Penn
Penn is Ben Franklin's university — the Ivy he founded, wrapped around Locust Walk, the car-free brick spine that runs the length of West Philadelphia's University City. Every first-year joins a College House, the residential system that turns a 10,000-undergrad research university into a set of small communities, and many land in the Quad, the 1890s Gothic wonderland at the heart of it. Go Quakers, in red and blue.
What to wear in Philadelphia, month by month
This corner of the country breaks every generic packing list. It is not about surviving cold — it is about staying dry through a long gray winter and a famously short, beautiful summer.
| Move-in (Aug) | 68–88°F | Hot, sticky Philadelphia summer — move-in day is a sweat-through-your-shirt affair, and A/C varies by house. |
| Sept–Oct | 48–78°F | The city's best stretch — warm afternoons on Locust Walk cooling into crisp football Saturdays. |
| Nov–Dec | 32–55°F | Gray and chilly, with the first hard cold arriving by finals; a real coat starts earning its keep. |
| Jan–Feb | 26–43°F | Cold, damp, and windy with a few real snows — Philly winter is more raw than deep. |
| Mar–May | 40–72°F | Cherry blossoms along the Schuylkill and a quick warm-up into a green, humid May. |
What Penn lets you bring
- A fan — A/C varies house by house here, and a Philadelphia August is hot and sticky
- A shower caddy — most first-year houses run shared hall bathrooms
- Twin XL bedding (confirm your specific hall)
- UL/ETL power strip with a built-in circuit breaker — not a bare extension cord
- Damage-free wall hangings like Command strips — no nails or screws
- Low-draw LED desk and task lamps
- A fan, a reusable water bottle, and UL-listed electronics
- Open-coil / open-flame cooking: toasters, toaster ovens, air fryers, hot plates, electric grills, sandwich makers
- Candles, incense, wax warmers, and anything with an open flame
- Halogen lamps
- Extension cords without a breaker; outlet splitters and multi-plug adapters
- Space heaters and personal A/C units (unless your school provides/approves them)
- Hoverboards, e-scooters, e-bikes, and other e-mobility devices
- Weapons of any kind — including decorative — and fireworks
- Candles, incense, and halogen lamps
- Hoverboards and other self-balancing lithium scooters
- Space heaters and open-coil appliances (toasters, hot plates)
- Pets other than fish in a small tank
These come from Penn's official housing pages and cover the essentials plus the genuinely local rules. Double-check the current official guidance before you buy — policies and renovations change every year.
Getting your room at Penn
- 01After you deposit
Housing application & preferences
First-years apply through Campus Express, ranking College Houses and room types and filling out a lifestyle questionnaire that drives roommate matching. Get it in early — the most-wanted Houses fill on preference.
- 02Over the summer
Assignments & roommates post
House, room, roommate, and your permanent six-digit mailbox number arrive through Campus Express during the summer.
- 03Mid-August
Move in + NSO
First-years move into their College Houses in mid-to-late August, and New Student Orientation runs the week before classes — Convocation on College Green kicks it off.
Where you'll live at Penn
The College House system
Every Penn first-year lives in a College House — a self-contained residential community with a faculty House Dean, resident advisors, faculty-in-residence, its own traditions, and (in most) a dining hall. You rank Houses before you arrive, and whichever you land in becomes your instant family inside a university of 10,000 undergrads.
The historic 1890s Gothic complex — three College Houses around leafy courtyards, and the classic, most social first-year scene. It's mid-renovation through 2026, with rooms reopening freshly updated (and air-conditioned).
Eero Saarinen's moated red-brick landmark at 34th and Walnut — renovated, tight-knit, and home to the Benjamin Franklin Scholars residential community.
Smaller and arts-leaning, with its own dining hall on Sansom Street; residents call it KCECH and mean it fondly.
The newest first-year House — suite-style rooms with private baths and A/C, plus a dining hall; more privacy, quieter programming.
Sophomore year, most students move to the high-rises (Rodin, Harrison, Harnwell) or another House — but your first-year House stays your home base.
The Penn move-in checklist
The “Shop” links are Amazon affiliate links — a purchase may earn AllDorms a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Bedding6
Bath5
Laundry4
Storage & organization6
Desk & study4
Electronics6
Cleaning5
Kitchen — within the rules5
Health & meds4
Clothing — see the seasonal guide7
Move-in day go-bag5
Philadelphia logistics, sorted
How to send a package to a Penn student
3820 LOCUST WALK, RM [6-digit #]
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6134
Locust Walk, the LOVE statue, and Ben on the Bench
Hey Day, Franklin Field, and the Palestra
Philadelphia & around
Locust Walk
Penn's car-free main street — club tables, a cappella, the LOVE statue, and everyone you know, from 40th Street to College Green.
University City
Penn and Drexel's leafy West Philly quarter — Clark Park, Baltimore Avenue's restaurants, and the trolley into town.
Center City & Reading Terminal Market
Philadelphia proper is a short walk or trolley across the Schuylkill — Rittenhouse Square, City Hall, and the 130-year-old Reading Terminal Market's food stalls.
Schuylkill River Trail & the Art Museum
Run or bike the riverfront trail straight to the Philadelphia Museum of Art — yes, you will run up the Rocky steps.
Where to stay near Penn
The Inn at Penn, a Hilton
Sansom StreetPenn's own hotel in the heart of campus at 36th and Sansom — the parents' default, so it books first.
Sheraton Philadelphia University City
36th & ChestnutThe reliable full-service hotel a block off campus.
AKA University City
Walnut StreetApartment-style suites toward 30th Street — the pick for longer family stays.
Penn gear & gifts
Penn — links & contacts
- College Houses & Residential Services: Visit page