There is always something to do
SJU has a prime location- nestled right in-between Center City and Manayunk. All you need to do is google events going on in the area and you will get a whole list of upcoming events. Between food festivals, concerts, museums, The Philadelphia Zoo, Spruce Street Harbor Park, and the Magic Gardens, there is always something to do. I guarantee you can find a different way to spend every weekend without running out of ideas. There is something for everyone.
You can access anything going on with just a short train ride (or drive)
Manayunk is just a 10 minute drive from campus. Center City is just a 15 minute train ride. We have amazing access to endless opportunities. With the train station being just a short walk down City Ave, I spent my freshman weekends constantly exploring the city I get to call home.
Experience comes along with education
We go to school in a city where companies are located all around. Internships and work experiences are everywhere. Going to school in Philly, you can find a job that you will call home following graduation. Job placement is something SJU prides itself on. Haub School Of Business is ranked one of the top Business Schools in the nation. Yes, tuition is $50,000+, but if you apply yourself, it’ll be worth it. As a co-op student, I’ll be graduating with three different working experiences. You wouldn’t get that opportunity in the middle of nowhere USA.
Most of your friends are from nearby
95% of my best friends from school are from New Jersey or Pennsylvania. What’s great about this is that during summer or breaks, it’s still possible to get together with your friends. Your college friends are not restricted to just being your friends at college- my college friends have become my home friends. Over the summer I took time traveling across NJ, with a few trips into PA, to be with my people. Philly schools attract the Philly area and I couldn’t be happier that I live relatively close to the people I’ve grown closest with.
Food. Food. Food.
The amount of food establishments nearby is unhealthy. Because SJU’s dining hall is not the best out there, most of my money last year went to trying out the nearby eateries. SNAP Pizza is the best place in the world (every SJU student knows that). Then there’s Sabrina’s Café, Winnie’s, Ruby’s, Hai Street Kitchen, Insomnia Cookies, Max Brenner, Sweet Charlie’s. Even just Chipotle. Food is all around. The only thing that Philly fails to deliver on in pizza and bagels. Besides that, food is a danger.
There’s so many different schools in the Philadelphia area
La Salle, UPenn, Temple, Villanova, (and of course SJU)- The Big 5 brings rivalries and competition that makes college exciting. Everyone’s school pride comes out to defend their campus. Aside from rivalries, having so many campuses in such a close area gives students other places to go on weekends. Chances are you have friends that go to another Philadelphia school. Weekends are fun when you hop in an Uber and check out the nightlife of a neighboring campus.
Overall, going to school in Philly allows students to feel like a part of society. Students are not isolated to just a campus. The city is your campus. Philadelphia schools get to go to concerts and sporting events at Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park, or Wells Fargo Center. They get to travel into Center City at midnight on a Tuesday just to explore and get cheesesteaks at Pat’s or Geno’s. Philly schools have Made In America in their backyard. Students have the opportunity to be enriched in the culture of Philadelphia. Being a college student in Philadelphia is something I wouldn’t trade for the world.
