Temple University

Let me start off by saying that I always thought very highly of Temple University. After visiting with my daughter, I thought, Temple is the school for her.
It took Temple a very long time to accept her, after she applied in December. She didn’t find out about her acceptance until March. We received little to no communication via the mail or emails.
We knew we had to secure her spot within the school and we made our payment before the deadline.
Come to find out you have to search the website (which is not user friendly) and find and READ ALL of the small print. With my teenager navigating the website and not understanding her financial aid. I waited for a Financial Aid package to be mailed to me the legal guardian. Well, nothing ever came. I called the school to find out and I was told that everything was online.
Upon further review I inquired about academic scholarships. Again nothing is user friendly and easy to navigate. Based on information in the brochures, my daughter was eligible for a scholarship to Temple. When I called again, I was told by admissions that in fact we were offered no money as they break up the SAT scores horribly. So even with a 1400 and a 3.8 GPA, you will not be guaranteed any academic scholarships by Temple.
When calling to inquire about refunds, you are directed to fax letters and fill out forms. Then you read more small print and they charge you more money and refuse to return money. PARENTS PLEASE BEWARE. I will never see Temple University the same.

I am alumnus, and my education at Temple has served me very well. My daughter is currently a freshman and loves her classes, professors, and living in Philly. Temple’s campus is beautiful and Philly has much to offer. Crime is a problem in the surrounding neighborhood, but not on campus (essentially the situation for any urban campus). If you want a college experience in a big city, Temple is a terrific choice.

I’m in love with Temple. The level of education in the Fox School is top tier. The MBA program has transformed me.

I love Temple and all that it has offered me in terms of great teachers, useful classes, and opportunities for after I graduate, but safety is a CONSTANT concern. Fortunately for me I am able to live off campus and drive in for class. I have friends that live pretty much on campus (not student housing though) and I think they pay the equivalent in rent to what I do, so if you have other transportation options I would recommend using them. Get a roommate and take the train/​drive.

The MIT of Philadelphia! Interconnected deeply with the city, a top rate education and rabid fan base makes this university the most beloved in Philadelphia. A great place to learn and meet people. Cannot stress enough how this school changes lives. T for Temple U!

Temple is such an incredible school; the Honors Program is the most amazing thing ever, it really helps you succeed. Temple’s advisers really go above and beyond to help their students get experience and succeed academically. My adviser has been WAY better than my boyfriend’s adviser, and he attends UPenn. Temple has so many classes to choose from, and 90% of the classes I’ve taken have been extremely enjoyable. The professors really work hard to help students understand the material and do well, because they honestly care. It has a truly modern and beautiful campus, and it is growing! In 10 years, Temple will be a much better school, which is saying a lot because it is already so great. Even now, we have great food options as well as housing options. I am a very picky eater and I grew up in a nice area, and I am very happy with the options on campus as well as off-​campus. Overall, Temple is a very personal school that has many opportunities that will make your college life amazing as well as your future!

My daughter and i have been incredibly pleased by the education she is getting here. There is a wide range of activities, instruction and outside opportunities at this great university.
Great campus life. Food Trucks as good as 4 star restaurants.
Nice off campus non university run housing.
A supermarket, movie theater and other shopping.
Would recommend to anyone.
Today: Just made my final tuition payment in person. Fast and easy.

I’m obviously biased because I go there, but this school is incredible and it’s only getting better (and simultaneously prettier).
The big negatives that prospective people should know about are off-​campus safety, the extremely under supported financial aid office and a roster/​class scheduling system that needs a major overhaul.
The school was founded when North Philadelphia was a suburb of center-​city and it has since become a wasteland for unemployed deadbeats who couldn’t care less about society as a whole. The campus itself (15^th-​9^th; Cecil B. Moore-​Diamond) is as safe as an inner city school could ever get. People get hurt only when they are hysterically stupid and try to go to parties off campus or walk with headphone in at night. If you walk down an alley at 3am on a Tuesday in New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle, Baltimore, DC or any major city in the world, bad things are going to happen to you and it’s unfair to assume that things like that couldn’t happen at a college in one of those cities, either. Be smart and you’ll be safe off-​campus. The Temple Police force is made up of ex-​marines and retired police officers, more than enough to keep you safe when you’re on property.
The student aid office needs to be tripled in size to be effective and Self-​Service Banner, the main computer engine students use to schedule classes and get in touch with teachers, needs tweaking to mesh with modern computers and new smartphones. Scheduling classes on-​time is a free-​for-​all and people typically get kicked out of the system because 10,000 people are on it at once. If they could work around that and get more people to help the poor people in student financial services, getting on board for classes would be a total breeze. Temple’s self-​run websites work flawlessly; the problems come in when they use third-​party systems like SSB.
With all of that said, this is the place to go to school if your parents aren’t rich enough to pay for you to party for four years at a more prestigious school. Temple is THE blue-​color school for our cash-​strapped generation.
Temple is building their campus up, not around, so the square footage of the campus is utterly deceptive. Temple’s new buildings rise from the hereditary cesspool that is North Philadelphia like the great tower of babel. There are numerous gardens, parks and hang centers around campus and there are a ton of activities to keep you occupied during your four years. It isn’t quaint, but neither is the world of tomorrow. When prospective employers are looking to hire their next executive, are they going to look for who frolicked through an arboretum and watched their tuition-​bloated football team dominate under-​funded schools or are they going to ask about networking, marketing and relationship building? As someone who works in HR, I can say that hearing about strategic planning, business modelling and advertising tactics is much, much more stimulating than hearing about how you watched a movie and wrote a 4 page paper about how it made you feel.
Temple will make you work for everything you get because they understand that college isn’t the end of the road. Pomp and circumstance, pageantry and fireworks mean nothing if you graduate with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt and no hope of solidifying a serious job. Temple is dedicated to keep tuition low despite moving into a more powerful football conference than any of their inner-​city rivals, constructing cutting-​edge buildings and having to deal with our lunatic governor’s mood swings. Drexel, Saint Joseph’s, La Salle and Penn all cost almost twice as much as Temple does for tuition and that’s something every would-​be college student needs to look at.
Temple football is on its way to becoming an anchor program in one of the top six conferences in the country and their basketball team has the 6^th most wins in NCAA history. Despite cutting some of their other programs to save up for an on-​campus football stadium, Temple remains a haven for student athletes as much as it is for transfer and international students.
If you go to Temple, you will join the largest network of business professionals in the city of Philadelphia and one of the fastest-​growing ones on the east coast. Temple’s brand is recognized worldwide and the brevity of their significance is becoming remarkable at an astounding rate.
If you’re between Temple and the other city schools, consider that you’ll have twice the fun for half the price. If you’re between Temple and Penn State, consider that PSU’s reputation is absolutely destroyed nationally and many of my friends are having issues landing jobs because of it. And, if you’re between Temple and an out-​of-​state school, consider that you’ll be paying about $ 14,000 more per semester (with room, board, travel and cost of living) for an education that won’t be better than the one you could get in your own backyard.

Once an Owl Always an Owl. Loved my time here!!!

Disappointed with the instruction that I’ve received here. Difficult time with scheduling courses.
The surrounding area and it’s residents leave a lot to be desired.

Temple is truly a great school in terms of environment, pricing and courses offered. I’ve rarely encountered an unpleasant employee, and the school’s policies, particularly relating to course drops and withdraws, are fair and on par with other universities. Being the big community it is, Temple offers so much in the way of clubs, events and resources. They’re constantly building and expanding the campus and providing additional dorms. Furthermore, the campus is pretty safe, despite what everyone thinks.
My one consistent complaint with Temple is its poorly run financial offices, particularly the financial aid and bursar’s offices. Every single semester I’ve attended, and I’m not exaggerating, my payment, deposits, or financial aid information has been lost, misplaced, or overlooked, resulting in frequent holds placed on my student account. Each incident has been solved fairly easily, but it seems Temple’s offices can’t even handle the most minimum of payments. Temple’s a great school, but this frequent annoyance is enough for me to drop one star.

I am a Temple Owl! How can I not give Temple University five stars? Temple has made me who I am today. The various opportunities one experiences at Temple are life changing. I was fortunate enough to work side-​by-​side with my professors. I performed research for all 4 years of my undergraduate education. I was able to present said research all over the country at various conferences. I was a teaching assistant and peer tutor. I was part of a wide range of extra curricular activities. From tennis club to french club to the neuroscience society, I was there. The professors are extremely knowledgeable. Their diversity forces you to take a second look at everything. Temple’s school spirit may not be as obnoxious as Penn State’s, but it’s there. The wild cherry section is always roaring! During the Fall semester, you can find thousands of student painting the Linc cherry and white. In the Spring, we fill up the Liacourias Center. There’s no doubt Temple University runs Philadelphia. We are everywhere: North Philly, Center City, Chinatown, Northeast Philly. Yeah, it might not be in the best area of the city, but it adds to the culture. You get to see different walks of life in and outside the classroom. I am proud to be TEMPLE MADE.

I Can wholeheartedly say I AM TEMPLE MADE! I love everything about this school, EXCEPT the college of education, I transferred in as an education major and recently made the change to psychology and I could not be happier, I feel if it wasn’t for TU I would be stuck in a program I hate, TU gave me the opportunity to explore the person who I truly wanted to be, for the most part the professors are cool. Horrible math dept and useless financial aid department is why I’m giving it 4 stars not 5. Its a shame they frown upon psych undergrads going there for grad school cause if not I would not go anywhere else! I met some great friends as well. I always tell a high-​school aged person to look into temple

I am TempleMade.
Temple is, hands down, one of the best universities in this region. The tuition rate is extremely reasonable for the education they deliver. There are multiple campuses, including several overseas. The professors are amazing, especially in the media/​journalism/​communications programs.
The Alumni Association and development teams have done an incredible job of raising money over the years. The campus has improved dramatically since my days there in the mid-​90s. It still a less-​than-​ideal neighborhood, but it is like being anywhere in the city — you have to be careful and aware of your surroundings. The police had a strong presence back in the days I attended, but now you can’t blink without seeing one of them in a car or on a bike.
Go Owls!

Go Owls!!! The best university ever!

I went to Temple on Alumni Weekend with my friend Leah. The campus is located in the middle of Philly, in a somewhat sketch neighborhood. The campus itself is beautiful. Lovely gothic building, lots of grassy areas, statues and places to shop and eat. It’s hard to believe that right outside the campus is a not so pleasant spot to be stuck in. Leah said there has been a lot updated around the campus, new buildings and such. It’s a great place to walk around.

I am completely biased as Temple is my alma mater. That being said, I absolutely LOVE this school.
Everything from the class selection, instructors, and counselors to the extra curricular activities (clubs, sororities, leadership programs, etc) made my 4 years at the university some of the best of my life.
The student housing sometimes is frustrating as the nicer options are extremely expensive and sometimes, not really worth the amount you’re paying (read: The Edge) but the experience is phenomenal rooming with friends/​strangers.
The financial aid/​bursar’s office is another story. Lots of headaches and migraines arose from constant battles with the two departments but much like the other reviewer, I still think it was worth the fight and the money for the experience and education.
My one tip: make sure to be careful when going off campus! Temple is notorious for being placed smack dab in North Philly and if you’re familiar with the city you know that it’s not the safest of areas. However, the Temple police are constantly surveying the campus and they make sure that if you’re on campus, you’re safe and protected.

This is the inexpensive option? For a PA resident a masters degree is 43,000 dollars.
Surely great professors, but its like looking at them from a mountain top with that sort of bill. Surely, its also less expensive than other expensive options.
The frown.

I still owe them a fair amount of money, but I think it was worth every penny!

The only school that is cheaper than Temple in Philly is the community college. Sometimes, even a cheapskate will admit that you get what you pay for…
I took two business classes (2008-​Center City campus), two intro engineering classes (2010-​main campus), and a mid-​level math class (2009-​main campus) (Dif. Eq). All for the sake of trying stuff out. I already have my undergraduate degree from a different college. I also signed up for a graduate level science class here and had it cancelled (the first day of classes, with no forewarning).
The business classes (two semesters of statistics) were high school level. I studied an hour before each test and aced all of them. Seriously. No exaggeration, and I’m not no stinking genius. The classes were well structured, but the material was sooooo watered down.
The engineering classes… I do not remember one thing from either of those poorly taught classes; no real world application here. The homework questions from the book were on the test, and the only thing taught was how to do the homework problems. I will have to take these classes again elsewhere if I want to actually pursue a career in engineering. Negative stars!
Math. I learned a lot and the class was well structured. It went a little slow, but I was learning new things and didn’t feel like I wasted my money.
The school itself is surrounded by the ghettoest of all ghettos. There was a shooting involving one of Temple’s building when they rented it out to the local high schools for an event (graduation?). That’s just a sneak peek. I never felt unsafe myself, but I knew not to venture off campus.
If I had to sum up Temple in one word, it would be «underwhelming.»