Temple University
Reviews

SPORTS ARE AWESOME

The athletic teams are great. Most notable would be the Temple Basketball Team and the Football Team. The school spirit and [passion behind our sports team are great and that is only because they are great.

Psychology Major

Temple is a research institution so there are plenty of opporunities to get involved. Also since there is a huge grad school program, there is advice you can actually use and you can even take classes with grad students! Even though there is a plethora of psych students the class sizes are relatively small and the teachers generally care.

Not Great

only stayed there freshman year. Don't stay at THE EDGE!

Off-Campus Housing Rocks!

From my experience, off-campus housing is really an easy process to find, look at, and rent. Temple has many housing fairs in the SAC throughout the year, where you can find housing opportunities through places such as Kardon, Oxford Village, University Village, and other farther away places. The off-campus housing can be extremely close to campus (Oxford Village, where I currently live, is just as far away from some of my classes as my dorm was last year) and there are plenty of options, especially if you do not want to rent an actual house yet! Houses for rent are available, however, and can be really close or farther away from campus. Oxford Village is a block off campus, but it is still in a well-lit area and mostly college students live on the blocks the apartments are on. The great thing about a place like Oxford Village is your apartment is fully furnished (aside from a television..they do give you a tv stand though!), EXTREMELY secure and safe (you have a front door that requires a swipe, your apartment door requires a key, and they have emergency buttons in each bedroom and speaker systems that go out to the front door if you have a visitor), and your roommates' rent is not on you if they do not pay. It is strictly on the individual to get your rent to the office each month. There are also no utility fees unless you go over, which I have yet to do. Also, we kind of get the dorm room feel because the office always has fun and exciting events and free things available! I would say the downside to living in Oxford would be you do not usually have your own bedroom and noise is sometimes an issue (as in any other dorm or apartment complex I am sure). The best thing about transitioning from a dorm room to an apartment is the kitchen! Believe me, you will get sick of the cafeteria food and your inability to have a home cooked meal.

Communications

The communications program at Temple is great! It's an extremely close-knit group, and is known for being so. There's a student-run advertising agency, various other groups, lots of stuff to do and ways to get involved.

Temple Basketball

Not only are the players amazing but I had the pleasure of staying in the same dorm as them and a lot of them are humble and cool.

Great Police Environment

My school's in Philadelphia, North Philadelphia at that, so it's not in the safest of neighborhoods, but we have one of the largest police community's in the state, so there's never a reason to feel like you're danger. I know that our safety is their top priority and I feel safe knowing that.

Computers Are AWESOME!

The computers at my school are great! There are a mix of Macs and PCs, each of the latest models. I have no models with the computers, it's just that at certain times of the year, the computers labs can be packed and that's why it's always handy to have a laptop on your person.

Just Be You

Guys and girls at Temple do not dress to impress. They just dress the way they want to. It's not about the positive or negative comments from someone else, its all about dressing a way to express who you are.

Pretty Good Atmosphere

Alot of options for activities during the week/weekends. Good sprots teams. Alot of cultural activities and events. The only negative thing is the surrounding community of the campus isn't the safest place to be.

Temple Athletics

The student body loves to get involved in the sports at Temple. The football team plays at the Eagles stadium which is pretty cool so students love to go to the games and cheer them on. Not to mention the Temple football team has gotten better over the years so students are more proud to be a Temple Owl fan. Basketball is huge at our school so many students attend those games. As far as atheltic facilities they are excellent. There are two well-kept gyms with a variety of classes and machines to use.

Not Strict

I would say our police are quite lax with drinking. The University usually just gives you a fine if you are caught with alcohol in the dorms.

A Huge Difficulty

My only issue with the financial aid department is that there is no chance of them getting back to you in a timely manner and they are just plain rude. Also, when you try to call them on the phone you have to listen to all the changes in their phone service which has been the same since 2009.

Ignores the City

Typically the facilities on campus are old and outdated. they also do little to impact the surrounding enviornment. They seem to ignore the city their in. The library is nice, but too dark to study in and the Tech Center is huge, but considering the size of temple university there are still not enough computers, not to mention it it typically very loud.

Greeks

There are tons of Greek life at Temple. Personally the Greek life has affected me a lot more because a large number of my friends are active or connected to them in some way. Frat/Sorority parties can be fun but sometimes the whole idea of Greek life is completely overwhelming and a lot of times they are a bigger deal than they should be. The whole idea of having a group of people together while excluding everyone else unless you have membership in a group makes Greek life pretty trivial. I feel like in Greek life a lot of Greeks lose their uniqueness and instead just become part of a group and nothing but a number. Sometimes, it's not like that but I do see this happen.

Need Financial Aid Officers That Know What They Are Doing

Some officers do not know what they are doing. I constantly get the run around. Whenever I go in for an appointment I get a different person every time and each one tells me a different thing. Luckily, I knew a friend that worked at the Financial Aid office and he knew exactly what forms I needed to fill out and how I can go about getting the most money. As a result, I made sure I requested him every time!

Love It!

If you want a school with a lot of cultural experiences, a strong staff of business professionals and the taste of being in the city I would recommend coming to Temple. You get the feel of what it is like to live in the middle of the city right along Broad Street. But if you are looking for that typical "college" feel with lots of grass and ivy and boys in khakis throwing frisbees you should look somewhere else. We have concrete and spray paint artists hanging out on our campus.

Winning Isn't Everything Right?

We have a strong basketball team (both men and woman), our football team is on the rise, and I think our fencing team is decent?, but other than that Temple isn't really known for its athletic abilities. As a student-athlete I would say that the administration needs to step up their game, and coaching staff is sub-par. Need more recruits!!

A Taste of the City

Temple gives students a pretty good variation of different types of students, from race to religion. The school is like a little clip of what the City of Philadelphia has to offer on a much smaller scale. If you are interested in multi-cultural experiences, events, and programs Temple is full of them. We are located in a very liberal city, and this reflects strongly in the teaching I have experienced. If you are an ultra-conservative republican, you will probably not want to major in anything in the College of Liberal Arts, School of Communications, or any other creative types of programs. Even the business and econ. departments are on the liberal side.

Decent

Temple has a decent night life for those who are 21+. Maxi's is a great place to go because it is close to most student housing. Similarly the Horse provides students 21+ a fun place to go as well. However, I do wish there was more places to go close to campus.

Strat Dept

The current Strat Dept. offers students three different concentrations to choose from. I chose the public relations track. All the professors are friendly and I feel that I learn a great deal from the required courses. However I wish the department offered more help with preparing us for the real world. Compared to students in other schools I do not feel as prepared to enter to work force. I also wish the deptartment would offer more courses in social media, sports pr, and event pr.

PPA Is CRAZY!!!!

In order to get a parking permit for Temple you have to pay quite alot, then again it is worht it because the Philadelphia Parking Association have really strict rules, and they do not mess around. You will get caught and ticketed, which is much worse than paying for a permit.

I See No Problem

The police on campus are former City of Philadelphia police. They do a good job at preventing and combating crime, but they also are not overly strict about drinking and smoking. Much like city police, they do not worry themselves with little disobediences and rather focus on more important problems such as underage drinking at big parties.

Weather Is Ok

There are four seasons in Philly. In the beginning of the school year its blazing hot with stifling humidity, then the fall comes with cooler relief. The winter is freezing and its snows, but the administration rarely closes school because of the snow. We had our own "Snowgate" this past winter with the administration deciding to open school when the city was basically shutdown. Then spring comes and so does the rain; seems like its been raining everyday.

Pain the the You-Know-What

Its nearly impossible to get through on the phone to sort through any sort of financial aid issues - which there always will be - so you're forced to go to the financial services office and wait for 45 minutes along with all the other miserable students in the waiting room, only to talk to a financial aid worker with an attitude.