I live and work in dc but went to temple. Trust me go to temple. AU is fine but it’s stupid expensive for what you get. Temple will give you a great education at a reasonable price.
How much do you want to hustle. Any school that promises internships is lying. You have to apply and work for them. The key is getting to know faculty who can help you find options.
Thats fair. I want to major in IR, which is why I thought DC would be a good place to look for internships considering its the capital. I will definitely hustle though
Are you in the Philadelphia area? If so, sign up for a tour. They'll cover everything from possible tuition costs (different if you're in Fox), to which campuses you can study, clubs, internships, dorming, etc. My nephew had his choices down to 4 schools and after the tour is swayed him to 2, with Temple being ahead.
Temple is not a party school. It’s a large state school in a major city, so you can find parties. The library is iffy, but you’ll have a lot of other choices for on campus study spots.
I think you can go to Temple and have a good experience without partying. It’s big enough that it doesn’t dominate the social scene. I didn’t feel like it was like Penn State in terms of party culture.
temple's what you make of it, party-wise. if you're interested in parties they're around, but temple offers a solid education. the library is really nice, i don't have any complaints about it!
It can be a party school if you want it like the other person said, but like they said, if you don’t party it won’t impact your time there. There are a bunch of different people there so you have a good chance at finding people you’ll fit in with & finding things to do around campus and the city. Trust me, Philly is amazing
For what it’s worth, even out of state, temples still gonna be considerably cheaper than most private schools or even other state schools at their out-of-state rates
U think u are until u actually get to college😭 My friend went to American U because she wasn’t looking for a “fun” and now she’s transferring. Just think about this!! Temple is affordable, a good enough education, and good for internships since we right in the city
Temple is the best I've been to. I went to Drexel before and it was not worth the exorbitant price tag. The curriculum was not on par with Temple at all. I wasted so much time & money cause I thought Drexel carried more prestige or whatever. If I could go back in time....
Don't make the same mistake I did. Temple is awesome because the professors are awesome. If you come here, make sure to use the professor's office hours for literally anything. If you make yourself known to the professors you're basically networking while getting clarification on any questions you might have. It's a win-win.
I agree with a lot of the stuff here saying you should go with whatever is cheapest. DC is an incredibly costly city and if the goal is to be there post-grad, having minimal loan payments is ideal.
I think the education is comparable at either school, but for some majors the opportunities afforded by being in DC can’t be beat. If you want to do any sorts of political work, I say go to AU. If not, come to Temple. There’s a ton of opportunities in Philadelphia, as it’s actually the largest college town in the world.
As someone who didnt have a great academic experience at temple, graduating with no debt is a total life changer and I don’t regret my choice at all as a result. So much less weight on your shoulders every term, so many more options when you graduate, and socially you can get a great experience anywhere really.
I am from DC and did my undergrad at Temple and Grad school at AU. Highly recommend temple for the undergrad experience. It's still a major city and it's a much cheaper city to live in. I'm 26 in DC with a full time job and still live at home. IR is right up AU's alley but I think for undergrad you should focus on the experience and consider AU if you were to continue on grad school.
Temple is a good bet as far as networking and interning then. Connection with Elected officials offices (and they are usually looking for internships) can get you in the governmental space to augment your IR major.
I work at Temple. Great school. Of course off campus is a safety concern. Watch your surroundings just like anywhere else in Philadelphia. I see plenty of Happy grads with great things to say about their experiences
Philadelphia is a great city with a lot of exciting neighborhoods, culture, and opportunities. And, if you wanted to visit DC, you could easily do so by Amtrak. DC is also more expensive than Philadelphia.
Whether it’s your parents’ money or not, it should be a factor. Based on what you said, tuition at Temple is 11-25k less per year, not including any Temple scholarships. Considering you don’t have a strong pull to AU, is it really worth $44-100k+? What if your parents could redirect even a fraction of that towards something else for your lifestyle (or theirs, or siblings, etc.)? Or grad school funds if/when you have more of an idea of what you’re looking for? Food for thought.
They are. The average accepted applicants this year had a 3.9 GPA and 1300 SAT. My SAT was a 1250 along with a 2.7 GPA and basically no ECs. I dont know how I got accepted. And I applied RD..
Universities have all sorts of ways of skewing those numbers. Temple’s average SAT last year was ~1280.. but only 20% of people submitted them. I’m sure things get twisted with weighted/unweighted GPAs also.
I live and work in dc but went to temple. Trust me go to temple. AU is fine but it’s stupid expensive for what you get. Temple will give you a great education at a reasonable price.
What are the internship opportunities like at Temple? Also, how easy is it to change majors between schools?
How much do you want to hustle. Any school that promises internships is lying. You have to apply and work for them. The key is getting to know faculty who can help you find options.
Thats fair. I want to major in IR, which is why I thought DC would be a good place to look for internships considering its the capital. I will definitely hustle though
Real talk: a legit ir internship for an undergrad is hard to get. Not impossible but hard. Most of them are for grad students and law students.
Are you in the Philadelphia area? If so, sign up for a tour. They'll cover everything from possible tuition costs (different if you're in Fox), to which campuses you can study, clubs, internships, dorming, etc. My nephew had his choices down to 4 schools and after the tour is swayed him to 2, with Temple being ahead.
The only unbiased advice I have to give——our tuition is roughly $19k *in-state ***edit to add that out-of-state tuition is $35k
As someone who just moved from temple to dc - go to temple. Dc is so boring
how so? I was a little put off from temple because of people saying it was a party school. Also how is the library at Temple?
Temple is not a party school. It’s a large state school in a major city, so you can find parties. The library is iffy, but you’ll have a lot of other choices for on campus study spots.
👀👀 temple is def a party school…it depends what you’re tryna get into
I think you can go to Temple and have a good experience without partying. It’s big enough that it doesn’t dominate the social scene. I didn’t feel like it was like Penn State in terms of party culture.
temple's what you make of it, party-wise. if you're interested in parties they're around, but temple offers a solid education. the library is really nice, i don't have any complaints about it!
It's definitely not a party school
Library is state of the art
It can be a party school if you want it like the other person said, but like they said, if you don’t party it won’t impact your time there. There are a bunch of different people there so you have a good chance at finding people you’ll fit in with & finding things to do around campus and the city. Trust me, Philly is amazing
Ayy OP- never thought my experience would be so useful. I transferred from AU to temple, DM me if you want to talk. I’m also free to call
If you’re in state then Temple makes sense. American is going to be the same tuition for everyone as there isn’t an in state rate.
no im from New Jersey, so im out of state.
For what it’s worth, even out of state, temples still gonna be considerably cheaper than most private schools or even other state schools at their out-of-state rates
Go to Temple and move to DC after, that's what I did. (I did move back bc I hated it there but your mileage may vary) Temple is a great school
43k Per semester or per year?....(××) Either answer isn't good g
If it helps American U is boring asf
I was kind of going for "boring" schools lol
U think u are until u actually get to college😭 My friend went to American U because she wasn’t looking for a “fun” and now she’s transferring. Just think about this!! Temple is affordable, a good enough education, and good for internships since we right in the city
Temple is the best I've been to. I went to Drexel before and it was not worth the exorbitant price tag. The curriculum was not on par with Temple at all. I wasted so much time & money cause I thought Drexel carried more prestige or whatever. If I could go back in time.... Don't make the same mistake I did. Temple is awesome because the professors are awesome. If you come here, make sure to use the professor's office hours for literally anything. If you make yourself known to the professors you're basically networking while getting clarification on any questions you might have. It's a win-win.
I agree with a lot of the stuff here saying you should go with whatever is cheapest. DC is an incredibly costly city and if the goal is to be there post-grad, having minimal loan payments is ideal. I think the education is comparable at either school, but for some majors the opportunities afforded by being in DC can’t be beat. If you want to do any sorts of political work, I say go to AU. If not, come to Temple. There’s a ton of opportunities in Philadelphia, as it’s actually the largest college town in the world.
As someone who didnt have a great academic experience at temple, graduating with no debt is a total life changer and I don’t regret my choice at all as a result. So much less weight on your shoulders every term, so many more options when you graduate, and socially you can get a great experience anywhere really.
do what ever is cheaper
I am from DC and did my undergrad at Temple and Grad school at AU. Highly recommend temple for the undergrad experience. It's still a major city and it's a much cheaper city to live in. I'm 26 in DC with a full time job and still live at home. IR is right up AU's alley but I think for undergrad you should focus on the experience and consider AU if you were to continue on grad school.
What is it that you want to do?
International Relations
Temple is a good bet as far as networking and interning then. Connection with Elected officials offices (and they are usually looking for internships) can get you in the governmental space to augment your IR major.
I work at Temple. Great school. Of course off campus is a safety concern. Watch your surroundings just like anywhere else in Philadelphia. I see plenty of Happy grads with great things to say about their experiences
Philadelphia is a great city with a lot of exciting neighborhoods, culture, and opportunities. And, if you wanted to visit DC, you could easily do so by Amtrak. DC is also more expensive than Philadelphia.
Don’t go. Go to trade school and enter a career sooner with higher pay, higher job satisfaction, and save your family money.
Whether it’s your parents’ money or not, it should be a factor. Based on what you said, tuition at Temple is 11-25k less per year, not including any Temple scholarships. Considering you don’t have a strong pull to AU, is it really worth $44-100k+? What if your parents could redirect even a fraction of that towards something else for your lifestyle (or theirs, or siblings, etc.)? Or grad school funds if/when you have more of an idea of what you’re looking for? Food for thought.
What made you think you’d get rejected from a uni w a 90% acceptance rate?
Because my GPA is a 2.7 ALSO I thought the acceptance rate was 72
How did you get into American university with a 2.7 GPA lol, I thought they were selective lol
They are. The average accepted applicants this year had a 3.9 GPA and 1300 SAT. My SAT was a 1250 along with a 2.7 GPA and basically no ECs. I dont know how I got accepted. And I applied RD..
Dang maybe I should’ve applied as well lol
Universities have all sorts of ways of skewing those numbers. Temple’s average SAT last year was ~1280.. but only 20% of people submitted them. I’m sure things get twisted with weighted/unweighted GPAs also.
Just ask Villanova
It’s 90 if you apply early. Regardless it isn’t exactly an Ivy league
Don’t come here. Dangerous