Philadelphia, PA

[ashlee_liu31]

If anyone is looking for a roommate or knows someone who is looking for the coming semester in Philly please PM me

[freefloating]

Hello, 

 

I am considering living in the "International House Philadelphia" apartments. Anyone lived there? Let me know what you think! Thanks.

 

 

 

[hgp]

Does living in another town make it difficult to socialize with your cohort for a first year? I am looking at condos in Bala Cynwyd but I am worried about not being in the city. Does anyone have experience with this? I'm not really a city girl but I definitely want to be easily able to participate in activities/outings. 

[IncomingPhD2017]

Does living in another town make it difficult to socialize with your cohort for a first year? I am looking at condos in Bala Cynwyd but I am worried about not being in the city. Does anyone have experience with this? I'm not really a city girl but I definitely want to be easily able to participate in activities/outings. 

 

I think you will definitely find it difficult to participate in outings or activities the further away you go from the university; that's one of the downsides of city life. Proximity seems to matter a great deal more than it would appear. That's just my opinion on the matter, but as someone who grew up in Philly (and still lives here) I've come to find that proximity makes all the difference for establishing and maintaining friendships.  Even if you're able to attend most outings and events, I think you'd still feel ostracized or cut-off from the community if you live far away. Again, I don't know this from experience in a grad school setting, but only from knowing life in the city, so I could be wrong about it.

[omidance]

Hi all. Any advice on the better school districts surrounding Philly? I'll be attending Temple in the fall and my son will be with me. He's going into 8th grade so I want to be in a location that's close enough to Temple for my commute but in a decent school district for middle and high schools.

 

I'd appreciate any advice! Been looking at Elkins Park...Cheltenham area...

[IncomingPhD2017]

On 3/18/2015 at 3:33 PM, omidance said:

Hi all. Any advice on the better school districts surrounding Philly? I'll be attending Temple in the fall and my son will be with me. He's going into 8th grade so I want to be in a location that's close enough to Temple for my commute but in a decent school district for middle and high schools.

 

I'd appreciate any advice! Been looking at Elkins Park...Cheltenham area...

 

I don't know much about middle schools, sorry I'm not much help with that. But for high school, I'd actually say you should try to get your son into one of the better schools in Philly. Though the neighborhood public schools are sub-par, there are many schools he could apply for and potentially test into, like Bodine, GAMP, Palumbo, Central, etc. http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/pennsylvania/districts/the-school-district-of-philadelphia

 

I'm born and raised in Philly so I'm definitely biased. But I figured I'd give my 2 cents since no one else has responded. I'd say you are looking in the right areas, though; Cheltenham, Elkins Park, Willow Grove and Glenside are the closest suburbs to Temple.

[Drdoom]

Hey guys! I would love your feedback on several areas in helping to make my decision. These are my three choices BC UW and UD all advanced standing starting this summer. I am currently visiting Boston but financially I won't be able to visit the others schools before the April 15th decision date.  Financial is an important part. None of the schools have sent me a financial package yet, other than an acceptance scholarships. I am looking feedback from the information given. I am also looking feedback on the school, program, living in those cities and any feedback beneficial feedback. 

 

University of Denver, I received a scholarship that covers about 30-35% of my tuition (I asked for more money and was turned down saying to wait for my financial package to see what I get). I was also sent a form for a child welfare stipend that ranges from 10,000-17,000 I will apply but I won't know until after the decision deadline if I was awarded the stipend. The vibe I received from my interaction with school has be really good they seem very friendly. helpful, honest and casual( my interactions with the other schools were very formal and quite uptight)  Denver is a very young and youthful city but a very outdoorsy city. I love nature but I can't do that all the time. My issue with Denver itself is it's landlocked and a driving city. I own my car but I was hoping to move somewhere with an awesome public transportation system. I am coming from South FL I am over driving 30 min to get anywhere. I am also worried about the job prospects in Denver for a clinical social worker. I also know none in Denver.

 

Boston College, I was awarded a scholarship that covers 40% of my tuition and I asked for more waiting to hear back. Boston seems to have a lot of opportunity and the program seems like an overall great one but I am unsure if I want to reside here after I graduate.  The downside is I am FL boy I want seasons but I am scared of the harsh winters. I have a friend here that also attends one of the universities thats about all the people I know here but  family along the northeast (NJ NY PA) so I am not too far from comfort. Boston is also very expensive to live.  Rent is almost close to NYC prices and I can't see why?  I  can see why public transit is so great here because the roads are close to the ones, may I saw worse than I've seen in South America and the Caribbean. I will be bringing my car and Boston seems to hate that fact (haha) with the lack of parking and expensive car insurance. 

 

University of Washington, the program seems like an amazing program with a great international reach and very open place. Seattle seems like a cool mix of city and outdoor lifestyle which is very me. It's close to vancouver and portland which I think is a plus because I love traveling and going on weekend adventures. UW is not cheap program for out of state students and they told me directly not to expect much in scholarships or grants from them.  While the tuition and living is cheaper compared to Boston and Denver. With the lack of aid it seems like I will be almost paying the same or even more along with the other schools. I am not sure about the job market in Seattle so I would love some feedback.  I am aware that they do have some of the highest Social Worker salaries. I am also aware of the dreary 6 plus months of cloudy skies and endless drizzle. I actually like the rain.  I also know none in Seattle I have close friends in Portland and Eugene though. 

 

With all that said please give me some feedback?  Thanks (sorry for my terrible writing in advance kept editing things) 

[yayaaaaa]

Anyone want a roommate to share a place in northern liberties or fishtown ? I'll be at Tyler school of art and am looking into these two neighborhoods. PM me I'll be in a graduate program so I'm not looking/keen on roommates who love house parties and need a semi quiet environment. That said I'm outgoing and easy to get along with !

-Sarah

[--jawn--]

Hi all. Any advice on the better school districts surrounding Philly? I'll be attending Temple in the fall and my son will be with me. He's going into 8th grade so I want to be in a location that's close enough to Temple for my commute but in a decent school district for middle and high schools.

 

I'd appreciate any advice! Been looking at Elkins Park...Cheltenham area...

 

If you are okay with taking the regional rail every day, I would recommend living in one of the northern suburbs (Jenkintown, Abington, etc.). They are easily accessible and Temple has a train station adjacent to campus.

[Vaidhi]

Hello!

 

I will be attending Temple University in Fall 2015. I don't want to commute too much but I have heard that the campus is in a bad location. Any advice would be welcome!

[IncomingPhD2017]

Hello!

 

I will be attending Temple University in Fall 2015. I don't want to commute too much but I have heard that the campus is in a bad location. Any advice would be welcome!

 

Consider living on or below Girard Avenue- it's safe and very close to campus. I currently live at 15th and Girard and it's very safe. I have friends who go to Temple who live at 17th and Girard. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions or want more specifics.

[Vaidhi]

Consider living on or below Girard Avenue- it's safe and very close to campus. I currently live at 15th and Girard and it's very safe. I have friends who go to Temple who live at 17th and Girard. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions or want more specifics.

 

Thanks! I have seen some okay places but need to find room mates... It's funny that you are going to UNCG.... I graduated from there 2013!

[Frosta]

Hi all,

I will be attending UPenn in the Fall, and I am looking for a roommate to share an apartment with in West Philadelphia.

PM me if you're interested!

[magicbunny83]

Hi everyone,, I got admitted to the Drexel university school of medicine PhD program. I just wanted to know how much stipend does a grad student receive in hand after taxes? I am looking for houses around Drexel and want to be sure of that before I finalize anything?

Thank you all

[_kita]

I live in the northwestern section of Philadelphia (Roxborough/Manayunk/Conchy Area). I'm about 30 minutes from University of Penn, Temple, Drexel, La Salle, and 5 from Chestnut Hill. Where I'm at is a safe, family neighborhood section. There's a ton of reasonably priced apartment complexes, and the city convenience. I suggest people looking at that region if they're looking at Philadelphia living.

[hmurray]

Hi all,

 

I'm a visiting graduate researcher at UPenn Kislak library August-September. I research antebellum American fiction at University of Nottingham. It would be great to meet up with any fellow English/Comp Lit graduate students on campus for a coffee or go for a beer in town. Archive trips can be lonely!

[mr479]

The other day I made a colossal mistake at clinic. I evaluated a student I shouldn't have. The mother had checked the "I do not give my consent" box. I haven't told my supervisor yet, and I don't know what to do. I'm scared to say the least. As some of you know, I'm not in a very friendly program. 

Have any of you made similar mistakes? What kind of mistakes have you made? How did you resolve them? 

[Jolie717]

I once gave medication (a breathing treatment) to a patient not realizing that my coworker had already administered one.  We figured it out pretty quickly though because of the way our med scanning system works and stopped the treatment right away.  It was not a high risk drug or dose, but it was still a mistake that shouldn't have happened.  Our supervisor that day had made the mistake of assigning us both the same patient.  Which also should never have happened.  I told him immediately, and that was that.  I'm not sure how it would have gone down if he hadn't been partially responsible, but the mistakes were never reported to anyone higher up as far as I know.  

[Ryggy]

Being from PA I am pretty familiar with Center City/West Philly/South Philly, but less so with North Philly. I applied to Temple during this years application cycle and have a few questions regarding the surrounding area.

If accepted I'd prefer to avoid living in other parts of the city/taking the BSL, and live adjacent to campus if possible. I'd also prefer not to live in Fishtown/Northern Liberties. I am not particularly worried about living in North Philadelphia, and I have heard that the general rule of thumb for "safe" boundaries are: East/West 10th-18th and South of Cecil B. Moore. Please correct me if my assumptions are incorrect.

I do have a lingering concern that no one has been able to answer sufficiently. I am an avid runner, and avoid the treadmill at all costs. I'd love to be able to run the Schuylkill River Trail which is a bit away from campus. Would running from Temple to the Schuylkill RiverTrail be unwise? I am unsure of the neighborhoods between the two. Which route/routes would generally be considered "safe"?

Edited January 5, 2016 by Igyhypo
typo

[soc13]

On 1/5/2016 at 12:33 PM, Ryggy said:

Being from PA I am pretty familiar with Center City/West Philly/South Philly, but less so with North Philly. I applied to Temple during this years application cycle and have a few questions regarding the surrounding area.

If accepted I'd prefer to avoid living in other parts of the city/taking the BSL, and live adjacent to campus if possible. I'd also prefer not to live in Fishtown/Northern Liberties. I am not particularly worried about living in North Philadelphia, and I have heard that the general rule of thumb for "safe" boundaries are: East/West 10th-18th and South of Cecil B. Moore. Please correct me if my assumptions are incorrect.

I do have a lingering concern that no one has been able to answer sufficiently. I am an avid runner, and avoid the treadmill at all costs. I'd love to be able to run the Schuylkill River Trail which is a bit away from campus. Would running from Temple to the Schuylkill RiverTrail be unwise? I am unsure of the neighborhoods between the two. Which route/routes would generally be considered "safe"?

Look for a place around Fairmount or Girard. If you tend to be on the nervous side, tend more toward Fairmount, it's all hip and restaurants and gentrified.

Also I don't know what route you're planning to take to the Schuylkill, but if you really wanted to live super close to TU's campus (farther north) you could always run a half mile or mile or down Broad to cut across in a "safer" area (Girard, etc.) and hit Kelly Dr.

Philly isn't nearly as scary as some people make it out to be, the vast majority of it is racially coded language.

[unhappy phd]

Hi guys-will be a phd at Penn starting this summer

I am wondering if living in the suburbs is common for students (I am considering regions like Media, Swarthmore)? Everyone I know is either living in center city or west philly (university city) so I am a little bit unsure. Don't want to be isolated  

If suburbs are good choices-can I commute via train, as suggested by @pawnee68502 above?

Thank you everyone. Appreciate your help!

[royffle]

On April 2, 2016 at 8:40 PM, unhappy phd said:

Hi guys-will be a phd at Penn starting this summer

I am wondering if living in the suburbs is common for students (I am considering regions like Media, Swarthmore)? Everyone I know is either living in center city or west philly (university city) so I am a little bit unsure. Don't want to be isolated  

If suburbs are good choices-can I commute via train, as suggested by @pawnee68502 above?

Thank you everyone. Appreciate your help!

@unhappy phd Welcome to Philly! I know lots of college students at all the schools in Philadelphia live in the suburbs. I did the past 2 years (because I lived at home to save money), and I never felt isolated! The trains are super easy to take into Philly from the suburbs. I am not too familiar with Media but there is definitely a train line that goes directly from there to University City. SEPTA does suck a lot BUT there are a ton of train lines and options to work with if you want to live in the suburbs. The trains run basically 5 AM - midnight. 

[soc13]

On 4/2/2016 at 8:40 PM, unhappy phd said:

Hi guys-will be a phd at Penn starting this summer

I am wondering if living in the suburbs is common for students (I am considering regions like Media, Swarthmore)? Everyone I know is either living in center city or west philly (university city) so I am a little bit unsure. Don't want to be isolated  

If suburbs are good choices-can I commute via train, as suggested by @pawnee68502 above?

Thank you everyone. Appreciate your help!

Is there a reason you want to live in the suburbs, @unhappy phd? (i.e. kids or something similar)?

 

If you want to commute, you can. But Philly is fairly affordable to live in the downtown proper areas, at least compared to all the other major cities on the east coast. There are also plenty of very different neighborhoods within the city that would still be a very easy commute to Penn using the sub, if you're looking for something specific in your housing or a different vibe than university city.

[Allons-yDarling]

Hello! I'm going to be attending Temple in the fall in their MFA Theatre Design program. I just got back from a visit to Philadelphia, which was lovely, I really like the city. However, I'm struggling to find an apartment. I stopped in to a realtor's office right off campus on Friday to see if they had any nearby properties that fit my "cats allowed and 1 bedroom not basement or ground floor" requirements, and they only had one property that fit the description... Which I had a tentative appointment to tour until I walked past the building, saw the building next door was burnt out and boarded out, and decided I'd rather not live in that neighborhood. 

So I'm currently trying to do remote apartment housing. I did want to live close to campus, because with the theatre program, I'll probably have numerous late nights, but I'm not very fond of the area west of Temple. What neighborhoods have convenient public transit to Temple and are safer/nicer? And are their any recommendations for what websites are good for apartment hunting? I've been using Zillow, but a lot of the properties I've tried to contact about turn out to be already rented. 

[Ryggy]

@Allons-yDarling Hi! I'm also starting at Temple in the Fall, I currently live the suburbs so I am fairly familiar with the area. Any neighborhood along the Broad Street Line (BSL) is fairly easy to commute to Temple as you can simply get off at the Cecil B. Moore stop and be right on campus. The BSL opens up any area a walk-able distance to Broad Street from Center City to South Philly. Other areas which I have heard people commuting from are Manayunk (technically in the city limits but with a more suburban feel) utilizing the Manayunk/Norristown Line and Northern Liberties/Fishtown to the east. I am unsure of the transit from the east, cycling and bus routes are probably an option. I would advise trying Trulia.com and Hotpads.com they always seem to have listings available.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Ryggy