Philadelphia, PA

[kbrandon]

has anyone heard back? Trying to decide if I should call or not since the due date was almost 8 weeks ago...

[2011 MSW Hopeful]

Reviving this one. I'm set to accept a job at UPenn, and I'd love to get some housing guidance. I lived in University City for a summer four or five years ago, and am excited to be returning to Philly, but my situation is obviously different now. When I was there before, I rented a room in one of the large Victorians around 40th & Spruce and I fell in love with that area. My sense is that it's pretty safe east of 48th or so, north of Baltimore, and south of Market. I would be happy to live in the UC area, but my significant other is concerned about crime and would prefer Center City. We're fine with renting either a studio or small one-bedroom, but the problem we're most running into is that he has a car and will need either very reliable street parking or a reserved spot. So, I suppose my question is, is it doable to find a studio or 1br with parking in either Center City or University City close to Penn if we'd like something that's less than $1,250 a month? I have a feeling we're going to have to sacrifice the parking. 

[Chai_latte]

Price wise, I think you'll be hard-pressed to find that in center city.  You'd have a better shot at University City.  I'm car-free, so I don't really know what the parking situation is like in UC, but it doesn't seem as tight as CC's.

[reed155]

Can anyone give me a feedback on living at Axis? It's a student dorm/ apartment building: http://www.universitycityaxis.com/about.asp

I am considering it as a temporary living option, for 2 or three months.

Thank you!

[vtstevie]

What are the pros and cons of living in Manayunk, cosidering I'll be attending Temple in the fall?

[Aurora15]

I've lived in and around Philadelphia my entire life. This is my take of the area:

 

University City: You need to scope out the area before you rent. There are good areas and bad areas.  40th - 43rd St. between Walnut and Spruce are pretty nice, but see the homes/apartments before you rent. The upkeep of many places depends on the property owners. Some are good. Some not so much. Bad areas include 38th and Market on up. You can easily tell by the boarded up homes, trashed lots, and dark passageways that this is not the area for you. Powelton Village is okay. Lots of Drexel students live there. But stay only a block or two away from Powelton Ave. and between 34th and 32nd Streets. Beyond that, things will be shady and there are still reports of violent robberies in that area.

 

Center City: It's really not as expensive as you may think. University City has become rather gentrified and the property owners have raised rent quite a bit in recent years, which means prices are almost comparable to things in Center City. Walking across the bridges isn't too bad to get to campus (Drexel or Penn). At least in Penn's case, you can get a pass to take Septa for a discounted fee. Both Drexel and Penn have some free shuttles that go into Center City, so you might also want to consider that. However, being in CC can disconnect you from the activities on campus, so you'd better be willing to make the trek to your apartment and back a few times per day to really participate in campus life (or cramming in the library life, or sitting in the lab life, etc.).

 

Manayunk: Manayunk is considered one of the safest areas in Philadelphia, according to Philadelphia crime maps. Robberies are generally the most common, so get an alarm. The homes are excellent and Main Street has an amazing bar and restaurant scene. The train station is right there which will give you easy access to any point in the city. Many Temple students live in Manayunk due to the train being there. The cons of living in Manayunk are loud drunk college students walking around the neighborhood at night on the weekends. Parking on the steep sloped roads can be rather insane. Be prepared for your bumpers to be tested by your neighbors.

 

Hope this info helps!

Edited July 19, 2013 by Aurora15

[Counterpointer]

Any Temple student at Beech International Village? Man, I'm regretting applying to only 3 masters program. Should have applied to Penn State as well. Temple seems a bit sketchy, especially the area around, and whenever one of the staffs email me, they can't spell a thing.. And apparently my Temple grad housing was changed last minute (really, I'm moving there in 2 weeks); they did building safety check and it didn't pass it. That's so sketchy. They told me I should move into Beech International Village and the school will pay the difference between grad housing and Beech International. I have no idea about the building-- and their website really isn't saying much. If anyone has lived there, please let me know your thoughts.

 

Haha UPenn students must be laughing at this aren't you? This is probably unthinkable at UPenn.. Hopefully, after 3 year double masters at Temple, I'll be ready for UPenn..... I just wasn't ready for UPenn PhD straight from UG.. I'll certainly visit Penn occasionally, to attend presentations and what not, getting to know the faculty there. Anyway, congrats to incoming grads bound for Philly.

[norangom]

Any Temple student at Beech International Village? Man, I'm regretting applying to only 3 masters program. Should have applied to Penn State as well. Temple seems a bit sketchy, especially the area around, and whenever one of the staffs email me, they can't spell a thing.. And apparently my Temple grad housing was changed last minute (really, I'm moving there in 2 weeks); they did building safety check and it didn't pass it. That's so sketchy. They told me I should move into Beech International Village and the school will pay the difference between grad housing and Beech International. I have no idea about the building-- and their website really isn't saying much. If anyone has lived there, please let me know your thoughts.

 

Haha UPenn students must be laughing at this aren't you? This is probably unthinkable at UPenn.. Hopefully, after 3 year double masters at Temple, I'll be ready for UPenn..... I just wasn't ready for UPenn PhD straight from UG.. I'll certainly visit Penn occasionally, to attend presentations and what not, getting to know the faculty there. Anyway, congrats to incoming grads bound for Philly.

I just finished my UG at Temple, and it really isn't that bad haha. Beech is mostly all international students, so it's quite nice and close to campus (its on Cecil b. Moore itself so probably five mins away). I think that's a good choice for your first year, since it's so close to campus. Some people find it hard to figure out how to commute effectively in their first year, so it might be best to be near campus.

See, the thing with Temple is that you'll be fine as long as you exercise common sense, ie don't play with your phone in public, don't walk around with your wallet in your hand, etc. To be honest, my biggest peeve about living around Temple was how loud and noisy UGs are. Ugh. It's like party central on the blocks closest to campus, so if I were you, I'd move further out after your first year to a more family oriented area, like West Philly, CC, etc. Manayunk is awesome, but you'd have to take the regional rail in (expensive) or drive (and risk parking on side streets, because parking permits are expensive).

Btw which building didn't pass its safety check?

[Chai_latte]

Any Temple student at Beech International Village? Man, I'm regretting applying to only 3 masters program. Should have applied to Penn State as well. Temple seems a bit sketchy, especially the area around, and whenever one of the staffs email me, they can't spell a thing.. And apparently my Temple grad housing was changed last minute (really, I'm moving there in 2 weeks); they did building safety check and it didn't pass it. That's so sketchy. They told me I should move into Beech International Village and the school will pay the difference between grad housing and Beech International. I have no idea about the building-- and their website really isn't saying much. If anyone has lived there, please let me know your thoughts.

 

Haha UPenn students must be laughing at this aren't you? This is probably unthinkable at UPenn.. Hopefully, after 3 year double masters at Temple, I'll be ready for UPenn..... I just wasn't ready for UPenn PhD straight from UG.. I'll certainly visit Penn occasionally, to attend presentations and what not, getting to know the faculty there. Anyway, congrats to incoming grads bound for Philly.

That does sound pretty sketchy.  Apparently, graduate housing near the campus is awful.  A friend of mine told me that the place was loaded with rats and that garbage was not picked up regularly.  Hopefully, Beech Village will be better than that...so, you'll be better off.  But, I agree with the previous poster.  You should probably look into (non-campus) housing for the following year.  Better yet, you should consider housing at Temple's Podiatry campus for next semester.  It's smaller, but pretty comparable to Penn's grad housing.  As for Penn, I've had friends who lived in their grad housing, and they were neutral/pleased w/ their time there.

[Lifesaver]

Gonna bump this one up to the top for more up to date information for us Penn fall 2014 starters.

[despejado]

Anyone have suggestions on where to live if I'm attending Villanova in the Fall? Is living in Philly do-able? I would much rather live in the city than the suburbs, so I'm hoping that works out.

[thedck]

Anyone have suggestions on where to live if I'm attending Villanova in the Fall? Is living in Philly do-able? I would much rather live in the city than the suburbs, so I'm hoping that works out.

 

You could live in the city and commute. From what I know, Villanova is right off the Paoli train stop. You'll probably have to invest in a regional rail pass, but they're pretty awesome (good for subway, buses, trains, etc). I didn't go to Villanova, but I have lived in Philly for a few years now. I would recommend trying to live near one of the main stations--30th street, most likely, since that would be closest for you. It might be a bit tough/expensive, though, since I'm not entirely sure what the prices are right around 30th. & Penn's campus is right there. If you don't mind a further commute, you can definitely get affordable housing more into W. Philly.  Or, you can try and live around Market East or Suburban Station; any one of those will get you to where you need to go. 

[thedck]

My biggest advice to incoming Temple students is: I would seriously look into living off campus. I did my undergrad at Temple, and the best choice I made was living in the Fairmount area. The thing about Philly is, it's such an easily traveled city. Get a bike, invest in subway pass, or just walk. Temple is a great school and I loved it there, but for whatever reason they are just not known for having great housing. The housing near campus / just off campus is mostly undergrads and not very good, but you could find something if you tried hard enough. As for Temple's area, it's shit. I never had any really bad experiences, but I do know people that had their phones stolen and were randomly punched by crackheads. You just need to be aware of your surroundings and you need to not act like an idiot. Common sense will help you a lot. Most people in the area are perfectly nice, but every once in awhile things happen. I can give you more detailed information if you're interested, but my biggest piece of advice is to live off campus. You'll get a much better sense of Philadelphia and I think you'll be much happier that way. Philly is a really awesome city, despite its problems.

Edited February 25, 2014 by thedck

[saeious]

Not sure if this is the right forum, but I'm considering a PhD program at Penn this fall and wondering: is it possible to commute from NYC? 

 

I realize it's a very long commute and would be expensive, but I have a friend who commutes to Temple to teach, so I feel like it's hypothetically possible. I'm pretty settled here at least for the next couple years in a relatively affordable (for NYC) place with my wife. 

 

Are there grad students at Penn who do it? If so, is it very alienating to live so far away or basically OK? Anyone know? 

[ss2player]

Not sure if this is the right forum, but I'm considering a PhD program at Penn this fall and wondering: is it possible to commute from NYC? 

 

I realize it's a very long commute and would be expensive, but I have a friend who commutes to Temple to teach, so I feel like it's hypothetically possible. I'm pretty settled here at least for the next couple years in a relatively affordable (for NYC) place with my wife. 

 

Are there grad students at Penn who do it? If so, is it very alienating to live so far away or basically OK? Anyone know? 

 

What's your program? This seems like a very bad idea, unless you can do most of your work from home like a teacher can. It's gonna be 2.5-3 hours each way on the affordable trains, unless you wanna chance it every day on Bolt/Megabus. Or fork over your left arm to ride the Acela. Or drive and be driven mad (terrible pun, wow).

I'd suggest getting a small affordable place in Philly for when you need to be there for days in a row and then go to NYC when not. Or suck it up and move; Philly is pretty cool and much more affordable than New York.

[AKJen]

I have friends in my program at Penn that make the commute from NYC.  I don't know if I'd advise it for the first year, if only to build relationships with your cohort, but it's doable in some disciplines.  If you're not in a lab discipline, it can be possible to schedule classes and teaching to two or three days a week.

 

It can be really expensive though.

[dreamtime]

Hey Everyone! I m planning to attend Drexel next fall. Got 25k stipend. Planning to live alone and possibly close to campus (bike distance) and safe. Any suggestions? 

[AKJen]

Hi dreamtime, there are many options around that area.  I lived in Powelton Village, the residential area around Drexel, for two years.  I was at 36th and Baring in a beautiful old victorian that was divided into apartments for about $700 a month.  There are a lot of those around of varying quality.  My impression from the neighborhood was that very near the school (30th to 34th) there are a lot of undergrads and frat houses, so it's quite noisy at times.  There's also not a grocery store very close, though the trolly can take you directly to Trader Joes and the Fresh Grocer on 40th is not too far a walk.

 

As for safety, I felt mostly safe, though I wouldn't go out walking after dark and there does seem to be quite a few muggings in that area.

 

I've also lived in West Philly and Graduate Hospital.  I really loved Graduate Hospital; so close to everything and a bit more mature neighborhood that is removed from campus.  There are deals to be had, but they take some looking.  I inherited an apartment from a classmate for around $700 a month on 24th and South.

 

You could also save money and go for a houseshare, but living alone is doable on your stipend.  So many options!  I miss Philly!

[sianover4o]

My biggest advice to incoming Temple students is: I would seriously look into living off campus. I did my undergrad at Temple, and the best choice I made was living in the Fairmount area. The thing about Philly is, it's such an easily traveled city. Get a bike, invest in subway pass, or just walk. Temple is a great school and I loved it there, but for whatever reason they are just not known for having great housing. The housing near campus / just off campus is mostly undergrads and not very good, but you could find something if you tried hard enough. As for Temple's area, it's shit. I never had any really bad experiences, but I do know people that had their phones stolen and were randomly punched by crackheads. You just need to be aware of your surroundings and you need to not act like an idiot. Common sense will help you a lot. Most people in the area are perfectly nice, but every once in awhile things happen. I can give you more detailed information if you're interested, but my biggest piece of advice is to live off campus. You'll get a much better sense of Philadelphia and I think you'll be much happier that way. Philly is a really awesome city, despite its problems.

I have read so much about Philly and housing options in the forum, and I feel even more confused than before. 

I am an international student from Germany, and I will be going to Temple for PhD. I have no idea how pricey it is, but I have a stipend of $20,000 and I hope it will be enough. The university recommended their graduate housing next to the School of Podiatric Medicine, which happens to be in the City Center, or they say so... Any information if it is worth applying for it (double bedroom apartment for $850 month per person), or should I start browsing aimlessly for other options..

[nns91]

So I am seriously considering Penn right now and would love some insights about Penn area of Philly. I really fell in love with Philly during my visit but I am sure I have not been exposed to everything yet. What should I know before choosing Penn/Philly in general. Right now I am hesitating between Philly and NYC

[dreamtime]

Hi dreamtime, there are many options around that area.  I lived in Powelton Village, the residential area around Drexel, for two years.  I was at 36th and Baring in a beautiful old victorian that was divided into apartments for about $700 a month.  There are a lot of those around of varying quality.  My impression from the neighborhood was that very near the school (30th to 34th) there are a lot of undergrads and frat houses, so it's quite noisy at times.  There's also not a grocery store very close, though the trolly can take you directly to Trader Joes and the Fresh Grocer on 40th is not too far a walk.

 

As for safety, I felt mostly safe, though I wouldn't go out walking after dark and there does seem to be quite a few muggings in that area.

 

I've also lived in West Philly and Graduate Hospital.  I really loved Graduate Hospital; so close to everything and a bit more mature neighborhood that is removed from campus.  There are deals to be had, but they take some looking.  I inherited an apartment from a classmate for around $700 a month on 24th and South.

 

You could also save money and go for a houseshare, but living alone is doable on your stipend.  So many options!  I miss Philly!

 

Hey jennyb, thank you so much for your advice! I will definitely look up for the places that you have mentioned. I have a Zipcar membership as well (Dunno how common it is in Philly but I guess I can handle groceries with that.). I am an international student and never been to Philly. However, I studied abroad at Berkeley before and I loved it! But this time I ll be probably on the east coast and I am kind of scared whether I ll like it or not (both as a place and also in terms of attitude of the people in comparison to North-Cal).. But your impression on me, makes me more optimistic about the whole situation! So thank you for that as well! As a follow up question, how is the weather? I m from a southern-european country and I hope its not too cold up there!!

[dreamtime]

I guess not too many ppl are coming to Philly this year? The forum is really quiet. I am coming to Drexel next fall. Anyone else coming to Drexel or Penn? Lets keep in touch!

[eafreder]

I noticed it's quiet around here too. I THINK I'm headed to Penn! Apartment searching has been fun but also slightly overwhelming...

[dreamtime]

I noticed it's quiet around here too. I THINK I'm headed to Penn! Apartment searching has been fun but also slightly overwhelming...

 

Believe me I am in the same situation as well.. I have no idea which neighborhood is good etc. What is your stipend? If I may ask..? I guess I ll be heading to Drexel... Neighboring campuses yay!  

[eafreder]

Yay! I don't find out my stipend for another 2 days! The wait is killlinngggg me. I'm setting my sights on parts of University City, Rittenhouse, Center City and Grad Hospital. A friend suggested Fairmount as well but we'll see.