As full-time undergraduate students, Drexel requires us to adhere to the two-year residency program if our permanent addresses are outside of a ten-mile radius from University City. While freshmen are required to live in a Drexel Residence Hall, rising sophomores are allowed to choose between a few different options. If you haven’t thought about where you want to live in the fall, it’s important to know all of your available options. Have no clue what to do or even where to start? Maybe the information below can help you out!
Upperclassmen Dorms
Drexel’s upperclassmen dorms are covered under your tuition, similar to freshman year, and any financial aid you receive may potentially cover the costs. You do not pay “rent” in the dorms, nor do you pay on a monthly basis like with the University-Affiliated Housing. You can also choose which terms you want to live in the dorm, which is convenient if you will be on co-op out of the area at any point.
Caneris Hall
This dorm is located at 115 N. 32nd Street, right next to University Crossings. The building has seven floors, with four and six person suites that have two people in each bedroom, and a common area with a sofa, a chair, and a coffee table. Each floor has full communal kitchens (stove, oven, sink), a study and social lounge, and free laundry facilities. Each suite can manually control the heating or air-conditioning. Each resident is provided with a desk, chair, wardrobe, dresser, and extra-long twin bed (which can be bunked!). Each suite also has a kitchenette, which contains a sink, full-sized refrigerator, and cabinets for storage space. Four person suites have a shower room with one shower and a sink, and a bathroom with one toilet and a sink. Six person suites have a shower room with two showers, a bathroom with two toilets, and a common sink area. Per quarter, the double occupancy bedrooms cost $3,415 and the triple occupancy bedrooms cost $2,275.
People have relatively positive reviews of Caneris Hall. Free laundry is something that is definitely a plus. The building is always clean, and there is a TV conveniently located on every floor in the social lounge. The study rooms are kind of small, but residents seem to prefer using the tables in the lounge anyway. There is also space to study as a group within the suites in the common area, so people don’t seem to have many complaints about lack of study space. Since it is a dorm, there are Resident Assistants (RAs) living on every floor like in the freshmen dorms, but people don’t seem to mind them being around. The elevators don’t cause many issues, and residents love the bike storage room on the first floor. Security is also a positive factor; you are unable to get into the building without scanning your Drexel ID. You can find more information about this dorm on the University Housing website.
North Hall
North is located closer to the freshmen dorms at 3200 Race Street, and was actually designed by an internationally renowned architect. The building features a spiral staircase in the center that connects the east and west wings. The building has six floors with both four and six person suites. Each wing has a full communal kitchen (with a stove, oven, and sink), vending machines, and a laundry room. The top floor of the building has a study lounge with views of the city, while the first floor has study areas with dry erase boards and a game room. In each room, the residents are given a desk, chair, wardrobe, dresser, and an extra-long twin bed that can be bunked. There is also a common area in each suite with a sofa, two chairs, and coffee table. The bathroom and shower situations are the same as in Caneris, and follow the same differences between the four person and the six person suites. Like Caneris, per quarter the double occupancy bedrooms cost $3,415 and the triple occupancy bedrooms cost $2,275.
The thing residents like most about North is how spacious it is. North seems to have significantly larger rooms than Caneris, and the students seem to like the layout in North better. Residents tend to like the brick walls and big living areas. The bike storage area is also a great convenience for students. You can find more information about North Hall on University Housing’s website.
Stile Hall (limited spaces)
Stiles Hall is located on the Center City Hahnemann Campus at 325 N. 15th Street, and mainly houses Drexel’s graduate students. However, select floors of the building are open for returning and transfer students. It is located across from the library and classroom buildings in Center City. Undergraduate students are housed on the lower floors, with graduate students on the upper floors. Residents are given their own rooms and laundry services on every floor. Floors two through twelve have furnished apartments while floors thirteen through sixteen have unfurnished apartments. The furnished apartments come with a twin bed, desk, chair, wardrobe, couch, kitchen table, and four kitchen chairs (in the living area). Unfurnished apartments only come with a wardrobe. All of the apartments come with a full kitchen (full sized fridge, stove, oven, etc.) and a full bathroom. To live in a furnished one bedroom apartment, it costs $4,425 per quarter. A two bedroom costs $3,795 per quarter, and each person pays that amount. The three bedroom furnished option costs $3,345 for each person per quarter.
I unfortunately do not have a review for Stiles Hall. I do not know anyone who currently lives nor has lived here. They usually have a waitlist for people to get in, so I don’t believe many undergraduates really try to get a spot. If you are really interested and would want to try to live in Stiles Hall, I would recommend contacting University Housing to find out more information.
American Campus Communities (University-Affiliated Housing)
These housing options are paid out of pocket on a month-by-month basis, so they are not included under any tuition you receive from Drexel. If you apply to be a Community Assistant (CA) and get the job, you get a 25 percent discount toward your rent.
Chestnut Square
Chestnut Square is conveniently located at 3200 Chestnut Street, above all of the restaurants and stores residing in the square. The building has two sections, one closer to 32nd Street (East Tower) and the other closer to 33rd Street (West Tower). Chestnut offers two, three, and four bedroom options, with an option to also live in a four bedroom, two-floor townhome. The apartment prices range from $799 for the two-bedroom, two-bathroom (all shared) to $1,069 for four private bedrooms and two shared bathrooms. The two-floor townhomes cost $1,119 a month and come with two full bathrooms and a half-bath.
The building comes with a gym with a variety of equipment, a pool table, games, a fireplace, and multiple TVs on the main floor to enjoy. There is free printing on the first floor, provided you bring your own paper. There is also laundry on the lowest floor, with each load costing $1.25 that is paid using a credit/debit card. The students who live in Chestnut give it overwhelmingly bad reviews, but there are a select few who enjoy their experience there. Many people complain that Chestnut has a lot of issues, such as broken elevators and hot water issues, and the noise from Wahoo’s in the warm months bothers the residents. A big issue for Chestnut’s residents seems to be the pricing. Chestnut is pretty expensive, and some people don’t find it to be worth the money. There have also been problems with some of the people who work in the building, such as cold leasing office workers and rude CAs (but never the maintenance staff). Those who find it easy to afford the rent seem to enjoy Chestnut the best, but those who are slightly over-budget don’t feel it was worth the money. For more information, you can visit their website: https://www.americancampus.com/student-apartments/pa/philadelphia/chestnut-square
The Summit at University City
The Summit is a brand new housing option located at 3400 Lancaster Avenue, a prime location. Right underneath the apartments is Urban Eatery, which houses a variety of food options. If you don’t want anything from Urban, there is also Starbucks, 7-Eleven, and Northside all within the same area. There are more places planning to take up the empty spots on the ground floor of the building including Chipotle and Insomnia Cookies. In terms of apartments, Summit has the most options with one, two, three, and four bedroom options. You can even choose if you want a room with a balcony or if you want an apartment to yourself. Summit’s prices range from $799 (for a two bedroom, two bathroom shared bedroom suite) to $1,719 for an apartment to yourself (one bed, one bath).
The reviews for The Summit are mixed. Some residents love how the building looks modern and industrial. They also love the Sky Lounge on the 25th floor with a full kitchen, the sun deck, the interior courtyard, and the 24-hour recreation center. Having a lot of food options very close by is also another perk for people. However, some people hate the fact that not all of Summit’s apartments/suites come with a stove and oven. Instead, some just have induction hot plates. If you prefer to cook, make sure you do your research before just choosing any apartment! Other negative aspects of Summit include: faulty appliances, broken elevators, rude CAs, constant heating and plumbing issues, horrible Wi-Fi, and even leaky ceilings. For more information, visit their website: https://www.americancampus.com/student-apartments/pa/philadelphia/the-summit-at-university-city
University Crossings
This housing option is located at 3175 JFK Boulevard, which is next to Caneris Hall. Like the other two American Campus Communities, University Crossings (UCross) also has monthly installment plans. They provide two and three-bedroom options, ranging from $799 a month (if you share a bedroom) to $1,139 a month if you want your own bedroom. One complaint about UCross is that there are fire drills pretty often. However, the students find the rent to be the best compared to Chestnut Square and The Summit. The renovations (completed last year) have “really transformed the place,” one resident said.
The apartments come with a dishwasher and an oven, which is perfect for anyone who would rather cook than spend money on a meal plan. The residents have also noticed that the building is kept pretty clean, including the hallways, social lounges, and laundry rooms. The laundry is not free like in the dorms, with each load costing $1.25 and you have to use a credit/debit card to pay. There is free printing on the first floor, but you have to bring your own paper. There is also a gym within the building, and a game room as well. Overall, the students who live here typically find their experience to be pleasant and love the security that comes with the building. For more information, you can visit their website: https://www.americancampus.com/student-apartments/pa/philadelphia/university-crossings.
Sophomores are also able to live in a fraternity or sorority house as long as they receive an invitation from their organization.
Whichever option you choose, you should check to make sure it is the absolute best decision for you. Once you commit to a lease, especially from one of the American Campus Communities, it is very binding. You are stuck paying the monthly installments for a place you don’t want to live in unless you find someone to take it over for you (a re-let). As for the dorms, there are fees if you cancel after certain points, so definitely make sure you know all important dates.
Hopefully some of the information provided on all the current sophomore housing options helped you figure out where you want to be next year. Best of luck to all you in your housing adventures!