sorry, I know this gets asked a lot and I’ve looked through old threads, but I’m still so lost as to what to put down on the preferences form. my two main goals are to have my own bedroom (petty, I know) and to still be somewhere I can make friends easily. any help would be appreciated!
some things I’d like to know about:
cost. the 2016-17 rent schedule online says all rooms have the same rate, $9450 for the year, apart from the note at the bottom about extra cost for the new college house. I think I'm missing something, considering last year's rent schedule clearly has different rates depending on type of room?
the quad. I'm interested in maybe living there because it's so highly recommended for freshmen. is it worth the hype, and does anyone have specific info regarding which houses within the quad are better?
singles. since I'd really like my own bedroom, that leaves me two options: a suite/apt, or an actual single. since the former aren't available in the quad, I think I'd have to have a single. but would this perhaps socially stunt me, not having roommate(s) to stick with in the beginning? I can sometimes have a little trouble making friends so this has me worried haha
lastly, I'm super curious about new college house. obviously no one can speak from experience yet, but what are your thoughts? I think since it's only freshmen this year, it might still provide that sense of community, as opposed to living in a high rise with a bunch of upperclassmen. but, it's still not in the quad, which is supposedly "the" place for freshmen to live, as well as the most convenient location for being close to classes.
sorry for the lengthy post! thanks so much if you read and can help!
My son lived in the Quad as a freshman (Riepe) and he had a single room. Almost all of the rooms on his floor were singles, so the whole floor became friendly and the kids did things together. He still keeps in touch with a few of them even though they don’t live there any more…I have to admit that new College House looks nice and you can’t beat nice and new…
okay, that’s good to know, thanks! I was actually considering riepe in particular because I hear it has a really friendly atmosphere. I guess it would just be luck of the draw then, if I got a similar floor?
yeahh the newness of it is a big plus, but I don’t want to be isolated with a smaller group kids off the quad, if the quad is where everything for freshmen happens
@freshegg 1. The change in rental rates is a new thing they’re doing this year to make it easier for students to pick rooms and make them less concerned about their financial situation when they pick their rooms (i.e. don’t need to go for the cheapest room).
2. The Quad isn’t for everyone. Personally, I put it as my top 3 requests and didn’t get in, and I think it ended up working out best for me that way. I’ve heard varying things, but I’d say for most part Ware>Fisher>Riepe, but it really varies person-to-person in the quad (there isn’t a huge difference between them).
3. You’ll be able to make friends when you have a single. In the beginning, you have NSO and it’s your RA/GA’s job to create events for your floor/section so you all get to know each other.
4. The amenities seem ridiculous honestly (in a good way). As far as being closer to classes, New College House is only really convenient for engineers. Otherwise, I’d say Quad and Stouffer/Mayer are more conveniently located for most freshmen.
@WhartonPenn2017 thanks so much for the info!! I thought the flat rate for all rooms (minus new college house) sounded too good to be true but that is honestly pretty amazing
also, re #3: okay, that helps a lot. I think I’m narrowing it down now and I’d prefer either a single somewhere in the quad or maybe a double in Harrison’s freshman experience… have you heard anything about that? as far as location, or whether it’s isolated living with mostly upperclassmen
I haven’t heard the greatest things about FreshEx (although it obviously varies person to person). If you are looking for apartment style living, I’d recommend Mayer in Stouffer College House, which has a much stronger community than the high-rises for both freshman and upperclassmen. Stouffer has the highest retention rate out of any of the College Houses, and most people seem to like it a lot there. The only thing about Mayer is that it’s a triple for freshman (instead of a double), but the rooms are huge, so you still have a lot of space.
@runswimyoga oh that actually is what I was referring to, but I definitely could have interpreted it wrong. that is a little weird though - why wouldn’t they just include that fee with the $9000, if it applies to all the houses?
I know it does seem strange not to include it… I have learned from my 1st son (at a diff school) that universities love to tack on various fees… I guess it has something to do with their accounting and who gets paid what… but I am almost 100%certain that fee applies to every “college house”…
I am trying (so far unsuccessfully) to persuade my son to apply for New College House -as it looks beautiful and a big plus to have dining right in building! I have heard horror stories of leaking ceilings, rodent and mold infested rooms in the Quad not to mention disgusting bathrooms… so for the same price I can’t fathom why he wouldn’t be jumping at the chance for a brand new building… yet he is worried about the 10min walk to his classes from New College House… agh!
@freshegg – you might not think the new flat rate is “too good to be true” if you get stuck in a shared room with no A/C and a community bathroom 3 hallways away (like my daughter did freshman year) while your buddy paying the same rate is in a room with a/c, his own bedroom, and a bathroom that he only shares with 1-3 roommates. The quality of the dorms at Penn varies tremendously. In the past the students stuck in the crappiest dorms at least were paying less. In my opinion the new price structure is one of the most unfair policies Penn has ever implemented. Even the bedroom sizes can vary a great deal. My son’s bedroom is roughly 9’x14’ while one of his roommate’s bedroom is 9’x23’. My son had to choose between a mini frig or a chair because both won’t fit. Meanwhile the kid who got there first has room for a couch.
