@palm715 I am also an engineering major (BioE). I got the $26k finaid figure too, I suppose the scholarship does not cover fees.
I visited the campus a month ago. The ghetto is a few blocks north of Temple–I took the bus through it–but the campus itself felt fairly safe. There are security checkpoints with guards at the entrance to every building, including the Honors dorm. The student body is big–approaching 40,000–so during the day, there are always lots of people around. Then again, a current student recommended that I always carry pepper spray (and she said she even had to use it a couple times). I see no reason why you could not have an uneventful college career so long as you are smart, but you are living in the city, so you got to be prepared to deal with some wackos.
Not sure about co-ops. The engineering department seems pretty big on research, but I didn’t hear anything about co-ops during the presentation.
If you want a safer environment and tried and true engineering, check out Rowan University
The scholarship does not cover fees. You will receive a bill in July that will accurately reflect the engineering scholarship in relation to the tuition amount and the fees will be part of the bill.
I do not know how many students do co-ops but they are available at Temple. I believe many more secure them with help form the Honors College. Since they are not required, students tend to shy away. Internships are also available.
Safety on campus does not need to be a concern (and sorry to be harsh) unless you fail to be smart and use basic common sense. There is no reason that anyone should have to use pepper spray unless they are alone at night on foot - which is a foolish move in any city. The campus is very safe and extremely well patrolled. There is an escort service that will walk you door-to-door both on campus and off campus. There is a shuttle available in the evenings and through the night that will take you door-to-door both on campus and off campus. My DD is a current junior who definitely goes out at night, stays late in the Tech Center to study and lives off campus. She always either has a walking escort to her apartment or uses the shuttle between campus and her off campus apartment. She has never had a problem or felt unsafe.
The Temple police department has crime statistics available on its website. All campus security are required to publish the information by law (at least in PA).
Thanks so much for the feedback! I actually found an article with some well laid out facts about crime at Temple that I shared with my D today. We are now actually trying to figure out a way to get her there before the May 1st deadline to see Temple in-person before committing. I’m calling Temple tomorrow, but does anyone happen to know if they offer overnight visits since I can’t come with her?
Just to clarify about the President’s Scholar, the amount listed on the financial aid letter is not “accurate” in that the actual amount I will receive depends on my own tuition rate? Because the total amount on my letter is $15,140, but the tuition rate for a student in my college was $16,496 last year, excluding the fees.
(https://bursar.temple.edu/sites/bursar.temple.edu/files/documents/Tuition%20_Rates.pdf?year=2015-2016).
Does that mean that the amount of scholarship changes to cover every student’s tuition rate or that the student has to pay the remainder of the tuition left after the scholarship? I do understand that we have to pay a University fee (from the document it seems to be $790).
Also, does anyone know if the full tuition also covers tuition from Summer classes?
You are correct that the scholarship amount is not “accurate” on the financial award letter. Once you receive an official bill, the scholarship amount and tuition amount for your particular college will match. Also, if the student changes school (i.e. business to engineering), the scholarship amount will adjust accordingly.
I am sorry but I do not know the answer to your question about summer classes.
@palm715 – I do not believe that Temple offers overnight visits as a routine practice. I would suggest that you contact the Honors College as I believe they would be the most helpful.
@PhilaSkiMom I just got off the phone with Jackie at the Honors College. Very nice lady! You are correct, no overnight visits, but D will be able to shadow an honors student for the day and sit in on classes.
@palm715 The Conwell Inn is a B&B actually on the Temple campus. Not sure what their policy is on letting minors check in alone, but they should be used to accommodating students and their families.
Hey @itsgettingreal17 I got the letter with all of the details about the program, and I totally get what you were talking about now. Thanks for the heads up! The stipend can be applied to living expenses. The subsidized housing + the meal plan = $6,540/year, which leaves me $3,460 of the stipend (yay!). I suppose the remainder could then be used for books, or other academic opportunities. Furthermore, they offer separate study abroad support which, according to the letter, almost always covers all of the expenses. So, it really isn’t a full ride + $10k. It is full tuition/fees + $10k, or a full ride + additional funding that I cannot completely quantify.
@danceologist You’re welcome. $3,460 is lots of extra cash. Should cover all remaining expenses (books, transportation, miscellaneous) with money remaining. These are the most generous of scholarships. Congrats!
@OspreyCV22
Thanks for the advice! I actually was able to find the scholarship amount listed as “President’s Scholar” through my TUportal and all $25,000 or so of it was there so it looks like it’s all good to go.
@palm715 From the fairly brief amount of time I spent on campus, I can say that I felt very safe. Students were still walking around on a rainy Sunday afternoon and the campus felt very clean. I honestly wouldn’t have known that I was so close to a main thoroughfare (Broad Street) or so close to downtown Philly! The areas surrounding Temple are definitely rough, but as long as you don’t stray outside the campus everything should be fine. Just exercise safe habits (buddy system, texting friends to let them know where you are, not walking late at night with earbuds in, etc).
Parents, please note that scholarship money that is not used for books and tuition/fees, is potentially subject to being taxed even if it used for housing.
i did not know stipend could be used for regular costs. if that is true that is excellent news. and yes as future doc noted, stipend money not used for what he noted above is taxable.
@ctl987@futuredoctor24 Yes, I didn’t think stipends could be used for anything other than academics, but my acceptance letter clearly stated that the stipend is primarily designed to pay for room/board and other living costs.
According to the IRS site, if the scholarship is not applied to tuition/fees/necessary books, it is subject to taxation. I am curious to know just how much this will turn out to be. If I assume that all $10,000 of the stipend is taxable, can anyone estimate how much will I owe the IRS at the end of the year?
Does anyone know how the Honors LLC works in regard to finding a room and roommate? Do they pick everything? When will we be notified after we complete the LLC application? The Provost Scholarship only has one $4,000 stipend, right? Thanks
@architect2020 I was accepted into the HLLC a little bit over a month ago, so I am familiar with the process.
For the HLLC, you can request a roommate. You usually find your roommate through their RoomSync program (it’s powered by Facebook), which you gain access to after you submit your housing deposit. You can also join both the Temple University Class of 2020 Facebook group and the Temple Honors 2020 Facebook group–there are many people who post there looking for a roommate. After you fill out the HLLC app, you should receive a confirmation email on your TU email account. It will then take about a week (or more) for them to notify you of your acceptance, and then it is another week or so after that before they actually assign you to a room. The short answer: you can request a roommate, but they choose what room you get. There have also been a few people who were not assigned to the person they requested as roommate. Sometimes this was corrected, other times it was not. The best advice I can give you to decrease the chances of this happening is to make sure that you and your roommate submit your HLLC app around the same time so that they are processed at the same time.
Also, it cannot hurt to book your backup housing while you wait for your LLC to be approved. From what I have heard, on campus housing is filling up (and is apparently almost full). If you go in through the regular Housing portal, you can reserve a room in the normal housing halls. If you are later accepted into the LLC, your previous reservations are simply cancelled.
Yes, I believe Provost only get one $4000 stipend, but I am not sure.
