“The Philadelphia Center allowed me to find a neighborhood that fit my personality. Living with roommates from three colleges gave me different perspectives and a sense of comfort away from home.”
Andrea Saldivar, Hope College
Spring 2004
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Medical Social Work Intern
Experience
In a January 2011 survey of our alumni:
- 98.8% would recommend TPC to prospective students
- 98.6% agreed with the statement that TPC allowed them to discover their direction in life
- 95.2% reported that they experienced substantial learning during their internship
- 88.5% reported that their TPC experience helped them find employment after graduation
- 72% reported that their TPC experience helped them with acceptance into graduate school
To read what some of our alumni have to say about their TPC experience, please click on any of the following names.
Aaron Barth
The 16 weeks I spent in Philadelphia as a student in The Philadelphia Center’s semester program opened my eyes to a whole new world. I would say that my semester attending The Philadelphia Center lived up to its mission of helping me find my personal and professional direction in life. Before this program I had no idea what field I wanted to work in, but now I know that it is Human Resources. Thanks TPC!
Sarah Van Hamersveld
Deciding to do the Philadelphia semester has turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life! I’ve been significantly challenged in my classes, internship and city living experiences. My internship at a psychiatric recovery clinic has provided me with an incredible amount of new respect and admiration for the mentally ill population. I was able to realistically put what I had learned at Hope to real use! This semester has truly helped me in discovering my personal and professional direction in life! Thank you TPC!
Shanoz Aqnazarbekova
The Philadelphia Center (TPC) helps students understand how to gain value from their experiences through the process of experiential learning. TPC provides students with a unique opportunity to live independently in the city, a full-time internship for almost any major and a variety of academic seminars. These three areas of learning introduce students to real life experiences, in other words, students discover how to learn and make meaning out the three areas of learning.
Sara Bailey
For me, attending The Philadelphia Center meant leaving my friends behind and giving up campus leadership opportunities, but I knew that the things I would be gaining from this experience made it worth these sacrifices. Now, looking back at the program, attending The Philadelphia Center was the best decision I have made during my time at Hanover.
Porfia G. Yambo
I loved every single moment at TPC. I use the word “loved” because it was a very unique and a life full long experience. It was a challenging experience but I am glad that I was part of this adventurous opportunity where I did not only had the opportunity to discover my direction in life but I also had the opportunity to create new relationships, and develop the Notion of self and others.
Hannah Szabo
My semester at TPC was incredibly wonderful and instructive (I would venture to say more instructive than an entire semester on-campus). It will sound cliche, but you really do find some kind of direction for your life, whether that direction is personal or professional. You will learn more about yourself during this semester than you ever thought possible (which is definitely a good thing!) I interned at two different publishing houses and found out that my career goal was right on the money—I definitely want to be a book editor!
Brooke McDonald
The slogan for The Philadelphia Center is “Discover Your Direction In Life.” It’s a brilliant marketing strategy for college students with lots of questions about which path to take in life. When I saw brochures for The Philadelphia Center as a sophomore, I may or may not have actually drooled. You can help me discover my direction? Heck, yeah, I’m doing this program!
Leah Tworek
Experiential learning through a field placement, city seminar and city living is what The Philadelphia Center is all about and during my time here it became evident why. While in Philadelphia I experienced so many new things that would not have been possible or would not of had such a powerful impact on my education and life if I would have not come. Being a part of TPC has been one of the best education decisions I have made thus far. It is hard to describe what a whirl wind experience you can have at TPC until you are actually here and live it for yourself. The best way I can sum up my experience is that my time here was absolutely amazing and I have never felt so good about my direction in life.
Rebecca Devore
My experience in Philadelphia allowed me to develop personally and well as professionally. This semester-long program teaches young adults how to live independently in a large metropolitan city, intern full-time in a professional working environment, and have some fun along the way.
Madeline Shaw
This semester has been one of the most intense times of my life. Sometimes it has exhausted me until I can feel the tiredness in my bones, but mostly it has been exhilarating. There’s something to be said for being able to witness my own values and ideas about the world taking shape right in front of me. It’s like watching time lapse photography – I think to myself, “am I really allowed to witness this as it’s happening?”
Jimmy Coy
I can definitely say my experience with The Philadelphia Center (TPC) was my highlight of my college years. This semester-long off campus experience is designed to help students discover who they are and how well they can adapt to change with a semester of “life-after-college.”
Matthew Rutter
The hands-on responsibility I was given in Philadelphia as an intern for the Defender Association of Philadelphia: Homicide Mitigation Division was unprecedented. Learning in the classroom, around the city, in jail cells, and in a courtroom, I am forever changed by my new ability to listen and love. My time with The Philadelphia Center was a period of holistic growth that could not happen on a college campus. I am continuously blessed by my time in Philly and encourage students considering the semester to take a chance and join in an unimaginable adventure.
Karen Heck
This semester in Philadelphia confirmed my direction in life. Through my internship in the Physical Therapy Department at a local hospital I was able to see multiple settings of physical therapy and on the side see how it is used in the Philadelphia School District as well as other private schools for the multiply disabled.
Andrea Thomas
My work with urban students offered a unique opportunity for me to watch my students enrich their peers’ lives with their backgrounds, knowledge, and ideas. As my students worked together and learned from each other, I was further transformed into a teacher dedicated to embracing all that diversity, in all its variations, can offer.
Jessica Pringle
With the help of The Philadelphia Center, I was pointed in the right direction for finding my apartment (amazing to say the least) and getting to work on the subway. After a semester of living in Philly, I am proud to say that I am no longer scared, worried or confused about anything. This semester I was pre-placed into two internships. The first was at The University of Pennsylvania in the Pathology Department and the second was at the VCA Cat Hospital of Philadelphia.
Shannon Morrissey
The Philadelphia Center (TPC) prides itself on helping students discover their personal and professional direction in life, and that is exactly what my semester in Philly did for me. I participated in independent city living, a professional internship, academic seminars, and part-time employment, and organized a program-wide volunteer event as a part of the 2010 Philadelphia Cares Day.