Housing and Meals

HOUSING

For the duration of the orientation, FLTAs will stay at Rodin College House. Penn’s high-rise residence halls welcome guests to apartment-style living with breathtaking views of the city in attractive accommodations offering wall-to-wall carpeting, air conditioning, private bathrooms and many with kitchens.

Two to four FLTAs of the same gender will be assigned to a suite. Be aware that bedroom doors inside the suites do not have locks. Therefore, you may want to secure your valuables inside your luggage with luggage locks.

Each FLTA will be supplied with a bed, linens (sheets and pillowcase), desk and chair, and a dresser. Additional room furnishings vary depending on the type of room. Please keep in mind that these rooms are student dormitories and not hotels. Rooms are very basic. Therefore, toiletries and other amenities you may expect are NOT provided.

Each floor has its own public facilities, including lounges, and laundries. Many have special amenities such as commissaries, pianos, pool tables, ATMs, coffee houses, vending machines, recreational equipment and more.

In all of the College Houses at Penn, safety is of the utmost importance. Security staff are stationed at the entrances around the clock. House Managers, and a full complement of housekeeping and maintenance staff are available in case of an emergency. Visitors are welcome, but they must be signed in.

EARLY OR EXTENDED STAYS

Housing is available only for the duration of the orientation. FLTAs may only check in on the scheduled arrival day and must check out on the last day to prepare the dorms for the new school year’s incoming students. Therefore, if you will be staying in Philadelphia beyond these dates, you will need to make your own housing arrangements.  If you need assistance doing so, please let us know.

Below are two of the best options in terms of convenience and price.  Both can be booked online. You  may also want to consider staying in an Airbnb.

  • Apple Hostels of Philadelphia and City House Hostel are both located in the Olde City neighborhood of Philadelphia, one of the nicest parts of the city.  Dorm beds begin at $35 per person per night.
  • Sheraton Hotel – While this is not the cheapest place to stay in Philadelphia, you may find its location on Penn’s campus convenient.  Room rates are an average $209 per night.  If you are interested in staying here, let us know.  We can try to pair up FLTAs to minimize the cost.
WIFI

The AirPennNet-Guest wireless network will act as one large wireless hotspot for campus. Only basic Internet connectivity will be provided, including web browsing and secure protocols, such as standard VPN and RDP.

  • Bandwidth usage limits are in effect providing 3Mbps up/down per device.
  • Registration of devices on the AirPennNet-Guest wireless network will need to be renewed daily, instead of weekly.
  • The AirPennNet-Guest wireless network will block hosts that may serve malicious content.
  • In case of abuse, repeat offenders will be blocked from using the AirPennNet-Guest wireless network.

How to Connect

  1. Select the AirPennNet-Guest SSID
  2. Open a browser
  3. Review and accept the Acceptable Use Policy terms and conditions
  4. Enter a valid email address and click submit.

 

TELEPHONE ACCESS

Since dorm rooms are not equipped with landline telephones, the most convenient way to make calls is through a computer using Skype, Google Voice or other service.  However, if this method is not possible and you need to make a telephone call, a telephone is available near the front desk in the lobby of your residence hall. You will need a prepaid telephone calling card in order to make phone calls off campus, within the U.S. or abroad.

Phone cards can be purchased online on websites such as nobelcom.com, speedypin.com, pingo.com, or at local convenience stores.

MEALS

The following meals will be provided during the orientation. Menus will be printed in your program booklet.  If you have dietary restrictions, please be sure to let us know in the survey. To give you the freedom to explore campus and Philadelphia, no events are planned on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

  • Tuesday – Dinner at 7 PM if your arrival schedule allows.
  • Wednesday – Breakfast and lunch at the orientation site.
  • Thursday – Breakfast and lunch at the orientation site.
  • Friday – Breakfast and lunch at the orientation site and reception.
  • Saturday – Breakfast to go in your residence hall.