Philadelphia University

Philadelphia University is definitely not the best school out there. Although like any school it has good qualities and its bad ones. The city of Philadelphia is pretty cool, especially moving there from a small suburban town. It's dirty claiming the nickname "Philthadelphia" and there are a lot of bad neighborhoods but center city is relatively safe during the day and can get sketchy late at night. Although it gets pretty dead after 9pm when everything starts to close down. East Falls, where the school is located, is a nicer more up-scale part of the city. There are lots of cool houses and parks with-in walking distance (such as the Wissahickon, which is wonderful). The best thing about this school is the location, its about a 30minute bus ride to downtown, there is a train station not too far from campus, and being on the outskirts of the city it's quiet and there is plenty of green space to escape into nature.

This school is a design school, and because of that it lacks academically. None of the classes I took were really challenging. My major classes were really interesting, and its nice because you start working on your major right away. I took 3 core classes for my major my freshman year, where at other schools you have to finish all of your gen-eds first. The President can often be seen walking around the campus and talking to students. Small classes allow you to really get to know your professors and after your first year the head of your department becomes your adviser which really makes for a more personal experience.

Socially the school is really awkward. There isn't really any culture. It's not politically active. There's never a whole bunch to do on campus and a lot of the school run events turn out to be pretty lame. There are a few parties hosted by students that are usually off-campus but relatively close by. My experiences have been a $5 entrance fee and then usually followed disappointment. It seems like everyone just wants to get drunk and get drunk fast. If you want a party school in Philly try Temple or Drexel. The student body is very cliquish. If your'e not in, you're out (unless you have a fake ID). People tend to only hang out with people in their majors, so if you aren't in architecture or industrial design or something you feel excluded. People are often stuck-up and will blow you off because they are obviously better than everyone else, right? This makes people unapproachable and it can be difficult to makes friends if your enrolled in a smaller major. Everyone I talked too had at least considered transferring at some point, and a bunch of people do!

The school tries to advertise how "innovative" is it, when thats all a lie. I hate to word innovation and they shove it into everything. They just built a new $16 million building that looks innovative but really isn't. They also spend more time advertising their online college courses than the actual school itself. The administration is unorganized and there is little interdepartmental communication which makes getting anything done difficult. PhilaU is nothing special and it seemed like a lot of students graduate with resentment towards the school. If the school tried harder to be better it could. It can have a lot to offer, depending on how far you are willing to go.

1st Year Male -- Class 2016

Campus Aesthetics: A-, Social Life: C-