Current Temple students answer incoming freshmen’s questions

Starting college isn’t always easy. There are a lot of changes occurring, new friends to be made, a whole new set of classes, clubs to join, and tons of things always going on. We were all there once, and we were all just as overwhelmed. You’re looking to choose a college based on a campus tour, some good things you may have heard from peer, and other pieces of information you read online.

On your campus tours, you may not have asked all the questions you wanted to, or maybe even thought of some that you wished you asked afterwards.

We reached out to incoming Temple freshmen to hear their questions, and get honest answers from current college students.

“Is the area around Temple really that bad? Are there any tips you can offer about living in North Philly?”

North Philly’s notorious “bad area” reputation is proven to be true sometimes. If you stay with people, and keep your eyes open for anything suspicious, you will be OK.” – Dave Kagan, senior, accounting major

“What are the best part-time jobs to have as a Temple student?”

Temple offers a ton of on-campus jobs, making it easy to find work as a student in which your employer fully understands that your availability is structured around classes and exams. That said, you’re still an employee so you should always know your worth as a worker and find a job that you think provides adequate pay- for some, it might be better to look into jobs off-campus, such as bartending, wait staff, lifeguarding, etc, which pay more but require more specific experience.  Being at Temple and near CC gives you all of these accessible options. – Owen Kiluk, sophomore, film major

“For anyone who has double-majored, is it hard?”

So, being a double major can be stressful because you’re balancing two subjects at once, and when you’re taking upper level course for both majors, the work load is difficult. I enjoy it because I get to see how the two majors are related and work together. I think it gives me a better understanding of business. – Andrew Severns, senior, accounting and legal studies majors

“How many extracurricular activities/clubs should a freshman be limited to?”

I would say two or three depending on how involved you are. I’m on Temple Tappers and Assistant Music Director at WHIP Radio and I put a lot of time into both. I would like to do more but school always has to come first. – Maddie Reid, junior, public relations major

“Why are the best places to visit in the city?”

I like to go to Old City with my boyfriend for Chinese food and then get ice cream at Franklin Fountain. That’s probably my favorite. There’s also ice-staking at the River Rink, Spruce Street Harbor Park in the spring, going to South Street is always cool, if you like concerts, all of the different venues are cool, too. Anywhere you go in Philly will be really nice. Maybe pick a new place to get something to eat, and then explore that area. There’s so much to see, it’s hard to choose the “best” places. – Amanda Lewis, junior, psychology major

Congratulations, new Owls, and enjoy Temple and Philadelphia! Good luck!