Nearly 85 percent of students at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania are unaware that they can stay in Philadelphia upon graduation, according to a new report from the Philadelphia Research Initiative.
“I was under the impression they wouldn’t let me walk at graduation if I stayed in my West Philly apartment,” said one student who preferred to remain anonymous due to their belief that she would be subject to disciplinary action for staying in city limits. “This is fantastic!”
The study found that most students believed that the university required all new graduates to immediately vacate their University City apartments to move back to live with their suburban parents or to another major metropolitan area. After surveyors informed students that no policy existed, many were elated at the news, the report shared.
“I though everyone in Philadelphia was only here for two to five years at a time before being required to move,” said Anna Fango who was going to move to Conshohocken. “This really opens up my options for me.”
Despite the city’s decreasing “brain drain,”, many students still fear discipline from Penn despite the lack of any policy from the university.
“Wait, you mean you mean there’s an entire city out there?” said Lester Watkins, a recent MBA grad. Watkins also added that he’s been to bars on South Street and Old City “a few times” but generally likes to stay on campus because he once watched the evening news.
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