Need help to decide if I should go to Temple?

[MMP]

I have been accepted at both Temple law school and University of Cincinnati. Both schools are pretty comparable in general terms, that is why it has been so hard to decide.

I like the idea of living in a big city  a lot more than i like the idea of living in Cincinnati (I like diversity-demographically- is Philly diverse?); however, I am concerned that Philly is too much of "raw city", with the crime and all, specially, Temple's location. I heard someone say  that you have to be street smart; but I am not sure if I have what it takes. Is the first year experience at Temple too overwhelming- in terms of the city?

I would appreciate any responses you may have as well as any comments you have on temple (or UCinn) in general. The clock is almost up so I need to decide!!Thanks

[TimBeConfused]

I'll be attending Temple starting in August and honestly I was sold on every aspect of the school.  The only issue I ever had with it was its location.  My understanding is that most people commute to the law school from various areas around the city.  I currently live in the suburbs and plan on taking regional rail every day.  The rail line drops you off right on campus.  In addition, if you have to stay a little later at night apparently the campus is lit up like it's Vegas.

It is true that the area around the campus is pretty rough and Philly's crime problem has been garnering significant negative press for the past few years, but overall I don't believe it's a huge issue for attending law school there. 

Otherwise Temple is probably the best school in the city besides Penn, but they like to send a lot of their grads to the north and south of us.  I have a family friend who told me that Temple's alumni network is very strong and that Temple alum hire their own a lot of the time which if true to any extent will give you a leg up on your job hunt.  Anyways I am rambling a bit, but I am a self-admitted quasi-cityphobe and location is not a huge issue to me anymore although I admit it was a consideration for me when deciding on school.

[mutual_biscuit]

The city is fine and only some areas are "raw" as you put it. Like any big city, you can't be stupid or you could get yourself into trouble. The things that get most people into trouble include (1) walking around while brandishing expensive electronics such as iPods; (2) getting extremely intoxicated and then wandering around waiting to get mugged; (3) leaving things in your car thus enticing people to smash out your windows.

As a west-coaster I can assure you that, despite what you might have heard, Philly is a beautiful city and the people are extremely friendly. 

[Team Pam]

Philly is very diverse, and a great place to live.  If you follow mutual_biscuit's advice, you should be fine.  And I second what has been said about Temple -- I think your opportunities will be a lot better and you'll have more national reach coming out of Temple than Cincinatti.  It's a very well-regarded school.  Unless you're really set on staying in Ohio forever, or there's a huge money difference, I'd take Temple. 

[dischord]

I used to live on the Broad Street corridor a bit south of Temple, and it was pretty rough.  However, that said, I never had any problems, which is more than I can say for my current neighborhood in DC, and I walked home alone from work at around 10-11 PM most nights.  The neighborhood I lived in is also in the beginning stages of gentrification.  I would imagine that by the time you're halfway through law school it will be a much more livable area.

Temple, though, is really easy to get to from a lot of different neighborhoods in Philly, so if you don't particularly like the area directly surrounding the school it shouldn't be a problem.

[MMP]

Thanks to all for the advice... I am actually not interested in practicing in Cincinnati and the main reason I applied there was because my sibling lives there and is actually a 3L at Ucinn. Can you recommend any neighborhoods in Philly?

THANKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK!

[Maddie]

Thanks to all for the advice... I am actually not interested in practicing in Cincinnati and the main reason I applied there was because my sibling lives there and is actually a 3L at Ucinn. Can you recommend any neighborhoods in Philly?

THANKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK!

MMP-

I will be starting law school at Temple in the fall.  There are people on here who probably know way more about various Philly neighborhoods than I do, but I found a Center City studio just east of Rittenhouse and really like it.  Most people I spoke to recommended either Center City, Old City (expensive though), Northern Liberties or Manayunk.  Also, for specific information on Philly check out Phillyblog.com forums, they have a section to ask for advice on neighborhoods, as well as maps of the city that are helpful for gaining persepctive on locations.

[dischord]

Thanks to all for the advice... I am actually not interested in practicing in Cincinnati and the main reason I applied there was because my sibling lives there and is actually a 3L at Ucinn. Can you recommend any neighborhoods in Philly?

THANKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK!

It really depends on your budget, whether you want to live alone, and how you see yourself commuting (do you have a car, are you okay with taking the bus).  For example, the poster above mentioned Manayunk, which is a really cool area but a TOTAL pain the the ass to get to without a car.  Philly is a really cheap city, so it's actually feasible to live in some of the nicest neighborhoods in town for well under $1000/mo., but on the other hand you can save a LOT of money if you live somewhere that's not as ritzy.

[mutual_biscuit]

I recommend the Art Museum/Fairmount area. Only problem is it's difficult to hit Temple up from here via public transportation, but it's a quick bike ride or easy auto drive. It's a quiet neighborhood with a real neighborhood feel, some good neighborhoody bars/restaurants, close proximity to Fairmount Park, affordable and handsome rentals, and still only a stones throw away from Center City.

[cwhelan]

Returning to your earlier concern, I just feel the need to reassure you again... maybe it's because I work in good old Bawlmer.. but you will pick up where you should NOT be very quickly around a city like Philly or Baltimore.. and the truth is, the violence doesnt affect us, usually.. it is very much local-on-local, neighbor-on-neighbor crime.. that's the tragedy. But you should be fine.
One note: of the most common things in Baltimore, and I bet Philly, is larceny from vehicles. The thing is, drug addicts congregate in these cities, and drug addicts will do ANYTHING for a fix. Anything. If you leave ANYTHING out inside your car, it doesnt even matter if it has value or not, a pair of cheap sunglasses.. you may find your window punched out. Cars just provide 'easy access stuff' for people trying to shill things for drugs. Not meant to scare you! It's just a problem that can be EASILY ameliorated... leave NOTHING.. even totally worthless stuff... in your car.