FWIW I would strongly suggest looking at South Philly if you are on a student budget. There are many great places to rent south of Washington (just stay east of broad street). I live in Passyunk square and split a 1br with my GF. We each pay $300/mo and utilities are cheap. It has brand new hardwood floors, a washer/dryer, a view of the skyline and I am just a block from all the bars/restaurants on E Passyunk ave. Getting to Drexel/Penn is easy. Just take the broad line to city hall and switch to the Market line. It takes about 20/25 minutes. If you live too far east to walk to the broad street subway then you can just take a bus up to market street and catch the MFL there.

The area is pretty safe and both my GF and I feel safe walking around at night. Just my $.02. Good luck!

So many freaking options... I don't know how I'm going to find an apartment in a weekend.

Depending where you are, that can take 30+ min. And at night it's not the safest, even south of Market. Just my 0.02. FWIW.

I take this commute almost everyday. It only takes me 30+ minutes if I am leaving after 7pm (and the trains slow down). I come home late often and have never really felt unsafe at night. I would argue that its safer than University City. The commute, of course, will be longer than living in Center City/UCity. However I think the money saved on rent makes it well worth it.

oh wow! That certainly does not give you very much time! Is it a long weekend by chance? haha Is this going to be your only trip out here before moving for good? wait, which state are you coming from? i'm sure finding a place in a weekend is totally doable you just need a good game plan!

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Just an observation from a lowly 0L that actually probably doesn't answer your question at all:

Isn't Woodcock Washburn one of Drexel's co-op partners? All that firm does is IP! I've looked at their website before and it seems that a lot of the attorneys at their Philly office went to Drexel for engineering. I know that probably isn't as strong of a tie as they may have to the law school they attended, but just from growing up in this area I have realized that once you go to Drexel for anything, you are obsessed with anything Drexel. I obviously cannot attest to co-op placement at WW, but I would think with Drexel's strong engineering school and that relationship to IP (although I know not all IP...) would be a pretty big pro for Drexel's program.

Like I said, just an observation...

Ok, completely off any relevant topic for one second: who is going to do the Eastern State Penitentiary haunted house with me this October?!

The ASD booklet had a ton of IP co-op's. I'm hoping to get one with the Philadelphia Center for the Arts.

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Personally I love Fishtown, and if I had some roommates willing to come out this way a year ago, I probably would have skipped on the whole University City experience. But, I've gotta say it is really convenient living within walking distance of all your friends. I guess you've gotta just make a determination of whether living there is worth 200 more a month.

Also, if you don't know Philly, I'd say you should take a look around before deciding to move up here. The area is recently gentrified, and varies from block to block. Two blocks from me are brand new condos and streets lined with specialty shops and suburban transplants. But on my block, I saw strippers outside a club smoking pot in broad daylight this morning. It's all about preference I guess.

Happy hunting, and if you need to know anything else, feel free to e-mail me.

Yeah, I'm driving up from St. Louis on the 21st to take a weekend to look around for a place. So far, I'm leaning towards a place a block from Baltimore or another one in Fishtown.

I'd probably look in NoLibs before Fishtown. Fishtown is pretty banged up in a lot of areas. It's also fairly far from Drexel (~30 min subway ride). But, if you are more of a hipster-type, you'd like it. NoLibs and Fishtown are the hipster haven areas of Philly (well, there and Clark Park). So, if you rock skinny jeans, listen to obscure music, and dislike most of mainstream society it might be your thing.

1 out of 3 ain't bad? Obscure music that is.

Hmm, I was under the impression that Fishtown and Northern Libs was the same area practically... crap.

They border each other but NoLibs underwent gentrification to a greater degree than Fishtown. And NoLibs is closer to Old City (it sort of goes Old City, then NoLibs to the north, and then Fishtown to the northeast of NoLibs, with each area getting less nice).

Wow. I wouldn't at all call the bands that play at Johnny Brenda's obscure Also, Philly hipsters are actually pretty cool & not hipster pretentious like they are in the Mission or Williamsburg. I don't really understand where hypermeganet is coming from. If disliking mainstream society means having contempt for the crowd that goes to places like Mad River and the Plough & the Stars, well, I guess I feel the same way.

I know a couple buying a house up in Fishtown right now. Some of it's fine, but use your judgment when evaluating places. The El ride might be a pain, but it's one line.

Well, I guess it depends on what you consider to be pretentious. The bulk of hipsters I know that live in NoLibs (which is more than a few) pretty much consider every bar, every restaurant, every shop in NoLibs to be far and away superior to anything not in NoLibs. How is that different than the Williamburg hipster that eschews Manhattan chic for the next hipster trend that floats through the vintage shop on the corner?

And Brenda's, while a nice venue, plays host to bands 99.9% of people have never heard of. Again, I don't know how you define obscure, but that's fairly obscure to me.

And I don't have a problem with hipsters! I'm just saying, to me (a 100% corporate "square") NoLibs comes off as having a very hipster vibe.

Well, either way, I'm fine with hipsters in general. (As long as they don't call themselves that...) I'm just looking for a safe place to live with some entertainment around.

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Just sent in my deposit today!

I was deciding between Drexel and Thomas Jefferson in San Diego, Drexel offered me a nicer financial package and I'm probably going to do a MPH degree at drexel or the MBE at UPenn bioethics center.

I'll throw in my $0.02 on living places. Have a buddy who is in a loft in NoLib/Fishtown, went and hung out at his place during my visit there a few weeks ago. Thought it was a cool area, some nice bars/clubs and at least one sweet ass market with nice baked breads and cheeses (I'm euro I guess in that I love that kind of stuff). His place was basically at Front St. & Brown St. for those curious.

Have other friends who have an apartment near 9th & Spruce, a few blocks west of old city. It seemed nice enough, right by Penn Hospital. Did have a drunk guy rampage around on the street one night, throwing clay flower pots until he hit someone's car and they got out and beat the bejeezes out of him (although I doubt this is a regular occurrence).

I figure anything walking distance to the Market St. metro line is doable...just want to check on neighborhoods in between. I'm also a 225lb dude, so not too worried about walking alone at night =)

Just got the email about the sweatshirt! I love free clothing I can't wait for it to arrive!

The sweatshirt is extremely nice. It's a shame they gave it to us right before summer otherwise I'd get more use out of it immediately.

Oh yay! I absolutely love sweatshirts. Pathetically, when I got that email it made me happy for a few hours. I'm assuming it's navy blue with gold lettering?

Navy with off white lettering.

Thanks! That sounds nice!