Currently, I am living in Sansom Place, which is the graduate on-campus residential buildings at Penn. I wrote a blog about graduate students living on campus in September. If you want more information, you can go back and find the blog titled "On-Campus Housing", where I state the advantages of living there. Feel free to check it out because that's a kind of information that you don't want to miss. : )
The main reason I want to move out is that living on campus is rather expensive. My apartment (which is two bedrooms, one kitchen and one bathroom shared with two persons) costs me $922 per month, including electric, heat, water, internet, laundry and etc. In other words, there is no extra money you need to spend on top of the $922. While for off-campus housing, it costs less, although it is farther from GSE and Penn campus. Also, comparing with having a roommate, I'd prefer living by myself. Not that I don't like roommates, quite opposite, my roommate is really nice, I just think that living on my own would be much easier, considering the habits, biological clock, food preference, cooking, shower time and etc. Sometimes negotiations and compromises do work, if either person is willing to make adjustments or bear. But for me, I think living alone gives me sole autonomy on the way of living. I don't have to take the time considering my roommate's feelings if I get up 7 am in the morning, trying to make breakfast. Therefore, less money and the longing of being free are the reasons I am doing lots of searching.
If you are also considering living off campus, Penn has websites that provide off campus information. http://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/offcampusservices/
I will blog about my finding result once it is definitely set. A piece of advice for admitted students: if you are new to Philadelphia, I would recommend that you could first choose to live on-campus. After you have gained some familiarity with the area, such as where is relatively safe and where should be avoided, you can move out and look for a new place. What is also important is that when it comes to apartment searching, it is highly recommended for you to personally pay a visit to check your intended house before signing the contract. Given that most of the houses/apartments are for one-year leasing, you should first take a look for yourself, see if it is the place where you would like to spend one year living in. Some of my friends are not quite satisfied with the place because they are international students, and they are not able to personally come here before signing the contract. So be careful with that.
The main reason I want to move out is that living on campus is rather expensive. My apartment (which is two bedrooms, one kitchen and one bathroom shared with two persons) costs me $922 per month, including electric, heat, water, internet, laundry and etc. In other words, there is no extra money you need to spend on top of the $922. While for off-campus housing, it costs less, although it is farther from GSE and Penn campus. Also, comparing with having a roommate, I'd prefer living by myself. Not that I don't like roommates, quite opposite, my roommate is really nice, I just think that living on my own would be much easier, considering the habits, biological clock, food preference, cooking, shower time and etc. Sometimes negotiations and compromises do work, if either person is willing to make adjustments or bear. But for me, I think living alone gives me sole autonomy on the way of living. I don't have to take the time considering my roommate's feelings if I get up 7 am in the morning, trying to make breakfast. Therefore, less money and the longing of being free are the reasons I am doing lots of searching.
If you are also considering living off campus, Penn has websites that provide off campus information. http://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/offcampusservices/
I will blog about my finding result once it is definitely set. A piece of advice for admitted students: if you are new to Philadelphia, I would recommend that you could first choose to live on-campus. After you have gained some familiarity with the area, such as where is relatively safe and where should be avoided, you can move out and look for a new place. What is also important is that when it comes to apartment searching, it is highly recommended for you to personally pay a visit to check your intended house before signing the contract. Given that most of the houses/apartments are for one-year leasing, you should first take a look for yourself, see if it is the place where you would like to spend one year living in. Some of my friends are not quite satisfied with the place because they are international students, and they are not able to personally come here before signing the contract. So be careful with that.
Hi Danwen,
ReplyDeleteI just read through all of your posts! ICC life looks pretty exciting! I have just been accepted to the ICC program and I'm from Shanghai, too :). I'm thinking about accepting the offer. I was wondering if it is easy for ICC graduates to find a job in the states? And is there anyone who continue for Doctoral degree?
Thanks! Really love your posts!
Wei
Hey Wei,
DeleteThanks for your reply and It is exciting to hear that you got admitted to Penn! ICC students can be very flexible in job searching, which means that there is a wide range of career options that are related to intercultural communication. I would say whether it is easy to find a job in the states or not depends on individuals. In terms of going for Doctoral degree, I knew one person in our program is about to apply for it. Some people might take a pause, work for several years and then continue Doctoral degree. I hope it is helpful. If you have further questions, you can contact me at danwen@gse.upenn.edu. Nice to meet you!