My Freshman Year College Experience (Temple University)

The end of my first year at college is approaching, and I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. I feel like I moved into my dorm just a few weeks ago, and now I’m beginning to pack up all the things I spent so much time unloading into my temporary home.

From an overall point of view, I can genuinely say that my first year at Temple University has been wonderful. Of course, there are many ups and downs one may experience over the course of a school year, but my love for Temple and what it has to offer has never faltered.

A little background information for those who don’t know, Temple University is a public college located in northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s a fairly large institution, with over 40,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students enrolled. Being in the heart of Philadelphia, the campus is surrounded by a wonderful city environment, while feeling like an exclusive place for students. It’s colors are cherry* red and white, and its mascot is Hooter the owl. *Very important to note that it is not just red, but cherry red.

So, I’m here to discuss what I have experienced so far at Temple, as well as being a freshman in college overall:

What’s My Major?

I am an Advertising major, specifically in the Account Management branch, with a minor in Psychology.

It took me a while to decide what I wanted my major to be, simply because I’m interested in so many different topics. I considered going into film, graphic design, communications, business… until I finally settled into advertising.

I thought for sure I was going to do graphic design, but I soon realized I didn’t want to spend all of my time behind a computer, creating content for other people and brands.

With film, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to be in front of the camera, behind it, or directing it.

What attracted me to advertising was how it applies to virtually every business – it’s a necessary tool in branding a company and making sales. It combined my interests of graphic design, public relations, and business operations all into one. Just think about all of the advertisements you’re exposed to on a daily basis – dozens, even hundreds! I wanted to be the person behind those ads, promoting messages and companies that have a something important to say.

As for the minor in Psychology, that’s more for the sake of my own curiosity. I’m fascinated with psychology and how the mind works, but I didn’t want to commit to it being my full-time study. So, with a minor, I’m able to keep learning about it on the sidelines.

Temple’s Campus

What attracted me most to Temple University was the beauty of it’s campus. I was 100% positive that I wanted to attend a college in a city environment, and Temple is smack in the middle of one.

However, it doesn’t quite feel like a concrete jungle, but more of a private neighborhood for students. There are many green-areas and foliage around the campus, breaking up the brick pavements and cement buildings. The campus is easy to navigate, getting from one side to the other maybe taking about 15-20 minutes.

The most common concerns I get from people when I tell them I attend Temple is “isn’t it in a bad neighborhood?” or “you have to be careful! Don’t go off campus!”. However, I have never felt unsafe or threatened walking around campus, or even a few blocks off. Honestly, I believe any college in a city environment poses risks such as thieves or dangerous people, and I don’t think Temple is anymore dangerous than a college – let’s say – in New York City or Los Angeles. It’s all about common sense: be aware of your surroundings, don’t walk off campus alone or at night (or both), and avoid scary looking people.

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Classes

Of the four advertising-specific classes I’ve taken so far this year, I have loved every single one of them. I feel like I already have learned a lot of valuable knowledge just from the first-level courses, so I’m excited to see what’s yet to come!

That was another major factor into my decision to attend Temple – I have not found a school with a comparable advertising program. What Temple offers for advertising, and the media programs in general, has been nothing short of appealing to me. The courses are very specific to certain skills, and cover a wide variety of topics.

Personally, I think nothing would be worse than to spend all your money going to college to get a sub-par education. Yes, you may still get your degree in the end, but if you’re left with average skills, you’ll get average opportunities.

As for the Gen Eds, there’s really not much to say. Gen eds are gen eds, and unfortunately we have to take them after just completing four years of “general education” at high school. It really just depends on the professor that’s teaching each class and how much work is involved, so definitely make sure to get a sense of the classes you might take by using a website such as ratemyprofessor.com.

Dorming

I’m not going to lie, I went a little extra with my dorming and got the “boujee” residence hall (which of course comes with a higher price tag, but it’s worth it).

I stay in Morgan North, which is the most up-to-date dorm building. What attracted me to Morgan Hall was the fact that it has a apartment-style layout: two bedrooms with two students in each, a living room area, and kitchen. If you want to see a room tour of my dorm, click here.

Because I’m vegan and overall high-maintenance when it comes to food, I really wanted to be able to prepare my own meals and not rely solely on the dining halls. The kitchen provides a decent sized fridge, a two-burner cooktop, and a microwave/convection over.

I’m in love with the dorm’s modern design, size (26 floors!!), and large windows – all of these factors making me extremely happy to stay on campus. I spend most of my time in my dorm, so I really needed it to feel comfortable and worth the price tag.

College Life

I’m a naturally introverted person, but I have been to a few events and parties on and off campus. Honestly, I’m not too good a judge of the party scene here, due to my own disinterest in large social events – so if you’re looking for that information, you’re in the wrong place.

The few that I did attend, however, were not too bad, only due to the fact that I had fun friends with me to take away from my awkwardness. I’m also not really into sporting events, so I’ve only been to one football game (and left halfway through it).

Don’t let my own preferences discourage you from having fun though! I bet there are tons of things to do to, it’s just about whether you’re interested in them or not.

Final Thoughts

I totally enjoyed my time at Temple University and I cannot wait to go back for sophomore year! I definitely need work on putting myself out there more by meeting some new people, going to new places, and exploring the beautiful city of Philadelphia. Besides that, I’m looking forwards to what’s yet to come!

Lots of love x