<p>As a junior in HS who has a year to even apply, I don't want to get ahead of myself. But IF I get into Penn, I'm wondering about housing. I know that Penn has a College House system based on different academic programs, most freshman living in one of a few houses in the Quad. That's about the extent of my knowledge on the issue. </p>
<p>I know getting a roommate is part of the "college experience", but frankly, I'm a very particular and picky person and would want a single dorm. Can you choose to bite the bullet and pay extra for a single dorm, or is it out of my hands and randomly assigned?</p>
<p>You really need to get accepted to Penn before you start obsessing over the minutiae. You can request a single on your housing preference form, but this is by no means guaranteed.</p>
<p>My son is a freshman and I think he had to list 6 housing preferences. His first 3 choices were singles in the Quad, and he got his first choice. It is a little extra, but well worth it for him…</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, there will be a brand new college house–currently under construction–opening for Fall Semester of 2016:</p>
<p><a href=“Penn Connects : A Vision for the Future.”>Penn Connects : A Vision for the Future.;
<p>And I believe that the current Hill College House will then be closed for at least a year or so for a complete renovation, including the installation of central air conditioning. :)</p>
<p>I’m a senior applying to Penn and I have also been wondering about the housing, especially because on my tour they mentioned that it isn’t guaranteed. From what they said it sounds like pretty much all freshman live on campus but after that you might have to move off campus. Does anyone have experience with this/ have any more information? </p>
<p>My S is an sophomore now and lives off campus by choice. There are a lot of apartments nearby. Anyway, I went to a housing fair during his freshman year and during the presentation was told that if you want to stay on campus PENN will work to find you somewhere. That pretty much everyone who ‘wants’ on campus housing can get it. They just may have to compromise where. They also gave helpful hints to get where you wanted in terms of on campus housing but I can’t remember now (getting old). </p>
<p>This is my second child who moved off campus in their sophomore year (different schools) and while it seems scary now as a parent or a high school student that somehow changes once they get to college. I never would have thought I would be okay with them moving off campus. I would not let it make or break where you choose to go to school.</p>
<p>And maybe someone else can weigh in I think once Hill reopens that is going to alter the amount of on campus housing that PENN offers?</p>
<p>^ When Hill reopens, I believe there should be a net addition of about 350 beds on-campus (assuming that the renovated Hill has the same number of beds as it does now).</p>
<p>In terms of on- versus off-campus housing, it’s also my impression that there are enough beds on-campus to accommodate virtually all students who want to live on-campus (primarily in the three high-rise college houses, which soon will no longer house any freshmen, if they already don’t). And of course, that will be even more the case once the new college house opens and Hill is reopened.</p>
<p>And it’s important to understand that Penn’s off-campus undergraduate housing “community” is quite vigorous and vibrant, and located primarily within 1-3 blocks of campus proper (and, in many cases, virtually on campus or literally across the street from it). The off-campus housing neighborhood is effectively an appendage of the campus, and the vast majority of it is within the patrol zone of the Penn Police. The types of off-campus accommodations range from large, 100-plus-year-old student apartment buildings with exposed brick interior walls and hardwood floors (Hamilton Court), to ultra-modern and sleek student apartment buildings (the Radian), to charming Victorian row homes and twins shared by groups of 5 or 6 students or containing student apartments. And while a significant number of upperclassmen do choose to remain in campus housing (primarily, as I said, in one of the three high-rises), another large portion choose to live off-campus in one of the variety of options I just described. It’s very much part of the Penn undergraduate experience, and I think that most Penn undergrads and alums would describe it as a positive aspect of their time at Penn, providing a strong sense of still being part of the Penn campus community while having an added degree of privacy, freedom, and flexibility.</p>
<p>Oh, and yes, virtually all Penn freshmen live on campus. Living off-campus, for those who choose to do so, is generally for sophomores, juniors, and/or seniors.</p>