Ivy League in the Hood??? -- REPOST
Written: Sep 21 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: diverse place to live
Cons: hard to get used to for someone that may not be used to it
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| amandaw99's Full Review: University of Pennsylvania |
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: I am reposting this because I realized (with the help of chicknyell) that there is a better place to put this epinion.. so I am moving this here and deleting the copy that exists in "School Overall". Thank you for the advice chichnyell!
Wondering what part of Penn I am going to ramble about next?
Location, location, location. It means everything in real estate. What does it mean to you, if you are on your way to college? It means this is where you are going to spend the next four years of your life and you should know what you are getting into…
Is Penn really in the Hood?
By all means, Penn is NOT in the “Hood”. I used it in the title to get attention. It is, however, stuck in the middle of West Philadelphia. Yes, it doesn’t sound wonderful. Contrary to this, I think this is one of the best parts Penn has to offer.
The good stuff of Philly
Penn is within walking distance to beautiful center city Philadelphia. Take a walk to 18th and Walnut, and you enter a beautiful shopping district. A longer walk, or a short cab ride, to the Liberty Bell. Olde City offers all kinds of art flare. Geno’s offers the best cheese steaks in the world. Like many other cities, there are museums and history galore. In short, being close to the diverse city of Philadelphia makes the classroom never ending.
I dare to say the people of Philadelphia are different than any other city in the world. There’s something more friendly – as compared to New Yorkers, more relaxed, in a way, with just as much to do. I once heard someone describe Philadelphia as a combination of Miami and New York, and I don’t think it could be more true. Something totally “chill” with the business of any other city. A totally unbelievable combination.
What about University City specifically?
Judith Rodin, University President, has done a lot in her tenure to revitalize the area in which Penn resides. The campus is urban – but if you go down Locust walk, the center of campus, you can almost get lost in the green grass of College Green.
It is clean, well lit, and with new buildings constantly being built campus is becoming more and more “upscale”. To many, this is awesome – to some it’s sad to see some of Penn’s famous traditions being knocked off for the next typical shoe store. Any way you look at it, the new stores – new hotels, apartments, school buildings – they all make Penn relatively a better place. The better they fix up the area, and help surrounding West Philly residents, the more appealing Penn becomes to incoming students.
However, not all parts of going into school are a pretty picture.
Not so pretty
For example, you will learn how to turn down beggars walking down the street. You will learn not to go past a certain street, especially at night. You really shouldn’t travel alone at night (especially as a woman).
My thoughts
But are these really drawbacks? This is what I cam to college for. Life. All different kinds of learning experiences, not just the classroom ones. I didn’t want to go to school in the country (as beautiful as it is) and live in a bubble, without the “not so pretty things.”
It’s nice to have the history of Penn around me, Ben Franklin looking down. Not to mention thousands of things to do around Philadelphia at my fingertips. Most importantly, though, I learned the best thing is to sometimes to turn down the beggars, as hard as it is. Yes, I like going to school in the “Hood”.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
amandaw99
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Member: Amanda
Location: Pa
Reviews written: 72
Trusted by: 45 members
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