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hannahmckayx t1_j5okuj9 wrote

Ugh. My kid got into temple and really wants to go… I’m unsure.

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starboardbaby t1_j5own66 wrote

Def consider sending him to Temple! I’m a current student and happy here. It’s a great school with such a wide array of strong programs, school pride, and strong alumni outcomes. Keep in mind, ALL of these crimes are occuring in the off-campus neighborhood. When your kid is a freshman, he’ll probably live in a dorm, which are all highly secure and on-campus, so he’ll be fine. After that, he’ll have plenty of options for safe housing both on-campus and in better areas than Templetown. If you’re local, he can commute, which many at Temple do and is an even safer option. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions!!

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Away_Swimming_5757 t1_j5pazzg wrote

I graduated from Temple. It's a good education, but comes with a very low quality of life if you are living in the immediate area.

It's not a place where you can walk around with headphones and feel safe. I was constantly on guard while living there and when I look back, I wish I would've went somewhere else that had a peaceful, safe quality of life where I could walk home safely at night time and not have PTSD from having my home invaded.

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SaltPepperKetchup215 t1_j5ooq49 wrote

There will always be fear mongering. I’ve lived here my whole life and it takes a lot to scare me, 100% I wouldn’t want my kid going to Temple

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pr10 t1_j5ornvw wrote

I went to Temple, lived off campus, and it's fine. Try to get dorm housing the first year or two if possible.

And when living off campus, live as close to the campus core as possible - it's safer and makes it easier to get to class. Also, look into the areas where Temple Police patrol - they are infinitely more responsive than PPD.

Alternatively, the BSL and Regional Rail run through campus so they could commute from another area as well. A lot of my classmates rented in South Philly, for instance.

EDIT: spelling

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Accomplished_Crab392 t1_j5optw8 wrote

Anywhere else with similar tuition? I hate to poo poo temple because I think it’s a great school, but the area is worth being worried about. FYIY I went to sju and probably wouldn’t encourage any kids looking at schools to go there either personally.

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hannahmckayx t1_j5osj6f wrote

He got into a few schools in NJ which is cheaper since we live in NJ, and a few schools in NY. The main problem for me is I grew up in Philly but my kids grew up in cape may lol. My kids are so soft and I feel like it would be a culture shock, they’d be such easy targets in a city 😂

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Lunamothknits t1_j5owrkq wrote

My oldest is what I call suburban soft. I’m from the area but he’s been raised literally everywhere else, and I’d have the same worry. I’m trying to get him acclimated now before college but he’s a gentle, squishy, trusting creature… 😂

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starboardbaby t1_j5ox02d wrote

SJU people love to shit on Temple but the area around SJU has seen its fair share of crimes against students recently. There have been a handful of kids carjacked, there was an SJU student shot outside his student apartment in Overbrook recently, kids get jumped, etc. SJU is having the same exact problem with city crime- parents complaining, “increasing police presence”, etc.

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Accomplished_Crab392 t1_j5oy7gs wrote

I literally said I would not recommend sju either lol. Sju public safety could arguably be worse than temples.

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starboardbaby t1_j5p0ams wrote

I gotchu yeah I hate to see it. Such a shame bc overbrook could be such a great area

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Accomplished_Crab392 t1_j5p4j7i wrote

I agree, my dad grew up there. Theres some gorgeous architecture, it’s still pretty if you know what you’re doing, just gotta keep your wits, which is hard to expect from sheltered college kids.

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scrimshandy t1_j5prcwo wrote

Temple alum here about to go to bat for the school. First, if your kid is from Philly/surrounding areas and knows how to keep an eye out, they’ll be okay. Temple (like Philly) has gotten more sketchy post-2020, I won’t deny that. However.

It’s an R1 university, which means amazing research opportunities for undergrads. They have a huge study abroad program which for me wad a huge bonus. If your kid is eligible, the honors program is great, too.

Tuition is relatively cheap, especially in state, and they’re generous with scholarships. Campus is close to the sub, regional rail, and bus stops. Lots of student employment opportunities as well (I worked on campus 6 out of my 8 semesters.)

Philly is a fun city with lots of local scenes, if you know where to look. And very abundant with post-graduation employment opportunities. (I graduated with employment offers in my field from Jefferson, CHOP, and Drexel.)

That being said, I absolutely recommend on-campus or off-campus apartment housing for safety until something major changes.

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Stompanee t1_j5px2tk wrote

I’m the mom of a freshman. I understand completely how you feel. Feel free to DM me to discuss our experience. While we worry, we have been happy at temple.

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DonQOnIce t1_j5ozdbw wrote

I would just encourage your kid to live in a different neighborhood if not on campus if they really want to go. Temple is easy accessible by public transit from many safer city neighborhoods.

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postgrad-dep18 t1_j5qni07 wrote

Agreeing with the others, it’s a good and affordable school! The work study program (if your kid is eligible) is awesome, I worked off campus at a big company that opened a lot of doors for me! I stayed there for 4 years and it was a great experience.

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IcanCwhatUsay t1_j5rwwbb wrote

Temple is great. Don’t go where the light isn’t. And don’t go north of campus and stay on Main Streets and off the side ones.

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TheBSQ t1_j5pd8j7 wrote

Personally, I don’t think the quality or the reputation of Temple justifies the price tag and safety issues, especially once you leave the Philly region.

I don’t know what NJ schools your kid also got into, but any of them are both less expensive and better, I think it’s a no brainer to go there instead.

Granted, when I was a college-bound kid, I really wanted to be in a city, and prioritized that over everything else, and all the sound advice in the world couldn’t have gotten me to change my mind.

And, actually, now that I think about it, I did end up getting robbed at gunpoint my first year living off campus! (Not Temple. Different city/school but similar urban campus situation.)

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Angsty_Potatos t1_j5u2olj wrote

Make sure they are living on campus. The surrounding area is LIGHT-YEARS better than it was in the early and mid 00s. But on campus is way safer until they get their sea legs

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ColdJay64 t1_j5oui83 wrote

From another article on this: “Students say while they feel safe on campus, they have serious concerns when they venture off campus.”

It’s safe to attend if you live on campus, but if you don’t - you may want to live in Fairmount, Center City, or South Philly.

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babywithahugedick t1_j5qmfl0 wrote

Absolutely do not let your kid go to Temple. I graduated in 2018 and my experience at Temple was completely traumatizing. The same can be said for a lot of other students and alumni at this point. I wish I had gone literally anywhere else.

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alex-needs-friends t1_j5qsev5 wrote

interesting, I went there and don't know anyone who would say their experience was traumatizing

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carlhames t1_j5rrrzy wrote

I actually loved temple. The general lawlessness of the hood is something special. In my 5 years of year round living there, I was robbed at gun point once and my house was burglarized once, also tons of fights, but overall unscathed. I'd never send my kids there though, way too sketchy.

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starboardbaby t1_j5s8mr9 wrote

How was it traumatizing? I’ve met some very, very sheltered/skittish people at TU but idt any of them would describe it as traumatizing outside of personal reasons

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babywithahugedick t1_j5vr8bf wrote

Absolutely was not a skittish or sheltered person prior to enrollment, graduated with PTSD thanks to getting robbed at gunpoint, being attacked by a group of teens and watching my friend get stabbed to death. Best part about the stabbing was how Temple buried the story and deleted it from their website after confirming that he wasn't a student.

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Qumbo t1_j5ow62l wrote

Go to Penn State instead. Same big state school vibe while being about as far from this crap as you can possibly be.

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