Anyone living here this year? What’s it like? And is it particularly isolating?
Beautiful, every amenity you could imagine, very close to SEAS classes, common spaces encourage studying, cooking, practicing and eating together. Close to 30th street station; easy walk to center city, health services or gym. Professors and staff are wonderful. Current freshman love it!
Yay, that’s so nice to hear @KLSD! One more Q - is there a good mix of kids from SEAS, Wharton, CAS, etc. in New College House?
Contrasting Opinion - Don’t go for NCH. I’m a current freshman at Penn and spend most of my ‘dorm time’ at NCH since my girlfriend lives here so I can give a first hand opinion. It’s sooo far from everything. If you’re an engineer, only then would I say consider NCH. Also, social life is bad - the quad is much much much better. If you absolutely need a private bathroom and private bedroom then NCH. If you can compromise on that the Quad is by far the best option for freshmen
It seems as if NCH has a good mix of students because our SEAS freshman socializes and explores Philly with a good mix including weekly cooking with a group of a dozen students across all schools and dual majors. If you chose Penn for the iconic quad, you may want to reconsider, but remember that the social environment will change when Hill reopens next door with over 20% of the 2021 class. Living in Philly will provide you with opportunities to attend shows, events and get diverse cheep eats all on a student’s budget. If you are excited about exploring those opportunities, larger volumes of freshmen may not add too much to your experience. Groups of great friends from all over the world are all that you may need. Visit and check out the options if you can. On move-in day, parents jokingly considered moving to NCH for the amenities and leaving their student at home.
I don’t live in NCH, so I don’t have much to add beyond what others have already written, but one thing worth noting is that NCH is a 4-year house, which means only ~30% of the residents will be freshman next year. NCH being all-freshman is for this year only because Hill is closed. I’m not sure if that affects anyone’s interest in wanting to live in NCH, but it’s worth thinking about.