@JPhilly99 I really like Temple, and since it is currently my most affordable option (better than what the UC’s and Cal Poly offer, thanks a lot California 
) that’s probably where I will end up. I do have a couple of reservations. One of these is simply about the credibility of the bioengineering program. It is brand new, and one of my math teachers told me that I should always go with a tried and proven engineering program so that I don’t have to try to “sell” myself at job interviews. Since I plan on going straight to med school, I am hoping I will not have this problem–however, if for some reason I decide to try to get a job after graduating, it would be nice to be able to find a job. One of my other reservations is just about the atmosphere of the school. It definitely has a large party scene, and I am not a party person. I thought that this might be fairly limited in the Honors group, but after talking with a lot of the prospective Honors kids, it looks like even they are looking forward to some hardcore partying. This doesn’t deter me too much; I am sure that I will find my non-partying niche. It is just more of a study-hard-party-hard school than I initially thought it was.
@Katecat27 It sounds like you are pretty busy, but if there is one piece of advice I could offer you, it is GO TO EXPERIENCE TEMPLE DAY! Seriously, this is what sold me on Temple. It is a public PA school, so most of their students are in-state. Everyone kept asking me what high school I go to, and they looked super confused when I told them the name of my CA high school. Being OOS just makes you special! Everyone will want to be friends with the chill California girls 
@danceologist – my D1 started at Temple as a bioengineering major. She has since switched majors but I wanted to share her experience. While the program is new, Temple hired amazing professors. She loved her profs and, importantly, the advisors. As a freshman, she was accepted into a research team and was performing research along grad students. Her name was published on the findings in her sophomore year. She had a wonderful experience and believes that Temple is committed to the program and ensuring that bioengineering majors have every opportunity possible to succeed. Good luck and welcome to Temple!
@PhilaSkiMom Thank you so much for sharing her story! The bioengineering presentation at ETD was very exciting–I do agree that they offer a lot of opportunities for their students, and I loved Dr. Lelkes. Your experience with the program is very encouraging.
Trust me, I’m totally with you on the partying thing! I’m definitely more interested in hitting the books hard and getting the highest grades that I can than going to ragers. There will definitely be other students like us at Temple that aren’t really interested in parties.
It seems like you won’t have much trouble getting a job in the Northeast with a diploma from Temple but if you come back to California to get a job you might have a harder time. I know that in Philadelphia itself a Temple education is very well-respected, so I doubt you’ll really have to sell yourself any more than the other applicants! Plus, the university’s hospital is only a few stops away on the subway, so conducting research there and getting involved will probably give you some great experiences and recommendations that’ll help you land a job. Are you planning on living in 1300 or somewhere else? @danceologist
@JPhilly99 Sounds like you will be part of my niche!
I agree that Temple has an excellent reputation on the east coast. I think that its reputation is steadily growing, and I am guessing that by the time I graduate it will have more national recognition. In any case, I think that what I do with the opportunities they give me is more important than the school’s prestige (especially in terms of med school admission, but should also apply to BioE job applications). I am definitely looking forward to doing research at the hospital and within the department.
I have been accepted into 1300! I already have my roommates, and I can’t believe how fast this is moving.
@JPhilly99
@danceologist
I’m not much of a partier myself, but I’m sure there will be all types there. I didn’t even realize it was that much of a party school?
I’m a bit worried about the name recognition though. I’d kind of like to have a job in Cali afterward, and I don’t know of too many people that have heard of temple before.
How fast do you think 1300 will fill? I won’t be SIRing until I visit which won’t be until the end of April:(
@Katecat27 I talked about the HLLC with a couple of other CCers. To catch the main points of our conversations…
You should read both pages of this thread:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/temple-university/1869958-honors-college-class-of-2020-p1.html
And the last couple of pages on this thread:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/temple-university/1819638-temple-class-of-2020-p19.html
I think this is the most important takeaway (I’m quoting @mtown27’s post):
“1. The Honors LLC (at 1300) is not full and they’ve historically never had to deny a place to those who have applied by May1.
2. Although she can’t guarantee that this will be the case this year (after all, housing at Temple IS on a first come / first serve basis), it’s still very likely. She would have said the same thing last year, or the year before …
3. Every student admitted to the Honors Program should have received an email today confirming that there’s still space with very specific instructions on how to enroll. She stressed that enrolling students who want a spot in the Honors LLC should read this email very carefully.
4. She will continue to send out this email on a weekly basis going forward (unless in the unlikely event that they do run out of space).”
If you still have questions, contact Musu Davis. She is awesome and knows exactly what is going on in the HLLC.
@Katecat27 @danceologist
I don’t really think Temple has a party school reputation in the way that a place like UCSB or ASU does, but it has an A+ rating for parties on Niche! It doesn’t really matter to me since I don’t plan on going to many of them. But that’s all really good info to hear, if I end up choosing Temple I won’t submit my intent to enroll until about the same time as you @Katecat27 . I’m pretty confident that there will still be plenty of room left by the time I apply. I want to go for a four-person suite anyway so maybe those are a little less popular?
I keep hearing that it’s more important to make the most out of your time in college than just go to a school with a big name and hope that that’ll carry you into a job. I’d say it would be best to take the cheapest option so you minimize debt coming out of your undergrad years. And at Temple, with all the perks they offer honors students/President’s Scholars it seems pretty easy to obtain a pretty bulky resume by the time we enter the workforce or apply for med school. And anyway, I think name recognition matters more for graduate programs, and if you do well at Temple you could always pursue an Ivy or other top-notch school for a graduate degree! I know other students coming out of the honors program have.
@Katecat27 @danceologist
Just thought I’d update you both: I just submitted my enrollment and housing deposits to Temple! UCLA just didn’t seem like a fit for me, but I’m so happy with my decision and I can’t wait to start school at Temple in the fall.
@JPhilly99
Congratulations!!! I hope all goes well
I’m still undecided! :((
@JPhilly99 congrats! I am going down the opposite route; I love TU, but I was just offered a full ride + $10,000 annual stipend to a small public uni in the South. Some tough choices to make.
@Katecat27 @danceologist
Thank you!! Keep me posted with what you both decide, it would be great to not be the only person from SoCal! Awesome job landing that full ride btw @danceologist ! I’m sure you’ll thrive wherever you end up. Just go with wherever you’re most comfortable and can see yourself succeeding!
@danceologist What school offers such a generous scholarship?
@JPhilly99 Thank you so much! Graduating debt free is so tempting.
@itsgettingreal17 It is the Donaghey Scholars Program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. What it lacks in prestige in more than makes up for in opportunities! With that stipend, studying abroad and researching have suddenly become realistic goals.
@JPhilly99
“I’m also a President’s Scholar (from California as well!) and I didn’t have this issue on TU Portal. On mine, it says I have to submit the FAFSA in order to receive any aid but since it’s a merit scholarship I don’t think I have to do that. I wasn’t planning on filing the FAFSA anyway, so I hope it isn’t an issue…”
You really better check with the FA office. Most colleges make you fill out FAFSA for merit aid as well. It’s really not very hard to fill out with parent’s tax info. It took us less than 45 minutes.
Thanks @danceologist Great scholarship! It does look like however that the stipend is intended to cover room and board expenses so it’s not really a full ride + $10k, but I bet the $10k with the housing subsidy is enough to have some spending money for books, transportation, and misc. And lots of perks. I’d take the scholarship.
@itsgettingreal17 I’m 99% sure the stipend is for strictly academic purposes (not cost of living). The people I talked to from the program said that students can use their stipend to study abroad. I talked to one student extensively who spent her summer in Asia. In her exact words from her email, “I paid for the whole trip using my stipend from the Donaghey Program.” When the assistant director called to give me my acceptance, she told me, “It is a basically a full ride and more!” hence my wording “full ride + $10k.” There will still be a little bit left of housing to pay for (the housing without the subsidy is only $3,000/semester), but I’m fairly certain that the $10k is not for room and board expenses.
You can use it any way you like but the scholarship doesn’t cover room and board. There is a subsidy for room, but it may not be the entire cost. So, room and board expenses need to be covered somehow. If you are on campus, you’ll have those costs and should use the stipend to cover those costs. If you are studying abroad then you don’t need to cover room and board at Little Rock and can use it to cover any uncovered study abroad. Lots of scholarships are done this way, for some reason.
@itsgettingreal17 I will check back with you soon after I have gotten all the details and visited the campus. I see no reason why I could not use my stipend for the reasons that the program has told me, but I will make sure to clarify that.
I know this is mostly a student thread, but a mom here with a couple of questions, if you don’t mind.
D got the Presidential Scholarship and the financial aid letter shows the value as $26,470, but when I use the tuition calculator for a full-time student in the College of Engineering, it shows $27,682. I’m guessing that means the scholarship is just for the tuition and not the tacked on fees. Does that sound correct?
D is worried about the crime. Does anyone have a link to specific crime data for Temple? Or any firsthand impressions of how safe or not safe they feel on campus?
She plans to major in Mechanical Engineering. Does anyone have data on how many engineering students choose to do co-ops? Per the website it doesn’t seem very popular.
Her final choices are between Temple, Northeastern and Stevens with Temple being much, much less expensive than the other two. I would really like her to pick Temple so she is not in debt up to her eyeballs when she graduates, but the crime and quality of the engineering are making her worried.
Thanks & aloha!