Fox School of Business at Temple University

This weekend I probably met some of you! I worked an eXperience Temple Day on Saturday and did a panel question and answer session. Afterwards, I participated in the 1300 room tours so I also answered some prospective questions there. If you missed the day, I'll answer some of the more common questions here.

Is Temple's campus safe?

Yes! As long as you use your head and don't walk around by yourself at two o'clock in the morning, you'll be fine. I feel very safe on campus, and I should, last I heard we had the second or third largest police force in the state of Pennsylvania. (or is it the Commonwealth? oh you know what I mean . . .)

What is there to do besides drink?

You're in Philadelphia. There is so much going on at all times. On Saturday night, my friends and I decided to hit up South Street for some Greek food (which I had never had before). We made this plan about 15 minutes before we hopped on the subway. I posted a picture of my friend Kate and I at the restaurant. Also, Temple has a lot of events at all times. Every Friday night there is Free Food and Fun Fridays at the Student Activities Center from 10 PM until 1 AM. There are normally sandwiches, chicken fingers, buffalo wings, or something else yummy; as well as either a dj or some other form of entertainment. One night they set up indoor minigolf!

Can you leave campus easily?

Temple has its own subway stop at Cecil B. Moore Ave and Broad St. and a SEPTA Regional Rail stop less than a block from campus on Berks St. All of my friends hop on the train and head to UPenn or Arcadia to see high school friends. I take the subway everywhere - South St., Pat's Steaks, Penn's Landing, lots of shopping destinations . . . I've never had a problem on either the subway or the regional rail and I've taken both solo plenty of times, just remember its all about being smart!

If you missed Experience Temple Day this weekend, you should come April 13. You'll get lots more information there.

Last Thursday I attended an event held by the Fox School of Business, "Life After Textbooks: Diversity in the Real World." It was a two-hour panel discussion with some of the biggest names in corporate diversity discussing their companies' practices and such. Many recent alumni also came, from companies like Vanguard, Comcast, and Enterprise. The companies represented on the panel were Astra Zeneca, Cigna, Pricewaterhouse Cooper, and Vanguard. The moderator, Dr. Alison Konrad, is the leading corporate diversity specialist and used to teach at Temple; she now teaches at a university in Canada. She was very funny and is actually very good friends with my Intro to Human Resources teacher. After the panel, there was a reception and students and panelists mingled and chatted. This is usually the type of event that makes me feel like I'm playing dress up in my dad's suit, but it ended up being fun. Fox is great at providing connection events like this, where we (as freshman!) get to hobnob with really important people at big companies. Temple is well known for being the most diverse college in the country, and the transition to the workplace, which might not always be as diverse or sensitive as the Temple community, was discussed in detail.

On a sidenote: We are now entering the crunch time for college decisions. I was in your spot last year: it sucks. You have so many great alternatives that its just way overwhelming. Just keep breathing, and try to enjoy your senior year. You will most likely make the right decision. I know I did!

Posted by Annie Brady at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I work at the front desk in the Undergraduate Programs office. If you, as a prospective student or parent, come in for a meeting with either David Kaiser or Chuck Allen, for at least eight hours per week, I'll be the first face you see. My main job is to answer the phones and assemble folders and mailings that go out to all of you. I also act as guard dog to the offices in our suite, the Director of Enrollment, the Assistant Dean, and the Director and Associate Director of the Honors Program. Most of the time I end up doing my homework or reading the Wall Street Journal, which is exceedingly boring but required for my Human Resource Management class. Our office is always full of students, who are normally quite loud. The regulars are a friendly bunch.

On Monday and Wednesday mornings you can normally hear Jon warming up to sing in his Power, Influence, and Negotiation class. Singing is the penalty if you are late to class (just in that particular one, of course). If Jon didn't take the time to warm up, he probably wouldn't have to sing so often.

Brooke and Theresa are always willing to help me with my schedule for the coming semester. One might assume that assembling a schedule takes one hour sitting with their academic advisor. Oh, how wrong one would be. That's if you're me of course. Scheduling for the fall semester is currently the talk of all freshmen, but I've been at it for over a week. I like to look up all the available times for a course, go on ratemyprofessor.com, and change my mind at least fifty million times. Each change must also be entered into the color coded excel spreadsheet that I update daily. I'll post the finished version . . . if there ever is a finished version. Brooke and Theresa are upper classmen who have really taken me under their wing. They give me advice on professors, whether or not to take an honors version of the course, and also help in many other areas, like writing my resume.

Lots of days Devon comes in with some homemade goody sent from her mom. In recent memory, we've gotten cupcakes and Irish potatoes. Yum!

Eugene always knows about what is going on in the business and political world, and he loves to share his knowledge with everyone. He always gives Emily, the other freshman student worker, and I lots of advice about internships and getting involved in life on campus.

I get asked some pretty random questions some days by non-regulars. "Do you know where the US Patent Office is?" No, I know where the Accounting Professional Society meetings are held. My favorite was when a student wanted me to help her extend her visa to attend an extra semester here at Temple. I don't work for the Immigration Department, at least the last time I checked.

Life in 106 is never boring (well, occasionally on Friday afternoons when everyone takes off early for the weekend). But at least for today, my time here is up. I have to go to Statistics class!

Posted by Annie Brady at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)