- Jenny Greyerbiehl, Alma College, Fall 2001

The Philadelphia Center does not have an application deadline. However, many of our participating college's do require students to apply to study off-campus by a certain date and you'll need to make sure your materials have been submitted to the appropriate individuals prior to that deadline. Click here for contacts on your campus who can help you through the application process.

For many prospective students, how we coordinate our housing process is a key concern. We absolutely guarantee that by the end of the first week, each student will obtain housing in the City of Philadelphia. During the first week of the program, all students stay at a hotel very close to The Center. Students will be guided through the housing process with the help of our Housing Coordinator and our faculty and staff. Students will be provided with a comprehensive list of housing leads, surveys from previous semester's students, as well as a listing of apartments currently available throughout the city. Most of our students live in houses or apartments managed by landlords and realtors with whom we have established relationships. We encourage students to arrive in Philadelphia with an idea of their monthly budget allowance, an open mind, and a willingness to explore the city!

Yes. The more than 800 internship positions in our database offer many, many career options in a variety of fields. Usually, students have trouble only in narrowing their list of interview possibilities. If your interests are highly specialized, you are welcome to develop placements outside our current base utilizing our extensive contacts.

When you arrive, you'll meet with your faculty advisor to discuss your professional learning objectives. Then you'll select and interview for the internships likeliest to help you meet those objectives.

Unfortunately, the answer to this very important question varies widely from campus to campus. We would urge you to speak with some of our friends and liaisons at your campus (click here for a list of liaisons to speak to on your campus) and meet with your academic advisor to discover which courses best fit your needs. Course descriptions and syllabi can be found in the Seminars section of our website or in our Resource Book in the offices of our friends and liaisons.

Yes, we offer the program in the fall (roughly late August through mid December) and spring (roughly late January to early May). Click here for a list of upcoming program dates.

Yes, you'll be granted up to 16 hours of credit from Hope College for the 16-week semester. Actual credits may vary depending upon your college's requirements.

Yes, Summer in the City is a 9-week program for which students can earn up to 9 credit hours of academic credit through Hope College. For more information, email us at admin@philactr.edu.

Expenses for your full semester in Philly are similar to what you spend on your own campus for tuition, room, board, and miscellaneous expenses. The main additional expense would be in "social" spending: restaurants, trips, and other extracurricular activities. Click here for a recent student-completed Budget Survey. For tuition information, please email us at admin@philactr.edu.

We do not encourage students to bring their cars to Philadelphia. Parking can be both difficult and expensive to obtain. The city is easily accessible by foot and public transportation and most students find cars unnecessary. If you're interested in exploring the East Coast, nearly all major cities are connected by inexpensive and frequent train and bus routes.