<p>I think the title pretty much sums up my question.</p>
<p>If not, does it offer off-campus housing? If I went to Penn, could I ever find myself in a situation where I couldn’t find a place to live?</p>
<p>Technically, yes. Penn only guarantees housing for freshman year. There is off campus housing but they don't guarantee anything. And you could find yourself in a situation where you didn't have a place to live.</p>
<p>Oh.</p>
<p>Does that happen often? Because I like Penn, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to go if I can't find a place to live... Do most colleges guarantee housing for four years or just one?</p>
<p>Usually housing isn't a problem but I guess you have to quick in order to reserve housing for the next years. I think most colleges only guarantee one year.</p>
<p>When I visited students and faculty said that, although it is not guaranteed, enough people voluntarily choose to live off campus that you can stay in the dorms.</p>
<p>it's so weird that you posted this question!</p>
<p>I came to this forum just for that. I just came home from my Penn interview, and when he asked me if I had any questions, I said "I know that Penn doesn't guarantee housing, did that affect you at all?" He said that he didn't think that was true at all, so I said that I was told that by the person who was giving the tour. He was going to investigate and let me know. He also said that not having guaranteed housing was the stupidest thing he ever heaerd. ahh. I'm going to feel like an idiot if I'm wrong :/</p>
<p>What sristi said is not true for any other Ivy, except for maybe Columbia. Thy only have room for ~70% of the school. But still, I don't know why anyone would want to stay in the highrises anyways. They are ugly and are in the ****ty end of the campus</p>
<p>Definitely not guaranteed, but there is plentiful housing off campus (and in frats). This comes from the parent's page of housing:</p>
<p>Please be aware that it is not unusual for some students to be placed on a housing wait list. While housing is not guaranteed, generally students interested in living on campus who are flexible in their room choices can be accommodated in cancellations that become available. To increase your student's chances for success in the room selection process, we offer the following suggestions:</p>
<pre><code>*
Consider returning to your same House. Since the room selection processes are sequential, the chances of securing housing are much higher during the in-house phase.
*
Be realistic with housing choices. Prime room types in each House are usually filled with students with the most seniority early in the room selection process. For example, a rising sophomore is highly unlikely to secure an apartment in the high rises offering a private bedroom and kitchen.
*
Make sure your student is familiar with the process and deadlines so they can plan accordingly.
*
Be aware that cancellation fees begin at $250 and escalate with time. Your student is obligated financially from the moment they sign their housing agreement and are assigned a room. Changing rooms or cancelling a room will result in a cancellation fee.
</code></pre>
<p>We wish your student success in the process. Please contact the Assignments Office at 215-898-8271 if you have further questions after reviewing our web site.</p>
<p>I actually like the highrises. If you aren't a party animal I think it is a great option. Who cares how it looks like on the outside? As long as you have a clean, large living space it is good.
I actually prefer the highrises to the quad but that is just my opionion.
Most colleges I looked at guaranteed only one year of housing. However, the only other ivy I looked at was Columbia.
meadweb--I am 99.9% sure that Penn doesn't guarantee housing other than freshmen.</p>
<p>i know that there has been added security on campus, especially due to a recent string of incidents, but how safe is off-campus housing?</p>
<p>i read somewhere tht only like 60% of penn students live on-campus, but most of those tht don't live on campus live in off-campus housing very near 2 penn, so assume tht everyone will have a place, whether on/off-campus.</p>
<p>I forget the exact street #s (you can probably look it up), but security also patrols the popular off campus housing areas in the immediate vicinity.</p>
<p>Sristi, it's harder to meet people if you live in the high rises freshman year. After that, it's a good option.</p>
<p>Campus security extends westward to 43rd street and is present pretty much continuously. I live on 42nd street and generally fell pretty safe. I'm not going to pretend that it's as secure as living on campus, but it's not like you're living in a terrible area, and in terms of the quality of housing, you can generally find nicer living conditions for significantly less than the price of on campus housing.</p>