The Preston

Great management, recently renovated apartments, free parking is a bonus

Less than one mile away from the medical school, this apartment complex is the perfect place to walk to or drive to school from. It has no carpeting- which is easier to clean. My residence includes the washer and dryer inside the unit. In the basement is a gym that contains ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, and dumbells- just enough to get a full workout. There is also a yoga studio that offers free classes to residents on Mondays and Wednesdays. If you have pets, there is a dog wash in the basement. If you have a bike, there is also a bike storage. There is a social lounge for groups and a theater in the building. It used to be the old Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania- which is also historically interesting for the medical students at Drexel. Payment can be done monthly online, very easily. You and your roommates can pay separately for the same room. The only thing is that the apartment itself can be kind of small and the stove is electric. The bedrooms are big enough for a desk, wardrobe, and bed- plenty of room. The living rooms are on the smaller side so hosting may be an issue from your apartment (that's what the social lounge is there for). There's Founded Coffee and Pizza on the ground floor which is super convenient for when you don't know what to get for dinner. ShopRite is located half a mile away (within walking distance!), perfect for groceries. There is a fire pit on the ground floor with a beautiful pebbled cocktail area and patio lighting. (If you are on a lower floor, the patio lighting can be extremely annoying at night). Maintenance lives on the complex. Securitywise, the apartment needs to be scanned into and each door individually locks- they can be set to locking automatically behind you (don't forget your keys!). Each door has a silent sensor on it in case someone tries to break in. Maintenance then arrives automatically to resolve any issue. Packages are secured in Package Pending- a locker storage area for packages that must be unlocked with a code texted to you. All in all, it is a great place for a young student to live. It definitely feels like a slightly more grown up version of dorming. Older students may find that a home is more appropriate for them- with room to host and space to have families over (like Falls Bridge Village). Overall, the value for the quality of living is fantastic (AMPLE free parking at this location is one of the only ones I have seen besides Falls Bridge Village).

Things to watch out for:
1)your apartment location in relationship to the patio lighting (stay far away from this!- you hear the sounds from Founded Coffee & Pizza all day and night plus lights at night make sleeping difficult).
2) If your neighbors have pets and you don't, watch for dog poop on the ground outside and noise from thin walls. This overall isn't too big of an issue for me, but may be to someone else.
3) Apartment layout- can be difficult to decorate based on the location of the kitchen in relationship to dining/living area.
4) Philadelphia Water Department parks wherever they want to- they park even on residential parking, outside of their reserved lots.
5) Far away from any entertainment - great for studying but the closest place for things to do is Manayunk (a ten minute drive).

Great location, clean, newly renovated, free parking

This is a newly renovated apartment complex with many amenities including a gym, pet wash station, bike storage, theater, lounge with pool table and shuffleboard, yoga studio, free parking garage, dog park, outdoor patio. It is across the parking lot from a cute cafe that is great for studying. The major downsides are smaller units, little storage space, and very thin walls. It also is inconvenient to get to campus via public transportation. Management for the most part is responsive, but can be a bit disorganized.