Urban Living

Take the reins of your time in Philadelphia, and explore as much as possible.

The American Institute for Economic Research released its annual “College Destinations Index,” a quantitative ranking of the 75 best towns and cities to live in while in college, and Philadelphia was ranked No. 10.

The locations were chosen from an analysis of 222 metropolitan statistical areas with heavy student populations. The CDI is different from traditional rankings, which usually focus on a university’s cost, academics and athletic programs. Instead, the CDI analyzes the areas the schools are located, including the overall academic environment, professional opportunities and quality of life, such as cost of living, arts and leisure activities.

In the Sept. 7 article “Varied factors determine college ranking,” The Temple News explained Temple’s ranking in Forbes magazine and U.S. News and World Report, where the university ranked No. 509 and No. 132 respectively. This week, we’re following up with a major factor that explains why many students choose Temple, but it doesn’t always go into college rankings: the campus’ Philadelphia location. [“Philadelphia continues to offer opportunity,” Page 1] Local businesses point to the location of so many colleges and universities being in their backyard as a selling point for job-recruitment in Philadelphia.

While an urban location was marked as one of the top five reasons students choose Temple, not everyone actually takes advantage of attending college in Philadelphia. However, the advantages of living in a large city shouldn’t only apply to seniors getting ready to enter the job market. Students have four years here to take advantage of the opportunities to volunteer, work and intern, in addition to the nonacademic or career-oriented opportunities that living in Philadelphia provides. And they certainly shouldn’t be afraid to venture off Main Campus.