<p>This year I am living in an on-campus residence, and I am considering living off campus next year. Does anyone have any comments or information on the Radian? How would you say that the cost of the Radian compares to that of the on-campus dorms? I don't know exactly how much the dorms cost per year, so I can't really compare the two. Also, I would like to know any of the advantages or disadvantages of living there.</p>
<p>This year's on campus rent: <a href="http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/housing/ugrent0809.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/housing/ugrent0809.pdf</a></p>
<p>This year's rent in the Radian: The</a> Radian Apartments in Philadelphia, PA</p>
<p>Keep in mind that both sets of rent will go up next year (what's uncertain is if they'll both increase by the same amount). Also note that Radian leases are for 12 months while on-campus rent is only for the 9 months of the academic year.</p>
<p>whoa.. so radian is almost twice as expensive as on-campus?? I always thought it was not such a difference... whoops</p>
<p>The Radian has a washer/dryer in each unit, a kitchen and cable/internet is included.<br>
I found that it was about $200 a month more than one of the less horrible older 1 bedroom apartments (off campus), but worth it. My son was slammed by utility bills (split) in off-campus housing, not to mention the charges for internet etc.<br>
It is certainly more expensive than a dorm, but don't forget to add in your meal plan for the dorm.</p>
<p>It doesn't seem like there's that big a difference. A three-bedroom triple apartment on-campus is $8,600/bedroom for 8-1/2 months, and a three-bedroom apartment in The Radian is "from" $1,050/bedroom/mo. The Radian seems awfully high, though.</p>
<p>it's 1050 a month... for 12 months which is a rip off.. if it was for just the academic year (which would make sense) I would totally go for it</p>
<p>That seems very unreasonable to have a full year long lease. Is a full year lease the absolute only option? Can students not spending the summer months at Penn do something the curb the costs, such as renting it out to someone else while they are gone?</p>
<p>Yes - there is an option for subletting your room in the summer.</p>
<p>You can sublet, but the going rate around campus for bedrooms is 300-400/ mo, so I can't imagine you'll recoup much of that 1k+ a month rate.</p>
<p>It can be really hard to find subletters, so I'd say only move off campus if you plan to either be around campus for a summer or have a reliable group of friends who need to sublet (many people you know through a club or something). </p>
<p>The sad reality is that on-campus housing is pretty expensive. You can save a lot of money if you're willing to share a bedroom, though.</p>
<p>How extensive/good would you say the roommate matching service is? Also, how would you describe the atmosphere (rowdy/quiet, great/bad for studying and doing work)? Finally, seeing as you have to apply, is it very competitive in getting a spot?</p>
<p>Does anyone know if financial aid could cover costs for the radian? Or only a part of it?</p>
<p>my philosophy is that if you are taking advantage of the school, clubs, and friends, having an extremely crappy or extremely nice house shouldnt much matter as youll be out and about most of the time.</p>
<p>for the double cost of on campus housing, the radian is only worth it if you want people to know you live in an expensive place.</p>
<p>Thanks to modern archeitectural design, the inside of radian is covered by occasional slabs of concrete jutting out from the white walls. Its supposed to look cool, but I wouldn't pay twice the going rate for that.</p>
<p>I think it is important to many students to have a clean, safe, quiet place to live. You DO spend a lot of time in your residence. If you are fine with the dorm and don't want to keep or fix food, good for you. There was a line out the door this past week to sign up for Radian for next year, so it appeals to many. All depends what you want. Apts are. very soundproof.</p>
<p>Are they really already signing up? wow, do you think that it's too late now to try to sign up for next fall now?</p>
<p>Not many residents are going to give up the rooms, so the available rooms will be people who are graduating. They don't know yet who is going to leave/renew, but I would go over there and find out how to get on the list. It will depend a lot on whether you want a single, double, quad etc.</p>
<p>hmm, then someone should check the sound proofness of the ceilings between the 8th and 9th floors on radian</p>
<p>my friends on 8th always hear their upstairs neighbors mounting eachothers' respective horses at all hours of the night.</p>
<p>and the rooms besides being newer and cleaner, are little different than at a decent high rise room.</p>
<p>You aren't assured of a "decent" high-rise room, although there are definitely some. Also, the wait for elevators in the high-rises (going back many years) can be forever.</p>
<p>Just as a reminder: Wild Child seems to have had a bad experience, but many, many Penn students are perfectly happy with the traditional sources of off-campus housing -- older apartment buildings and carved-up single-family homes within a mile or so of the center of campus. As far as I know, they are much, much cheaper than The Radian. You don't NEED to live in a flashy, brand-new building that is closer to classrooms than most of the dorms.</p>
<p>Moving to an off-campus house was one of the best decisions I've ever made at Penn, and I cover everything (rent, utils, internet, etc) for under $700/mo.</p>
<p>The place where you live can really impact your experience. Being able to have people over to work on things as well as for social events can significantly change your experience for the better. The Radian would have been nice, but not $4000+ nicer.</p>
<p>mattwonder, how far are you from campus? That sounds like a really good deal.</p>