<p>I know that Temple has a reputation for being in a rough section of Philly. My BIL was born and raised in Philly, most of his family still lives there. </p>
<p>His kids went to Drexal, and he doesn't recommend it due to the expense, but he advised against Temple as well. Said he couldn't see our son, 17 when he starts college, attending Temple. </p>
<p>He said the area is worse than most people realize. </p>
<p>Temple was one of the schools on a short list if DS gets at least a 32 on the ACT. </p>
<p>Is Temple really that bad of a school due to it's location?</p>
<p>Have you visited the school yourself? I think you should go see the school and make your own opinion, not go by your BIL. My D is a freshman there this year. We live in the tv viewing area (local news) of Temple and have all of my life. My DH and I were very skeptical about Temple, but we had never been there. When we toured last summer, we were totally shocked at the campus. I felt like Temple was in a bubble, it felt like a suburban school when you are on the campus property. Yes, North Philly can have a reputation, but I have to admit I feel that my child is in a very safe environment on campus. It is in a city so the kids do need to be street smart.</p>
<p>My D spent a week there as a 16 year old doing a summer engineering program. She didn’t go off campus solo though I’d have been fine with her doing that by day. I agree with zebra - you need to visit.</p>
<p>My D just started there. The campus itself feels totally safe. There is a subway stop right on campus that whisks you to center city so there’s no real reason to wander the area surrounding the campus & you have the whole vibrant city to explore. Please PM me if you would like more info - my D is beyond thrilled with her choice so far. </p>
<p>Glad to see parents think it’s a safe campus. With DS17, we are not wasting time and money that could be better spent elsewhere if he doesn’t score high enough to get the full tuition.</p>
<p>His ACT prep tests are coming in around 30/31, so with the 32 now required, Temple is on hold.</p>
<p>My BIL worried be though, as he strongly advised against Temple. But, IF he manages to score high enough, we will definitely visit. </p>
My son is fortunate enough to have been offered the full tuition scholarship, University Honors, and Fox School of Business Honors. That being said, I am quite concerned about the safety issue, especially since he has been raised in a very rural area. I’m not sure he would even recognize places/behaviors to avoid. Is it possible for him to learn to be city smart and how would he go about learning - quickly? Suggestions, anyone?
As someone who visits TU every weekend and will probably go there I can say it is a bit sketchy off campus but honestly you won’t be going to the areas that are very dangerous and Temple is really expanding and turning the bad areas into nice buildings or parks. As long as you don’t aggravate those you see on the streets you should have no trouble at all.
I’m not trying to be stupid, but well,… So can you enlighten me as to how exactly one knows what areas are dangerous? Also, what are some specific behaviors to avoid. For example, is it dangerous to be texting while walking on campus? The fact that I am even asking such questions should show how naive I am with regard to city life.
hi. my kid grew up in very rural area too and has been fine. several people from his high school attend temple too and they have been all right safety wise. texting on campus should be fine. there is NO way i would recomend texting off campus to start unless it is on teh reigoanal rail train. once your kids gets his bearings, he will have better idea on when and where he can safely text. he can probably pick up on what is sketchy better than you think. You go about 1.5 blocks west of Morgan, a big dorm at southern edge of campus, and it goes from being a well lit campus environment to a darker area, a cross between college life and a rough neihborhood. you go another couple of blocks and it is all rough. My kid barely leaves campus except to catch subway, which is across street from Morgan, still on campus, and very safe. i was worried about temple too but now that the kid is there and with several visits, including after dark, on campus is very safe. i hope ur kid decides on Temple. if he finds a better choice for him, well then he should go there. but my son commented there are very few rural kids in the honors dorm. so just to get some more rural diveristy!, it would be good to have another rural kid join honors. many, but not all, of the honors kids are surburban Philly kids, and there are also kids from other states. my son’s dormmates and roomates have been very nice; he lives on the honors floor. the business school is also strong and a great bang for your buck. also, you learn info from the other kids(re safety). the southern edge of campus seems to be more safe than the northern edge and the honors dorm is on souhern edge. in fact, it’s doors open up to campus rather than off campus. you just might have a room window facing off campus.
Kids should not be flashing expensive cell phones when walking around any city and should definitely not be distracted as when walking and texting or listening to music on headphones. For traffic if nothing else. As a city kid the #1 safety tip is to be aware of your surroundings.
Other common-sense city stuff: don’t walk around late at night alone, don’t get so drunk/high/whatever that you can’t be aware of what’s going on around you, don’t flash wads of cash or expensive electronics or jewelry. As a young kid (NYC) I was taught to go into a store and ask for help/to use the phone if I felt odd (followed or uncomfortable). Temple kids will have campus police # and should use it if they feel threatened.
That said, the city can be safer in some ways than a rural area for the obvious reason that people are around on the streets. Crimes happen when people think they won’t get caught - when no one is looking. It’s one reason I get a little freaked out in the country
There is incredible security on campus. When D and I were there to check into her summer program two years ago we stopped in front of a campus map to figure out where we were supposed to go. I don’t think we stood there for 30 seconds before an officer came up to ask if we needed assistance. The campus is well-lit and patrolled.
Off campus my personal feeling is daytime is OK and in groups, nighttime too. Respect for Temple’s neighbors - area residents - goes a long way.
Freshmen have to do an orientation class that includes very detailed instructions on safety, and alerts go out immediately when there is any kind of crime nearby or on campus. The TU security perimeter includes several streets around the campus (i.e. patrolled by TU police) and there is a 24/7 shuttle that can pick you up anywhere nearby and bring you back to campus. Yes, there have been some assaults on TU students, but almost all have been way off campus and very late at night. I know many TU students, male and female, who have never had a problem.
If you’ve never seen big city public housing neighborhoods, the area around Temple can seem worse than it really is. Most of those residents have jobs and don’t cause trouble for anyone.
When DS qualified for the Presidential Scholarship, we made the trip to visit the campus.
Once on campus, it felt perfectly safe to us. I could see not going into the surrounding areas late at night, or alone, but the campus itself was perfectly fine.
I would be perfectly fine if DS chose to attend Temple, and I was the one who started this thread.
I think I would address this issue properly since I’m a Temple University student and I can give you a true perspective. Yes, Temple University might not be in a great area in the city. However, what many parents fail to realize is that Temple University actually has the largest campus police force in the United States. What does that mean? It means that the campus police force are easily noticeable especially on campus in order to protect students. If you like to venture off campus, then that is a different story. Recently, there have been a few problems, but almost all of them have been at the edge of campus. Utilizing common sense will help you out so much especially not texting when you are walking or having headphones in late at night. Know your surroundings will help you out a lot. Some of the problems that have occurred in my opinion are when Temple University students very late at night (after having beverages) are disrespectful to local residents.
There have been a few times where I have had to increase my awareness because something felt wrong in certain situations.
Having come to the suburbs, I had heard a great deal about safety in the area. However, the media fails to recognize how safe it is on campus. Many of my friends have went back to their dorms from the TECH Center (Technology center) at 2 or 3am in the morning and have not encountered any problems. If you have specific questions, please feel free to inbox me.
again, future is on campus so way more up on this me. what i have seen reinforces everything future has said,. Campus is very well lit after dark. there are police visibly around 24/7 and i would be fine with my kid walking from tech center to his dorm at 2AM. We saw a play one weekend that got out aroind 11PM and were safe walking around that part of campus at 11PM (Norris Street and south of norris street if you want to check map).
