to fall off a branch and crush you.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2011

Innovation: A, Individual Value: C

Temple has been really good to me. It's provided me with a great education at a great price. Temple really is better than most Universities and I think it's unfortunate that we have an Ivy League school in the same city because we often end up being over shadowed by U. Penn.

My teachers were well prepared and for the most part challenging. All of them had the appropriate degrees and many were important contributors in their field. You will occasionally run into a professor that doesn't do a good job but it's certainly not the norm. (Side note: Please do make a point to connect with your professors, it will help you out if you ever consider graduate school. Most of the professors are approachable and they want you to succeed. I did realize this till my last year at Temple, don't make the same mistake I did)

The majority of the students commute (all of the third and fourth year students live off campus) so Temple really doesn't have a campy college atmosphere. I think that socially Temple is not the best place. Most students are commuters so you really have to make an effort to meet people. The surrounding city is a slum and there aren't really any good places to eat, that is another really great reason to be a commuter. I'd suggest living in Center City or South Philly. The Suburbs are also a really great place to live because all SEPTA regional rail lines run right next to Temple.

Safety on campus is pretty good. I never felt threatened and would often see police around campus. I know there are shootings in the area but if you commute you'll be fine. I don't know what it's like living on campus, but I do know that most of my friends that did were fine.

The library is great and pretty much has any resource you could want. Make sure to use it, I love the library. There are TONS of people everywhere so if you're expecting to use a computer to print off a paper before class be prepared to wait in line. The computer facilities at Temple are huge and impressive, but not enough to handle the volume of students at Temple. What more can I say? Temple has been really great to me and I would recommend it to almost anyone. If you want an great education at a great price you can't beat Temple.

4th Year Female -- Class 2009

Useful Schoolwork: A+, Social Life: C

Let me start by saying that I love Temple University and the city of Philadelphia. I came to the city from a small town looking for diversity, culture, openness, and a kind of experience you can only find in a big city, and I found it here at Temple.

Now where do I begin?
Well lets start with the environment. Temple is a very urban school, and I mean this seriously. Now this isn't like NYU or Pitt where the school is a collection of buildings scattered across an area of the city, rather the campus is in a kind of bubble, but at the same time it isnt cut off from the city outside. You're still very much aware that you're in North Philly, and it really opens your eyes especially if you came from the burbs or a small town. If you can't acclimate to the city environment you will be very unhappy here, so if you don't see yourself being a city kid then consider yourself warned.

Now the fact that Temple is in one of the most amazing cities is a big part of why I like Temple. North Philly is definitely NOT where the action is happening though, and some kids look at the neighborhood and go elsewhere, and this is just sad. The city is there, you just have to be motivated to go and find what there is to find, and there is so much to find downtown in Philadelphia, too much to list here. I'll just say that if you do nothing else, learn to use the subway and go to olde city for first friday, I will say no more. People who complain of nothing to do are just silly.

Besides the city, there is quite a bit to do on campus as well. We're consistently ranked as one of the most diverse campuses, and this is very evident every time you walk around campus. There's a huge array of clubs as well. Basically, whatever you want to do, you'll probably find it somewhere at Temple, and this is true both in a social/fun-time sense and in an academic sense. The list of majors here is great. Temple has a lot of very good programs. On top of this Temple is a big research school, so not only do we have lots of different opportunities for a student to find their niche, but once you find it you can get actively involved as well.

However, Temple is a big school, and the administration, and your professors, are going to treat you like adults. This means that you need to be very independent. There isn't somebody guiding you, its all up to you. To some this may seem a little cold, and indeed if the small school scene is more your thing then you wont be happy here. Temple kids are by and large very independent, and if you are going to have any chance you're going to have to have your shit in order. I say this by experience. At the same time nobody makes themselves sparse either. If you have a question it will be answered, but you have to be active else you'll slip through the cracks.

On the social scene: its pretty awesome. At such a big school you'll find a place to fit in, never fear. From football players and frat boys to the clinically unique inner city "hipsters" there's something for everyone. On a nice day you'll see just about every kind of person you can imagine outside. Also, due to the urbanness, if you don't want to see somebody you dont have to. It's a big school in a big city, so you'll be seeing somebody new every single day. Kids who complained are always the ones who couldnt acclimate or were overwhelmed by the city, or who were still stuck on high school.

The dorms are good for a city school where 9000 kids are crammed onto campus. They follow either suite style, or the older Johnson&Hardwick and Peabody which have communal bathrooms. The thing is though, after your sophomore year, you get kicked out of the dorms, you can either get an apartment through university sponsered housing or you get an apartment/house by yourself. If you're not ready to take care of your own place, then this is going to suck for you, but in fact it can usually be cheaper than the dorms especially if you share the place with some friends. Again, Temple likes independently minded kids.

The food is alright. The selection gets old after a little while but they are trying to mix things up a bit. They have a vegan/vegetarian option too. I never went hungry, and there's so many good restaurants in Philly you'll never find them all in ten years of eating out.

As for safety. This is the one big concern most people have. North Philadelphia is a BAD neighborhood, espeically at night. Some parts are relatively more safe than others, like Oxford Village, University Village, parts right off campus where most upperclassmen live. However, if you go off campus at night, make damn sure you know where you're going and go with a group of people. Don't do anything stupid and you'll be fine. As for the campus itself, I never felt threatened at any time of the day while I was on campus. The thing to remember is that you have to be smart here. Its not the burbs, use your head and develop some street smarts while you're at it.

Lastly: the party scene. You're in Philadelphia, thats about all I need to say. If you want clubbing or concerts or shows or raves or whatever the hell it is you're into, you'll probably find it. A lot of clubs are over 21 which is kind of a bummer, but there are still lots of places to have fun if you're not of the drinking age yet. On campus parties can get kinda stale after a while. Sitting around drinking or taking bong hits in a dorm room is for some people I guess *shrugs* but if you want something more lively you won't have trouble finding it.All in all I'd say that the kind of student who would like Temple would be one who is liberal and open minded, comfortable with the city, and independent.

1st Year Male -- Class 2012

Education Quality: A+, Perceived Campus Safety: B+